East meets west to cure healthcare ills using information technology

Although a half-world apart, the United States and the People's Republic of China share many of the same challenges in the delivery of health care to their citizens. Both healthcare systems suffer from inefficiencies, ever-increasing costs, and inequities in access to care. Public health surveillance and response are challenges for both countries, individually and in dealing with global outbreaks. The governments of both countries are taking actions to address their nations' healthcare problems, and they see information technology as a remedy for their healthcare ills - in particular, advanced networking, Electronic health record systems, and mobile computing devices. However, a number of challenges must be met before pervasive, quality health care enabled through technology can be realized. Meeting these challenges presents a good opportunity for China and the U.S. to work together toward effective IT solutions.