At about the same time the Senate Finance Committee voted 14-9 Tuesday to approve its healthcare reform bill. Medical Group Management Association President and CEO William F. Jessee, MD, took the stage in Denver to urge his audience to do their part to fix the nation’s troubled healthcare system. Information technology is a vital piece of the solution, he said. Jessee also talked about the physician’s focus on patient safety, quality measures and the MGMA’s leadership in administrative simplification and Project Swipe IT, which calls for the adoption of standardized, machine-readable patient ID cards by Jan. 1, 2010. Jessee put forth a laundry list of challenges including: Insuring the uninsured; Controlling costs; Assuring patient safety; Solving manpower shortages; and sharing health information. Read more…