I think a 10-year horizon is necessary because the job in front of us is so large. I'm an optimist. I believe in 10 years from now you're going to see some huge improvements.
I caution against the silver bullet syndrome. There is a tendency for us to believe there's a chunk of money, and we're going to turn the corner on this particular problem. That's dangerous. It doesn't work that way.
I wouldn't want to be admitted to a hospital that isn't automated. They hurt a lot more people than hospitals that have these types of technologies, and that's just the bottom line. The evidence is there.
To operate a hospital in 2012 without these kinds of technologies is dangerous for a doctor. Many doctors have commented on this. For a doctor to practise without an electronic medical record is dangerous. To allow anybody to practise without the information and the tools he needs to practise safely is not on, in my opinion, and we need to address all of those things.
I fully agree with Dr. Cafazzo that it's moving into the home and to the individual, and self-care is where the action is going to be. I'm hoping 10 years from now that we're going to start seeing some real progress in that area, but we have to deal with the basics.