We are pleased to announce the call for submissions to the 4th Annual Workshop on Health IT and Economics (WHITE). Health information technology (IT) offers the potential to improve the quality and reduce the cost of healthcare delivery. However, significant challenges remain regarding design, implementation, utilization, and evaluation of health IT. There is a compelling need for research that can inform both policymakers and practitioners. 

WHITE is a health IT summit that gathers prominent scholars in a multidisciplinary setting. Inaugurated in 2010, each year WHITE attracts nearly 100 scholars and thought leaders from more than 40 institutes. This workshop provides a forum for researchers to disseminate their work and network within a growing and vibrant community. WHITE also fosters collaborations between academia, government, and industry. 

We solicit papers on a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, the following: health IT adoption barriers; assimilation of health IT into workflows and organizations; impacts of health IT investments; measures and incentives for meaningful use; business models for health information exchange; IT-enabled new organization forms and delivery processes; market competition and health insurance exchange; health 2.0 and empowering patients; quality transparency and public reporting; as well as medical analytics.  Research addressing the information technology and systems implications of new models of care delivery envisioned in the ACA such as Accountable Care Organizations and Patient-Centered Medical Homes are encouraged.  

The 4th Annual WHITE will be held in Washington DC, center of health policy debates, on November 15-16, 2013. The conference is hosted by the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) at the Robert H. Smith School of Business of University of Maryland. CHIDS (www.rhsmith.umd.edu/chids) was established in 2005, and is the first academic research center focused on health information and decision systems in a leading business school. Partial support for WHITE is provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Please submit an extended abstract of no more than 5 pages (11-point font, one-inch margins on four sides, double-spaced) to whitepaper@rhsmith.umd.edu by Aug 15, 2013. Abstracts will be reviewed for novelty, rigor, and policy impact. 

Please check http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/chidswhite for further information and updates, as well as opportunities to become a sponsor for the workshop. 

If you are new to WHITE, please feel free to check out the programs and photo albums of previous years on the website. We look forward to your participation.

Important dates