Abramson, who holds a doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota, has spent most of his career working in various IT roles in healthcare, both for the Minnesota government and for care delivery and managed care organizations. He joined HealthPartners in 2000 as CIO and senior vice president of information services.

For most of his tenure at HealthPartners, Abramson has worked on the Minnesota Health Information Exchange (MNHIE), a decade-long effort to exchange medical and claims-based data between multiple health plans and healthcare providers in the state. HealthPartners is one of the exchange's founding members.

“The exchange brings care delivery to the next level by sharing information that otherwise might be available only in one provider's electronic medical records,” Abramson says.

Internally, Abramson and his IT team are focusing on providing additional online services to members.

Plan members can view their claims information via a secure portal, search for physicians online, and schedule appointments electronically. HealthPartners also offers online health assessments. With data from those assessments, the organization can offer individualized services to help members better manage certain conditions, such as asthma or diabetes.

“Healthcare is moving dramatically toward individualization,” Abramson says. “We started out as a group health plan, working on large-scale populations, and now we've moved toward individual product development to meet certain market niches. We're treating patients in unique ways that are tailored to their needs. And that takes more computing power.”

As Abramson plans future IT projects, he keeps HealthPartners' triple-aim approach in mind. As a way to manage costs, all projects must focus simultaneously on three issues: healthcare affordability, health improvement, and a high-quality member experience.

“All our plans are vetted through steering committees, and they use these criteria to figure out which projects to fund, which to put on hold, or which not to do at all,” Abramson explains. “We're doing the most we can with the resources we have available, and we try to serve multiple needs with every project.”

Given the role technology has played in helping Minnesota develop a more collaborative environment among healthcare organizations, Abramson believes IT also can play a part in the national debate over healthcare reform.

“We know technology can be a major player in bringing about a transformation in healthcare, but there's no single technological solution that's going to solve the problems people are looking at,” he says. “It's going to require technology and diligent work by a lot of dedicated people to bring about a better healthcare system for the United States.”

Sharon Baker is a freelance business writer based in Charlotte, N.C.