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Write an Op-ed

Abbreviated from “opposite the editorial page,” an op-ed is a newspaper article that expresses a personal opinion on an issue from an interested party. Op-ed authors are unaffiliated with the newspaper staff. In fact, an op-ed can be written by anyone – from a respected authority to a concerned citizen. Here are the steps to write and place an op-ed focused on NHIT Week:

Be familiar with the outlet’s op-ed style. Before you write your op-ed, check the media outlet’s op-ed style guide (usually posted on the website). Depending on the outlet, typically op-eds are about 700 to 800 words. Op-eds often include a local angle to make it relevant to the newspaper’s reader and on occasion, they include a call to action. Op-eds can be placed in newspaper and also in nontraditional outlets such as website like Huffington Post or aol.com or locally at newjersey.com (if you live in New Jersey). Allow plenty of time to place the op-ed. Since you can only approach one outlet at a time awaiting their response before proceeding to the next outlet that may take a week or two, allow four to eight weeks for placement.

• Determine the topic. An op-ed about National Health IT Week should discuss the benefits of health IT to the healthcare system and patient care, and include a local angle—how healthcare IT benefits those in your city, state or region. Feel free to be creative and use local examples and other anecdotes to illustrate your points.  Tell a story about how health IT has made a difference. Some examples of NHIT Week topics might include:
• Using a statistic or study such as the fact that Frost & Sullivan research revealed that the EHR market is expected to increase from $1.3 billion in 2009, to $2.6 billion in 2012.
• Providing examples of patients that are empowered by using health IT.
• Standardizing technology so that EHRs are truly portable.
• Addressing patient privacy and security involved with using EHRs.
• Adopting new laws to support the wider use of health IT.
• Using EHRs to track disease outbreaks and public emergencies.
• Leveraging EHRs to eliminate administrative costs and other waste.
• Identify a signatory. When writing an op-ed, the first step is to identify a signatory—someone who will sign the op-ed. The person signing the op-ed should be well respected and, if possible, well known. For example, he or she may be your organization’s CEO or CIO, a local official such as the head of your city or state’s public health system, or an elected official such as the mayor or a congressional representative.
• Write the op-ed. When writing the op-ed, feel free to use the language from the news release (in this document) and the NHIT Week website.
• Obtain approvals. When the op-ed is written, seek approval from the signatory, your organization’s leaders and other stakeholders.
• Contact the media outlet. The next step is to contact the op-ed editor where you want to publish the op-ed. Let them know that you would like to send them an op-ed to celebrate National Health IT Week and that you’ve included a local angle. Verify that you have the correct length of the op-ed and how, to whom and where to send it.
• Revise the op-ed. Depending upon your discussion with the media outlet representative, it may be necessary to revise the op-ed. Make the revisions and send it in. If you are sending the op-ed by email, be sure to cut and paste the op-ed into the body of the email. Do not send the op-ed as an attachment.

 

SAMPLES OF POTENTIAL OP-ED TOPICS

Here are a few examples of the first paragraphs of some sample op-eds.

NHIT Week Op-ed
Our nation stands on the threshold of dynamic improvements in healthcare. Great advances in health information technology (IT) and the possibility of a nationwide exchange of clinical information place true healthcare reform within national reach.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have attempted to move the nation toward impactful healthcare reform, but true reform is impossible without system-wide adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) and nationwide health information exchange.
It is interesting to wonder about what our healthcare system might look like when health IT is fully implemented. Specifically, what the increased use of electronic medical records (EHRs) might mean to patient satisfaction.

Regional Op-ed
The Mississippi Regional Extension Center has met its target for signing up priority primary care providers (PPCPs) by hitting the 100 percent mark on May 17, 2011. The Mississippi REC took an early lead in the effort to help PPCPs on the road to meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) products. Three months into the process, the REC had signed up 25 percent of its goal of 1,000 practices. And at the six-month mark, more than 600 providers were signed-up, including 220 providers associated with the state’s network of community health centers (CHCs).  

Policy Op-ed
Electronic health records (EHRs) can improve the quality of healthcare delivery, increase patient safety, decrease medical errors, and strengthen the interaction between patients and healthcare providers. But putting all that information online is a potential safety, privacy and security risk. To help eliminate this risk, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has introduced the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2011 designed to “establish a national standard for data breach notification, and require American businesses that collect and store consumers’ sensitive personal information to safeguard that information from cyber threats.”

Personal Story Op-ed

As a physician during the last 30 years, I’ve seen more changes in the American healthcare system than I ever imagined when I was in medical school. These changes have included new procedures such as angioplasty; pharmaceuticals like cancer drugs; medical devices like CT scanners; and new support systems such as electronic medical records. Today, there’s almost no area of medicine that hasn’t been touched by technology.

Many of us may have encountered a medical situation where a family member or loved one’s life was saved by early detection, new drugs, or a new procedure. Contrary to these more obvious technological medical advances, health IT is quietly advancing medicine. Health IT—specifically electronic health records (EHRs)--improve the quality of healthcare delivery, increase patient safety, decrease medical errors, and strengthen the interaction between patients and healthcare providers.

This week marks National Health IT Week where [XXX] companies and organizations join together to celebrate the use and benefits of health IT. I wanted to share some of the ways that health IT has improved care for my patients.