That was fast

Barack Obama has been president for just about three hours now, and already the White House Web site has been completely made over. Here’s Obama’s healthcare agenda. Notice that it contains not a word about technology on this page.

However, healthcare is mentioned as part of the technology agenda. This part looks unchanged from the campaign, at least so far: “Use health information technology to lower the cost of health care. Invest $10 billion a year over the next five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health information systems, including electronic health records.”

Note, though, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) said last week that the economic stimulus plan would include $20 billion for health IT. I’m not entirely clear whether this money would be spent this year or even if it “counts” toward the $50 billion Obama wants over the next five years.

Toast the new president today, but tomorrow will be time to get to work.

What can’t wait for tomorrow is Chilmark Research‘s offer of free downloads of the executive summary of its May 2008 “iPHR Market Report.” Chilmark said yesterday that the document will be free for 24 hours. The post does not say when the clock started ticking, but I’m going to guess and say you’d better get your downloading in before close of business on the east coast, since Chilmark is in Cambridge, Mass.