One of the first  health care reform initiatives launched by President Barack Obama was a call to set up a nationwide, electronic medical records system. Given the insurance industry's heavy involvement in claims documentation, and ACORD's track record in bringing the property and casualty sector up to speed when it comes to standardized forms, wouldn't it make sense for ACORD to take a leading role here as well?

This won't be a slam dunk, as anyone who has visited their doctor lately can attest. Have you seen the rows of file cabinets in most doctor's offices, or caught a glimpse of the rag-tag assortment of handwritten documents spilling out of your file when you sit down for your annual physical?

Or how about all the paperwork you have to fill out every time you see a new doctor, take a test at a new facility or have work done at a hospital? We're drowning in paper, and every individual and institution has their own style when it comes to forms–even though everyone is after the same information, starting with who insures you.