USHCR News Volume 1 Issue 2   June 30, 20001

TODAY'S MAIN TOPIC:  U. S. Health Care Reform Overview

This edition describes some of the key services U. S. Health Care Reform provides to help the health care reform community get online and make effective use of electronic networking tools. These services break down into four major areas: Consulting, Outreach, Email Lists, and Demonstration Projects. (Detailed information about everything we do can be found on our Web site, at http://www.geocities.com/s7ss/).

Consulting

Do you have a question about what computer or modem to buy? Need information on the best tools for developing Web sites? Want to find a good local Internet service provider? Writing a grant proposal to get better equipment, but don't know where to start? We're here to help. Contact us (by email, fax or phone), and we'll help you find your way through the technology maze with quality information, recommendations, expertise and (in some cases) on-site assistance. We will work with you to formally assess your electronic networking needs, and quantify what you need to do to improve the way you communicate. This service is also available for the funding community, who may need help in evaluating the technical needs of potential grantees.

We can't always be there in your office to help, but we *can* point you in the right direction and save you valuable time. (For more information, see "Technical Assessments" on our web site).

"Outreach" and Training

When health care reform activists get together for meetings or conferences, we want to be there to provide training, presentations and information about using electronic networking tools effectively.  If you are involved in an event (or know of one) and would like U. S. Health Care Reform to help your attendees learn more about electronic networking for health care reform contact us at our web site. ).

Keep an eye on our Web site (and future editions of USHCR News) for more information.

Email Lists

Email is still the online technology that is of greatest value to health care reform activists, and an email list (often called a "listserv") is one of the most powerful ways to use email for planning, organizing, and sharing information. An email list will allow you to reach multiple activists by sending a message to a single email alias, without having to remember or type in everyone's individual email address, etc. It's a simple technology, but one that has proven very powerful in the health care reform community.

U. S. Health Care Reform will host your email list free-of-charge, and provide you with training, technical support and ongoing assistance to help you use this simple tool effectively. For more information about this service (and some minor restrictions), visit our Web site at http://www.geocities.com/s7ss/. If you are unable to browse the web, contact us by email and we will send you a copy of the document by return email.

Demonstration Projects

Electronic networking tools are most effective when used by people who are working together to accomplish common goals.

Although our first round of demonstration projects is just getting underway, we plan to expand this program in 2002. Additional information about this round of demonstration projects, including the application process and scope, will be made available via our Web site and USHCR News. Stay tuned...

There's a lot of things happening at U. S. Health Care Reform, but we hope this sums it up for you. If you have any comments or questions about U. S. Health Care Reform, or any of the services we offer, please contact us! We're interested in improving our offerings to help you.

TWO TECHNICAL TIDBITS

1.) The "Summarize and Repost" Technique: Trying to arrange a meeting or gather feedback from a large group of online activists? A simple technique to do this efficiently, without causing a flurry of emails that can clog an inbox, is to use the "summarize and repost" email method. Instead of issuing an email to a group of activists that says (for example) "We need to select a meeting time: when can everyone make it?", try the following:

• Have the meeting organizer send an email proposing 2-3 possible times for the meeting.
• Ask that each recipient *respond only to the meeting organizer* with the time(s) that work best for him or her
• The meeting organizer can then send an email summarizing the responses (and hopefully selecting the best time for everyone)

The key is to direct all the comments to a single organizer, who then edits, summarizes and reposts the comments back to the entire group. This simple "summarize and repost" technique has been used on the Internet for many years, and has proven effective in reducing the number of emails necessary to accomplish a task. You can apply it to almost any group decision via email, including organizational decisions, collaborative review of documents, and others. The key is to direct all the comments to a single organizer, who then edits, summarizes and reposts the comments back to the entire group. Try it and see; it may help you avoid information overload and lots of unnecessary email messages.

2.) Media Sources Online: Did you know that thousands of newspapers, radio and television stations have Web sites? Contact our web site. We can develop custom email lists for you.

Not all sites have substantive information (articles, etc.), but most have email addresses and other information to help you contact them and let them know your views and concerns about the health care industry.

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USHCR News is an email newsletter published by U. S. Health Care Reform, and designed to serve as a source of technology information for the health care reform community. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or read back issues, visit our Web site at http://www.geocities.com/s7ss/ .

U. S. Health Care Reform provides USHCR News and other valuable services (consulting, technical assessments, and email lists) to the health care reform community. Your assistance will help us continue this work. You can help by becoming a supporter.

Please send your contributions of $10 to $100 to $1000 to: Stephen Swoyer, U. S. Health Care Reform, 2619 East Hills Drive, Williamsport, PA  17701.

� U. S. Health Care Reform. All Rights Reserved.