Now it may feel like a veritable maelstrom of innovation, with ICD-10 and meaningful use stage 2 both poised to take effect. However, for all of the conjecture over delaying these initiatives, it's important to remember what an uphill battle it has been for health IT advocates.

Former National Coordinator of Health IT Dr. Farzard Mostashari may have said it best when he argued that stalling the onset of these programs now could jeopardize years of work, and a photo essay recently compiled by Healthcare IT News provides an excellent visualization of this fact. Beginning with an image of former President George W. Bush during his State of the Union address in January 2004 – the first time that health IT was referenced on a national scale – the collection of photos captures other landmark events including President Barack Obama's commitment to medical and chiropractic EMR five years later in 2009. 

The photo essay also sheds light on major historical events that have illustrated the need to switch to digital records – including the loss of medical records after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. It's easy to grow frustrated with the idea of change when everything at your practice seems to be running smoothly, but remember that these innovations are intended to improve patient care not just on a daily basis, but in the event of an unforeseen catastrophe as well.

The new year brings with it an opportunity to look ahead and set future goals while taking stock of all the progress made in the previous year. What have you done to leverage advancements in health IT in the past year, and how will you make the most of chiropractic EHR in 2014?