This paper examines issues related to the barriers to the implementation of electronic health information systems in the United States: namely financing, privacy and safety, and lack of a standardized IT protocol. It describes the ways in which the recently established Dutch national health IT system has addressed these issues. Citing the similarities between the Dutch and U.S. health systems, the paper suggests solutions that have been successful in the Netherlands which could be employed in the U.S., and also highlights challenges that continue to limit full acceptance of health IT in the Netherlands. It attempts to identify key setbacks in Dutch health IT implementation that might be avoided in the United States through early development and acceptance of a robust and reliable information protection system; nationwide health provider education regarding the long-term nature of cost recovery; and immediate, nationally organized strategic plans to create a highly functional, interoperable, standardized IT protocol, involving all stakeholders-health care providers, insurers, health IT system vendors, consumers information safety experts, and government policy-makers. Early planning should include representatives of existing private and public initiatives aimed at sharing health information electronically.