The ONC is at the forefront of the administration’s health IT efforts and is a resource to the entire health system to support the adoption of health information technology and the promotion of nationwide health information exchange to improve health care. Here is the latest they are reporting on.
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Will MU stage 3 rules be delayed? On Thursday, July 23, 2015 Senate HELP committee held a hearing on “Achieving the Promise of Health Information Technology: Information Blocking and Potential Solutions.” The committee continues with the fourth hearing on the subject to probe for answers on details and the scope of this problem.
This week’s rundown includes: Quality Health Network & eHealth Technologies joining forces, highlights from the Digital Health Summer Summit, Orion Health named a leader in IDC HIE, & NextGen Healthcare successfully connects to Mass HIway.
By Andrew Gettinger MD – As we focus on making our health care ecosystem interoperable and building a continually improving learning health system, we need to ensure health IT enables safe, high quality care. We also know that doctors, nurses, and other clinicians that are all part of the care team are frustrated by health IT systems that are not coordinated or optimized to their workflow.
As part of its goal to ensure that everyone can get quality healthcare regardless of where they live, the GE Foundation announced a three-year, $14 million grant to support Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), and its game-changing care delivery model that exponentially increases treatment capacity for common, complex conditions in medically underserved areas.
By CAPT Alicia Morton & Tricia Lee Wilkins – Improving and streamlining the testing and certification of health IT has long been a goal of ONC. To that end, on June 9th we published a notice in the Federal Register that reintroduced a flexibility included in the ONC Health IT Certification Program that allows the National Coordinator to consider test procedures, test tools, and test data developed by any person or entity for approved use.
In these Connected Health infographics, see the top 10 trends for 2015, how Americans manage health & communication with providers, what a virtual coach is, and the benefits and challanges of a connected health environment. See other infographics we have featured.
By Barry P. Chaiken, MD, MPH – In many ways healthcare is like Mikko’s ballet company. Although information technology can enhance care planning, assist in medication administration and reduce duplicative testing, it cannot replace the people required to deliver care services to patients. Nurses are needed to administer medications, therapists are needed to provide treatments, and physicians are needed to diagnose illnesses and provide treatment plans.
By Rena Hrivnak – Implementation isn’t just about the new system, there’s also the process of taking the necessary steps to decommission legacy applications. The health system is in agreement that the application needs to be retired, but is unsure as to when and how the retirement process should begin.