Interoperability

Portrait of Aja Brooks

The Real HIPAA Supports Interoperability

Aja Brooks | February 4, 2016

At ONC, we hear all of the time that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) makes it difficult, if not impossible, to move electronic health data when and where it is needed for patient care and health. This is a misconception, but unfortunately one that is widespread. This blog series and accompanying fact sheets aim to correct this misunderstanding so that health information is more often available when and where it is needed.   

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Portrait of Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo

When and Where You Need It Most: Your Rights to Access and Transmit Your Health Information

Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo | January 11, 2016

In order to effectively manage their health, individuals need to be able to access and use their health information when, where, and how they want, including sending it to the people and tools helping them become or stay healthy – neighbors, friends, relatives, health care providers who are treating or consulting with the individual, or even third-party software tools used for self-management. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) governs the privacy of individuals’ protected health information (PHI) and when and how that information can be shared.

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Portrait of Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo

Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap – Version 1.0

Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo | October 6, 2015

This is a unique time in health care. Scientific and technological advancements made by you, our partners across the health industry, have been rapidly transforming health and health care in the nation. More than 3 million individuals have accessed their electronic health information using ONC’s Blue Button tool. Today, over three-quarters of eligible providers and nine-in-ten eligible hospitals have received incentive payments for adopting and meaningfully using certified health IT compared with less than 15% before the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs started.

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Portrait of Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo

Interoperability to help achieve better care, smarter spending, and healthier people

Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo | January 30, 2015

Today, we issued Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap Version 1.0 (“Roadmap”).  This Roadmap reflects nearly a year of collaborative effort with extensive input from the public and private sectors and is a call to action to see that we can unlock digital health information and see that it can be appropriately used when and where it matters most, to who matters most – the people of this nation.  

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