Portrait of Joy Pritts

Health IT Privacy and Security

Joy Pritts | July 8, 2010

Privacy and security are the bedrock of building trust in health information exchange. The proposed modifications to the HIPAA Privacy & Security Rules, announced today, are a significant step forward in HHS’s efforts to protect patient privacy rights while encouraging the adoption of electronic health information exchange.  The next phase of this process is just as important—obtaining public feedback and suggestions concerning the proposed rules.   The comment period will begin once the rule is published in the Federal Register on July 14. 

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Portrait of Dr. David Blumenthal

Temporary EHR Certification Program and List

Dr. David Blumenthal | June 18, 2010

A surgeon can’t operate without the proper equipment. A clinician can’t achieve meaningful use of electronic health records without an EHR that is designed to improve patient care and practice efficiency.
The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services announces today a big step in ensuring that clinicians can easily identify EHRs and EHR modules that have the capabilities needed to achieve meaningful use and thereby reap the financial incentives offered by Medicare and Medicaid.

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Portrait of Dr. David Blumenthal

Health IT Adoption

Dr. David Blumenthal | June 14, 2010

Introducing change in health care is never easy. Historically, adopting our most fundamental medical technologies, from the stethoscope to the x-ray, were met with significant doubt and opposition. So it comes as no surprise that in the face of change as transformational as the adoption of health IT – even though it carries the promise of vastly improving the nation’s health care – some hospitals and providers push back. I resisted using EHRs while an internist in Boston,

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Portrait of Dr. David Blumenthal

Health IT Journeys: Share your EHR Implementation Stories

Dr. David Blumenthal | May 27, 2010

Across the country, in practices large and small, urban and rural, general and specialized, health care providers are beginning their journey towards the meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). Some practices are in the preliminary stages of learning about health IT, while others have already implemented systems and are using them to the benefit of patients.

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Portrait of Dr. David Blumenthal

ONC Beacon Communities Lead the Charge

Dr. David Blumenthal | May 5, 2010

Across the nation, in communities large and small, health information technology (health IT) innovators are boldly leading the way toward the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). Yesterday, we awarded $220 million in Beacon Community cooperative agreements to 15 trailblazing community consortiums that will demonstrate how the meaningful use of electronic health records can serve as a critical foundation for achieving measurable improvement in the quality and efficiency of health care in the United States.

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