Privacy and Security An Opportunity for Sharing Information about Cyber Attacks
Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo | July 25, 2016
To better prevent attacks on health information technology, organizations need better visibility into what to expect and how to respond. Timely information on the nature of attacks is critical to that ability. To enable better dissemination of threat information, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) released two Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) to build the capacity of an Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO).
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Privacy and Security Examining Oversight of the Privacy & Security of Health Data Collected by Entities Not Regulated by HIPAA
Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo | July 19, 2016
Many of us now use wearables and other types of health information technology to help us manage our health and the health of our loved ones. These fitness trackers, their related social media sites where individuals share health information, and other technologies are changing the way we interact and control our own health. However, they did not exist when Congress originally enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996.
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Interoperability Measuring Interoperability: Listening and Learning
Seth Pazinski | July 1, 2016
In April we asked for your input and comments on ways for us to measure how well our nation’s health care system is doing in achieving “widespread interoperability,” as required by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Separate from the provisions that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed to implement through the Quality Payment Program for payment of office-based Medicare physicians, MACRA specifically calls on HHS to establish metrics for the exchange and use of clinical information to facilitate coordinated care and improve patient outcomes between participants in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs and others nationwide.
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Privacy and Security Educating Health App Developers about Regulatory Requirements
Lucia Savage | June 21, 2016
These days it doesn’t require a degree in computer science to create a health app. Developers of these apps can be technologists, clinicians, or patients using their knowledge and experience in health care. All can develop new health tools that range from tracking heart healthy behaviors to using electronic calendars to reminding us of health appointments.
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Health IT Safety ONC Publishes New Reports on Health IT Safety
Andrew Gettinger | June 10, 2016
Safety is and always has been a top priority at ONC. We have incorporated safety into the ONC Health IT Certification Program [PDF-257KB] and our guiding documents, the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan: 2015 – 2020 [PDF-1.2MB] and Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap. More specifically, ONC created a series of tools to help with the safe use of health IT, including a guide to e-prescribing and nine self-assessment protocols (called SAFER guides) that identify recommended practices to optimize the safety and safe use of electronic health records (EHRs).
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