Portrait of Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo

$1 Billion Invested in Rural Health Care Across 13 States

Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo | May 4, 2015

In late 2011, the President announced a White House Rural Council initiative lead by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to invest in rural health and link rural doctors and hospitals to financing for health IT. The initiative was designed to address the need for financing to support the adoption of health IT systems in rural communities.  Financing has been cited as one of the top challenges for rural doctors and hospitals serving remote and poor communities.

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Portrait of Thomas A. Mason

Health IT Holds the Promise to Help Improve Health

Thomas A. Mason | April 30, 2015

Electronic Clinical Measures Point to EHRs Potential to Monitor Blood Pressure Control
About 1 of 3 U.S. adults—67 million people—have high blood pressure, also called hypertension. High blood pressure increases the risk for a variety of diseases, including stroke, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, heart and kidney failure, and atrial fibrillation. High blood pressure is also called the “silent killer” because it often has no warning signs or symptoms, and many people do not know they have it.

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Portrait of Andrew Gettinger

Meet Dr. Andrew Gettinger, ONC’s New CMIO

Andrew Gettinger | April 28, 2015

So what is an anesthesiology critical care specialist with over 30 years of clinical practice at a highly regarded academic medical center doing as the ONC’s chief medical information officer?  The answer includes direction from Dr. Jack Wennberg, pioneer researcher in medical systems and founder of the health services research group that is now best known for the Dartmouth atlas, followed twenty years later by the same but much clearer advice and direction from former Surgeon General,

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Portrait of Andrew Gettinger

The Evidence Shows IOM Was Right on Health IT and Patient Safety

Andrew Gettinger | April 27, 2015

The potential for health IT to reduce errors has been a pillar of health policy on patient safety since the Institute of Medicine’s To Err is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001).  In 2012, in Health IT and Patient Safety: Building Safer Systems for Better Care the IOM found the evidence on the impact of health IT on patient safety was “mixed.”  

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