From the ONC Desk Celebrating National Nurses Week 2014
Judy Murphy | May 5, 2014
As a nurse, I am excited to kick off National Nurses Week at the ONC with this post. Nurses have always played a special role in health care, and no year has highlighted that more than this one. Today, nurses are found in inimitable roles throughout the health care continuum, often serving as the coordinator of care. This is true in health IT as well – nurses are often found coordinating IT projects and playing pivotal roles in its adoption and use.
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Health Information Exchange Health Information Exchange among U.S. Hospitals Continues to Grow, but Significant Work Remains
Matthew Swain | May 5, 2014
Hospitals across the country continue to adopt health IT such as electronic health record (EHRs) to improve the health and health care of their patients. ONC posted the latest results [PDF – 933kb] from the 2013 American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Annual Health IT Survey, which show that more than nine out of ten hospitals possess certified EHR technology, and nearly six in ten hospitals adopted an EHR with advanced functionalities (classified as a Basic EHR).
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FACA, Federal Advisory Committees Health IT Policy Committee Hearing To Consider Certification Program Optimization
Lee Stevens | May 1, 2014
On May 7th, the Health IT Policy Committee will hold a public hearing on the ONC Health IT Certification Program in Washington, DC. Providers, health information exchange organizations, technology developers, certification bodies and testing labs will discuss lessons learned, the attributes of an ideal certification program, how it can be improved going forward, and how we should measure success.
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Meaningful Use Improving Public Health through Health IT
James Daniel | April 28, 2014
About Public Health Reporting
You’ve heard about disease outbreaks of flu, measles, and salmonella on the news. Have you ever wondered how disease outbreaks are detected and tracked? Local and state public health departments rely on information from health care providers. Traditionally, this information was reported by paper, phone, and fax. Health IT tools can provide a faster and more accurate way of moving critical information from providers to health departments where outbreaks are identified, tracked,
Electronic Health & Medical Records Health IT-enabled infrastructure helps reduce American Indian and Alaska Natives health disparities
Larry Jessup | April 25, 2014
American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) face disproportionate health outcomes compared to other Americans.[1] The adoption and meaningful use of electronic health record (EHRs) technology may help to reduce this gap. Like other Americans, many of these individuals have multiple providers in multiple states and EHRs have the potential to provide reliable, consistent patient data that can follow patients wherever they get their care.
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