Health Information and Technology for Economic & Clinical Health (HITECH)

See the following -

All Parties Ignore the One Way to Reduce Health Care Costs: Single-Payer

David U. Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler | Truth Out | March 30, 2012

...business managers are the decisionmakers about computer purchases in most hospitals and large practices, and they're choosing off-the-shelf software that gives priority to maximizing billings and addressing management's needs. As our studies show, these management-led systems have increased health costs...

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Data Blocking Hampers Interoperability, ONC Says

Greg Slabodkin | Health Data Management | April 10, 2015

According to ONC, complaints and other evidence described in the 39-page report “suggest that some persons and entities are interfering with the exchange or use of electronic health information in ways that frustrate the goals of the HITECH Act and undermine broader healthcare reforms.” ONC’s report provides criteria for identifying and distinguishing electronic health information blocking from other barriers to interoperability, and details current and proposed actions...

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EHR Adoption Climbing, But Some States Falling Behind

Brian Ahier | Advanced Health Information Exchange Resources | March 19, 2014

[...] The latest NCHS Data Brief from CDC shows improvement in overall adoption of EHR's this past year, but some states are starting to fall behind and there are some disturbing signs that many physicians are either unsure or opting not to participate in the EHR Incentive Program.

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EHR Data 'Blocking' Hobbles HIT, Says ONC

John Commins | Health Leaders Media | April 13, 2015

Technology vendors, hospitals, and health systems restrict data access under the guise of security and confidentiality, but it can be challenging to identify and differentiate information-blocking from more benign impediments, says an ONC report.

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Feds Look to Automate Blue Button

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee | GovInfoSecurity.com | August 14, 2012

The federal government is launching an initiative to make the increasingly popular Blue Button patient portal feature more automated. The goal is to provide patients with more ease and choices for securely downloading and transmitting their personal health information. Read More »

Flawed Health IT: Whose Fault Is It?

Jeff Rowe | Government Health IT | September 18, 2012

We spent National Health IT Week peeking through the eyes of others at possible health IT futures.  So we'll start this week with the views of someone who points to a radically different future for health IT in large part by claiming that current health IT options are pretty miserable. Read More »

HIE 'Rules Of Road': What's Next?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee | GovInfoSecurity.com | September 17, 2012

Supporters of a recent decision by federal regulators to back away from issuing voluntary "rules of the road" for secure health information exchange say the move makes sense [...]. But some others argue that establishing HIE benchmarks, especially for privacy and security, is advisable now to help build public trust. Read More »

HIE At A Crossroads

Anthony Brino | Government Health IT | April 28, 2014

In the five years since the HITECH Act brought funding for public health information exchanges, the technology and the organizations that offer it have seen a varied evolution. Today, HIE as a whole is at a crossroads, with much of the public funding running out, but health data exchange services are more important than ever.

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IT Part Of Big Change Coming To Nursing

Staff Writer | Healthcare IT News | March 20, 2014

The nursing profession is facing multiple challenges in the years ahead. From the Affordable Care Act and its focus on the introduction of electronic medical records, to the aging U.S. population, nurses are in for major change.

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Lack Of Funding, Clout Didn't Deter Kolodner From Tackling ONC's Top Spot

Joseph Conn | Modern Healthcare | April 10, 2014

Dr. Robert Kolodner had his eyes wide open when he took the top spot at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at HHS.  He knew that his predecessor, Dr. David Brailer, had asked in vain for billions of dollars to help subsidize the cost of EHRS to hospitals and physicians, federal money he thought ONC needed.

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Obama Reelection Doesn't Alter Complexity Of EHR Adoption

Mary Mosquera | Government Health IT | November 8, 2012

The reelection of President Barack Obama won’t change the intricate realities underway in the trenches as physicians and practices perform the difficult task of replacing paper with electronic health records (EHRs). Read More »

ONC Will Not Create NwHIN Governance Rule

Press Release | The Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT (ONC) | September 21, 2012

The Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT (ONC) issued a Sept. 7 statement that it’s tabling its project to define governance for the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN). Read More »