Regional health data exchange networks are hindering efforts to create a national health care information network, said Dr. John Loonsk, director of interoperability at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, Government Health IT reports.
Loonsk, speaking last week at the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise Connectathon meeting in Chicago, said that while there has been "lots of progress in terms of commonality of architectures, unique regional solutions have impeded this market." ONCHIT this year will "directly engage state and regional health exchange efforts" and will "focus on connections between networks and systems," Loonsk said.
He said facilitating consumer participation in network-based health information delivery will be important, especially providing access for "health information service providers" such as electronic records providers and other Internet-based service providers, Government Health IT reports. The health care industry must "make sure we do not stifle these services," Loonsk said.
Alisa Ray, executive director of the Certification Commission for Health IT, at the meeting said the group this year wants to launch the certification process for inpatient electronic health records. CCHIT, which has filed for not-for-profit status, also will consider ways to certify some network components (McCloskey, Government Health IT, 1/18).