FROM THE FOUNDATION

The Social Life of Health Information

A new Pew Internet/CHCF national survey finds the Internet has joined doctors and family members as one of the top three ways people search for answer to their health care questions.

Evaluating One-e-App

CHCF and The California Endowment funded the development of One-e-App, a Web-based program that enables users to apply for multiple public insurance programs at once. Read a business case assessment by The Lewin Group.

Privacy, Security, and the Stimulus Bill

The recently enacted economic stimulus legislation includes a number of improvements to federal health privacy law. This brief looks at issues of privacy and security in the wake of ARRA.

Consumer Information

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Vendors Can Test Health IT Standards Compliance With Online Guide

The federal government last week announced the release of a new Web site to help vendors test products to determine if they meet the required standards for participation in the Nationwide Health Information Network, Healthcare IT News reports.

The Web site was developed by the Certification Commission for Healthcare IT, Healthcare IT Standards Panel, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. According to HITSP, the site contains information on:

  • NHIN initiatives;
  • CCHIT;
  • HITSP;
  • Interoperability standards;
  • Standards referenced by the specifications; and
  • Available test resources.

John Halamka, chair of the standards panel, said, "This Web site enables all stakeholders to implement HITSP standards, understand the roadmap for data interoperability and leverage all the work that has been done to create unambiguous interoperability specifications for consumer empowerment, lab and biosurveillance."

The panel by late July also expects to have emergency responder electronic health record use cases ready for inspection. The panel also will complete privacy and security constructs for all of its interoperability standards that have been published, Healthcare IT News reports.

The panel will hold a public comment period from July 23 to Aug. 17 on the emergency responder EHR use cases, privacy and security constructs, and documents for two new use cases on clinical information and quality measurement (Manos, Healthcare IT News, 7/2).



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