Federal officials plan to integrate the Nationwide Health Information Network with personal health record databases launched by Google and Microsoft, according to Charles Friedman, COO of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, Government Executive reports. Friedman made the announcement at the Defense Health Care IT Conference at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
Friedman offered few details on how the network would integrate the PHR applications.
At the conference, Friedman also said that ONC plans to expand the NHIN this year to include electronic health record networks operated by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Indian Health Service and multicommunity integrated health care systems.
A health IT vendor executive said plans to link these systems to the network, as well as community health care delivery systems, indicate that ONC is looking to expand the network more locally (Brewin, Government Executive, 3/27).