In an interview published in the New York Times' "Pogue's Posts," National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal discussed federal efforts to promote electronic health record interoperability and ensure the security of heath data.
Interoperability
Blumenthal said his office is undertaking efforts to help different EHR systems connect and share data. He said, 'We're gonna be helping states to create interoperability capability, capabilities to link records, to link institutions."
In addition, Blumenthal said federal officials are developing nationwide standards and certification criteria that will support EHR interoperability. He added that the standards discussions "will all be a very open and transparent process."
Privacy and Security
Blumenthal also addressed concerns about whether EHR systems would compromise the privacy and security of personal health data.
He said regulations are in place to ensure that any health data used for research purposes are stripped of all individually identifiable information.
Blumenthal also said his office plans to work with President Obama's new cybersecurity initiative to ensure that EHR systems have advanced encryption capabilities and other data protections.
Other Topics
During the interview, Blumenthal also discussed:
- Cost-savings resulting from EHR implementation;
- EHR adoption among other industrialized countries;
- Physician incentives for EHR implementation; and
- The Obama administration's health IT goals (Pogue, "Pogue's Posts," New York Times, 10/15).