03/07/2013
A new data brief from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT finds that the percentage of U.S. acute care hospitals with a basic EHR system more than tripled from 12.2% in 2009 to about 44.4% in 2012. In a separate data brief, ONC examines the increase in hospital capabilities to meet certain meaningful use objectives. Becker's Hospital Review, Health Data Management.
02/26/2013
Separate reports from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and the Arizona Strategic Enterprise Technology office find that health care providers are interested in using health information exchange services for a wide variety of purposes. Government Health IT.
02/11/2013
The Texas Medical Association and the American Medical Association have suggested changes to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's draft plan to improve the safety of health IT systems. TMA called for appointing a health IT safety czar. Modern Healthcare.
02/07/2013
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has released the first draft test scenario to help assess the usability of electronic health record systems. The first draft test scenario will gauge the ability of EHR systems to receive data. Modern Healthcare, FierceEMR.
02/06/2013
The American Hospital Association, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society say they support several provisions of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's draft plan to improve the safety of health IT systems. The groups also offered suggestions to strengthen ONC's plan. AHA News et al.
02/04/2013
The Health IT Policy Committee has announced that it is seeking members for a new work group focused on accountable care organizations. The work group will make recommendations on how HHS can help improve health IT infrastructures related to ACOs. Government Health IT et al.
01/28/2013
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has published five reports on factors that contribute to successful health data exchange. The reports cover topics such as provider directories and patient-mediated exchange. Government Health IT, ONC's "Health IT Buzz."
01/25/2013
Yesterday, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT acknowledged that problems with a government-developed software tool are causing delays in testing electronic health record systems for compliance with the 2014 edition EHR certification criteria. An ONC official has outlined the steps the agency is taking to address the technical issues. Modern Healthcare.
01/22/2013
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has named the winners of its Health Design Challenge, which aimed to promote the creation of user-friendly electronic health records. The creators of "Nightingale" received $16,000 for best overall design. Healthcare IT News et al.
01/03/2013
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT will award between $200,000 and $400,000 to organizations working to develop governance standards for health data exchange. ONC also announced other initiatives to support health data exchange governance. NextGov et al.
01/03/2013
A draft plan from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT outlines several strategies to improve the safety of health IT systems. The strategies include establishing an HHS health IT safety panel and creating a forum for health IT users. Kaiser Health News' "Capsules" et al.
12/20/2012
An advisory opinion released yesterday by HHS' Office of Inspector General states that hospitals would not violate anti-kickback regulations by allowing community physicians to access their electronic interfaces at no cost. Physicians would use the interfaces in part to transmit orders to laboratories. FierceEMR.
12/18/2012
A set of final specifications from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT includes 48 test procedures and 18 data sets for testing and certifying electronic health record systems against Stage 2 meaningful use requirements. Modern Healthcare, Health Data Management.
12/12/2012
Based on an analysis of electronic health record adoption data from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, three researchers from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT concluded that doctors increasingly are adopting EHR technology with the higher-level functions necessary to meet the meaningful use program's requirements. Modern Healthcare, ONC analysis.
12/10/2012
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has expanded its Health IT Dashboard to include new interactive maps that track nationwide progress on the meaningful use electronic health record incentive program. ONC also has expanded its Health IT Adoption and Use Dashboard to include information on the adoption of electronic prescribing technology. Modern Healthcare et al.