By Karen B. DeSalvo & Brandon McBride – In late 2011, the President announced a White House Rural Council initiative lead by the HHS and USDA to invest in rural health and link rural doctors and hospitals to financing for health IT. The initiative was designed to address the need for financing to support the adoption of health IT systems in rural communities.
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By Jon White MD & Steven Posnack – Spring has arrived in Washington and it is the season of change. In our ongoing pursuit of agile and effective public service, we turn our attention today to how we get timely and effective public input.
By Karen DeSalvo – I am optimistic about the bright future we have to leverage health information technology to enable better health for everyone in this country. One year ago, we called upon the health IT community to move beyond adoption and focus on interoperability, on unlocking the data, so it can be put to the many important uses demanded by consumers, doctors, hospitals, payers, and others who are part of the learning health system.
By Thomas A. Mason MD & Janet Wright MD – About 1 of 3 U.S. adults—67 million people—have high blood pressure, also called hypertension. High blood pressure increases the risk for a variety of diseases, including stroke, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, heart and kidney failure, and atrial fibrillation. High blood pressure is also called the “silent killer” because it often has no warning signs or symptoms, and many people do not know they have it.
By Lucia Savage – In the draft Interoperability Roadmap, ONC committed to helping individuals, providers, and the health and health IT community better understand how existing federal law, HIPAA, supports interoperable exchange of information for health.
By Matthew Swain & Erica Galvez – Advancing secure and interoperable exchange is a core component of the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan 2015-2020 and the focus of the Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap.
By Michael J. McCoy – I have now been a Federal Employee for a couple of months, the first time since I mustered out of the Army in 1983. Having spent all of my professional life in areas other than the federal government, I had previously viewed government’s work with suspicion and skepticism.
By Karen B. DeSalvo & Jodi G. Daniel – The secure, appropriate, and efficient sharing of electronic health information is the foundation of an interoperable learning health system—one that uses information and technology to deliver better care, spend health dollars more wisely, and advance the health of everyone.
By Kelly Cronin & Ahmed E. Haque – Beginning this month, ONC is partnering with the CMS to develop specialized technical assistance as well as comprehensive online health IT tools and resources for State Innovation Model (SIM) states.