Strategic Plan for Health IT Issued
The Health Information Technology’s Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) released a five year strategic plan describing health information technology programming for the federal government. The described effort covers 2008-2012.
The plan describes goals, objectives, and strategies that will coordinate federal efforts related to information technology use in health practice. The overall goals consider two areas: population health and patient-focused healthcare. The strategic plan is intended to guide the advancement of IT utilization in the years to come.
The overall intent of the plan is to create a new system of IT tools that customers come to expect in the healthcare environment. This will further compel healthcare providers to engage with and implement IT tools and systems to meet this expectation.
Forty specific milestones are iterated, along with timetables for implementing each. Specific issues include interoperability, collaborative governance, adoption, and privacy and security.
By 2009, health information exchange efforts are expected to share information in real-time through use of a national health information network, which is still under development. All the efforts planned are intended to modify the means by which individuals interact with the healthcare system.
One of the goals related to IT adoption is to decrease the costs associated with purchasing and implementing electronic health records. A second goal described is to create a system to link personal health records with useful applications in the clinical setting. Both of these goals are targeted for 2010.
The goals described for 2011 include removing obstacles to use of electronic health records. A second goal is to increase the value of EHR through various technology tools, as well as promoting use of certified IT products as a key tool to support the practice of clinical care.
June 9, 2008 Related topics: Legal & legislative