Healthcare IT Definitions Finalized
The definitions for technology tools utilized in the healthcare marketplace have been finalized by the National Alliance for Health Information Technology. The report, funded by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, was published on the collaborative site.
The effort was initiated because of the lack of common terms used across the healthcare industry, many experts note that the lack of commonality limits efforts to move IT efforts forward. The lack of clear definitions can become problematic with respect to regulations, healthcare policy, and contract and purchasing initiatives.
Definitions were crafted through two working groups based on a consensus building approach. An important definition that required clarification was health information exchange (HIE) processes and functional oversight and accountability. The language created is meant to be easily understood even by lay people with limited technical knowledge.
The range of definitions covered include electronic medical records, electronic or personal health records, the process of health information exchange, the oversight structure for health information exchange programs including health information organization and regional health information organization.
May 28, 2008 Related topics: Partnerships & Consortia, IT & software