Weekly roundup: ONC celebrates 2012, rallies for 2013

The Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT held its annual meeting this week, reviewing its 2012 achievements and looking to next year’s goals. “If we thought healthcare was just fine, we wouldn’t be here today,” said Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM.

“Change is good, and every disruptive innovation that ever happened happened because of improvement in the technology that enabled it,” he said. “We’re bringing that all together. That’s why we’re here. That’s why I’m so proud to be called the national coordinator for health IT.”

That change will occur through openness, transparency, being accountable and holding each other accountable, he said. He wants ONC to remain open to letting others help and be inclusive. “We don’t have all the answers. We can do together what none of us could do on our own.”

Eighty-one percent of U.S. hospitals are registered for the Meaningful Use program, he said. Almost two-thirds of eligible professionals have signed up and half have already been paid.

Despite the achievements, “we’re barely started,” Mostashari said. “I’m sorry to say we’re barely started. We can get so much better. We have to get so much better.”

The ONC also released the latest numbers regarding physician adoption of EHRs and other electronic tools to help improve care, safety and coordination of healthcare continues to rise.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics reported early in December that the percentage of doctors adopting EHRs has increased from 48 percent in 2009 to 72 percent in 2012. The ONC report shows that since 2009, the percent of physicians with computerized capabilities to e-prescribe has more than doubled, from 33 percent to 73 percent. Within the past year, 56 percent of physicians have the computerized capabilities to engage with patients and their families by providing patients with summaries after visits, an increase of 46 percent.

The data brief, "Physician Adoption of EHR Technology to Meet Meaningful Use Objectives," found that since the HITECH Act was enacted in 2009, the percentage of doctors that are meeting five Meaningful Use core objectives has increased by at least 66 percent.

“The the number of doctors adopting EHRs increasing, and more of them are using the technology to meet the objectives that will help them improve care for their patients,” said Mostashari. "There is still more work to do before the full promise of health information technology is met.”

Are you ready for the health IT demands of 2013? Please share your thoughts.

Beth Walsh, editor

bwalsh@trimedmedia.com