ONC to Congress: HIT adoption strong, but interoperability struggles persist
Despite widespread adoption of health IT since the passage of the HITECH Act, healthcare organizations continue to struggle with seamless health information exchange, according to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s (ONC's) October 2014 report to Congress.
“Electronic health information is not yet sufficiently standardized to allow seamless interoperability, as it is still inconsistently expressed through technical and medical vocabulary, structure and format, thereby limiting the potential uses of the information to improve health and care,” ONC wrote to Congress in the 54-page report. “Patient electronic health information needs to be available for appropriate use in solving major challenges, such as providing more effective care and informing and accelerating scientific research."
Also, the agency reported that health IT remains a lower priority for entities ineligible for EHR payments, such as long-term care, post-acute care and behavioral health organizations.
“Better alignment of health IT solutions among all provider types could promote electronic exchange and care coordination activities among all providers,” according to the report.
ONC identified seven specific actions to foster a strong and flexible nationwide health IT infrastructure:
- Supporting EHR adoption among healthcare providers across the healthcare system.
- Promoting existing technical standards and developing new standards critical to the development and success of an operational and connected health system.
- Increasing the number of health IT workforce professionals that can facilitate the implementation and support of an electronic healthcare system.
- Facilitating interoperability between public health agencies and healthcare providers.
- Supporting, advising and collaborating with states and communities to drive local healthcare solutions.
- Sharing studies and recommendations with providers, payers and patients on how health IT improves healthcare quality and patient safety.
- Empowering individuals to access and use their health information to stay informed and improve their health and well-being.
Read the entire report.