RESUMO
The fragmentation of our health care system, our need to accommodate the diversity of existing health information exchanges, the lack of consistent implementation of clinical information standards, and the need to protect patients' privacy and maintain trust are all challenges to overcome in achieving broad-scale interoperable health information exchange. We propose several steps to coordinate information sharing among regional and other networks through universal adherence to a basic framework of policies and standards. The critical policy action is the identification of a "common framework" of standards and policies, maintained by a new Standards and Policy Entity that reflects both public- and private-sector participation.
Assuntos
Planejamento em Saúde Comunitária/organização & administração , Disseminação de Informação , Registro Médico Coordenado , Estados UnidosAssuntos
Processamento Eletrônico de Dados/normas , Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act , Revisão da Utilização de Seguros/normas , Linguagens de Programação , Sistemas de Apoio a Decisões Administrativas , Difusão de Inovações , Revisão da Utilização de Seguros/legislação & jurisprudência , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Computerized patient records (CPRs) have reached a state of technical maturity that makes them an essential component of modern patient care. However, because uniform technical standards do not exist, CPRs constructed by different vendors do not convey clinical information easily from provider to provider. Moreover, unequal access to capital may mean a two-tier clinical information environment in the future. HIPAA, while important, did not anticipate the CPR revolution. New federal activism is required to assure not only interoperability of clinical data systems, but also that providers who lack capital and technical resources can make the needed digital conversion.