Electronic Health Record SystemsU.S Federal Initiatives &

Public Private Partnerships

Introduction In April 2004, the president of the United States issued an

executive order that called for action to put EHRs in place for most Americans in 10 years. Today there is growing consensus that EHRs, can meet clinical and business needs in healthcare by capturing, storing, and displaying clinical information when and where it is needed to improve treatment and to provide aggregated cross-pattern data. Analysis the involvement of nurses is critical to such efforts responsible for care coordination and promotion of wellness, nurses are often the patient’s primary contact and the final point in healthcare delivery where medical errors and other unintended actions can be caught and corrected after a brief overview and discussion of the definition of EHR-Ss, this chapter covers two main areas federal initiatives and public-private partnership.

Overview

  An early adopter of EHR-s the U.S government is currently advancing initiatives to accelerate the use of hit in both the public and private sectors. Both sectors have done considerable EHR-S innovation and some notable benchmark implementation over the past decade federal initiatives continue to actively identify and target solutions that lessen the barriers and accelerate use of EHR-S.

Defining Electronic Health Record Systems

          The term EHR-S is often used interchangeably with computerized patient record, clinically information system, electronic medical record, and many others. As a term EHR-S is recognized internationally by including the word system, the term forces a distinction between an EHR, which is physical or logical repository of data, and EHR-S, which can be made up of one or more applications. At the time of writing, international organization for the standardization (ISO) had drafted its standard for EHR definition, escape, and context, ISO 20514; the final version was expected in 2005 or 2006.

          The IOM’s 1991 definition of computer-based patient record system is currently the basis for domestic and international definitions of an EHR-S:

 1.     Longitudinal collection of electronic health information for

and about persons, where health information is defined as information pertaining to the health of an individual or healthcare provided to an individual.

2.     Immediate electronic access to person and population level information by authorized, and only authorized, users.

 3.     Provision of knowledge and decision support that

enhances the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care. 4.     Support of efficient processes for healthcare delivery.

Government as Leader 

Federal agencies that do not provide direct care are taking multiple approaches to promote use of EHR-S. Federal activities are focus on the development and adoption of terminologies and standards, Grants for community demonstrations of data exchange and other pilot projects.

 

Office of the national coordinator for health information technology. 

The executive of April 2004, mentioned earlier in the chapter, created the ONCHIT to coordinate HIT efforts in the federal sector and collaborate with the private sector in the driving HIT adoption across the health care system. In July 2004, HHS secretary Tommy Thompson and Dr.Brailer release a framework for strategic action. The office of the national coordinator is positioned to bring together a public and private entity for accelerating solutions to known problems.

The national committee on vital and health statistics

            In 2000 and 2001, the national

committee on vital and health statistics (NCVHS), which advices the secretary of HHS on health information policy, held a series of national hearings to develop a consensus vision of the national health information infrastructure (NHII).

Agency for healthcare Research and Quality

          In 2003-2004, AHRQ unveiled a major HIT portfolio, with grants, contracts and other activities to demonstrate the role of HIT in improving patient safety band the quality of care.

Institute of Medicine

          As an independent advisor to the nation with the goal of improving health, the IOM has championed the advantages of IT to improve health since its 1991 foundational work the computer base patient record, which was revised and republished in 1997.