NAHIT releases HIT definitions

This should make for more clearer conversations. SV


The National Alliance for Health Information Technology Releases HIT Definitions Report


Chicago, May 20, 2008— The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (Alliance) today released its final report, “Defining Key Health Information Technology Terms”. This report reflects consensus work completed over the last several months on definitions for six important health information technology (IT) terms.

Funded by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) this project was initiated in response to a growing need to address ambiguous and divergent definitions impeding health IT progress. The lack of clear terminology can lead to unintentional consequences with respect to regulation, other forms of health care policy, contract and purchasing decisions and other health IT initiatives. This need was highlighted by the Alliance’s literature review which identified between 18 and 63 possible definitions for each of five key health IT terms: electronic medical record (EMR,) electronic health record (EHR,) personal health record (PHR,) health information exchange (HIE) and regional health information organization (RHIO.)

The Alliance convened two work groups of experts to develop consensus definitions for these five terms. Because of dual interpretations of HIE as both a process and an organization, it became necessary to clarify the difference between the process of information exchange (HIE) and the oversight and accountability functions necessary to support that process. The project’s Network Work Group therefore added and defined a sixth term, health information organization (HIO.)

“We have developed what we believe to be clear, consistent definitions that offer both immediate and longer-term, practical benefits. We have proposed language that is easily understood by non-technical leaders in health care delivery, policymakers with responsibility and accountability for decisions in the area of health IT, consumers who are being asked to participate more fully in their care and wellness and need education tools to do so.” says Horowitz.

The definitions are:

Electronic Medical Record
An electronic record of health-related information on an individual that can be created, gathered, managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff within one health care organization.

Electronic Health Record
An electronic record of health-related information on an individual that conforms to nationally recognized interoperability standards and that can be created, managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff across more than one health care organization.

Personal Health Record
An electronic record of health-related information on an individual that conforms to nationally recognized interoperability standards and that can be drawn from multiple sources while being managed, shared, and controlled by the individual.

Health Information Exchange
The electronic movement of health-related information among organizations according to nationally recognized standards.

Health Information Organization
An organization that oversees and governs the exchange of health-related information among organizations according to nationally recognized standards.

Regional Health Information Organization
A health information organization that brings together health care stakeholders within a defined geographic area and governs health information exchange among them for the purpose of improving health and care in that community.

The full report from the Alliance includes the specific definitions and summarizes the deliberations and conclusions of the two work groups. It concludes with a look forward, envisioning how the definitions, if adopted over time, can support an interoperable infrastructure to realize the benefits of health IT. A copy of the full report can be found at www.nahit.org.

About the Alliance
The National Alliance for Health Information Technology is a diverse partnership of senior executives from all healthcare sectors working to advance the adoption of clinical information technology systems to achieve measurable improvements in patient safety, quality of care and operating performance. The Alliance collaborates with healthcare and government leaders to influence healthcare decision-makers to act effectively in creating an efficient, safe, unified, and inclusive health system. Since its founding in 2002, the Chicago-based Alliance has helped forge consensus and accelerate progress on such important initiatives as developing an industry-endorsed interoperability definition, creating a public directory of health IT standards and authoring Rules of Engagement: A proven path for instilling, and then installing a CPOE approach that works. The Alliance is a co-founder of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) and its CEO chaired the Commission on Systemic Interoperability (CSI). More information about the Alliance is available at www.nahit.org.

Contact:
Lois Padovani
Padovani Communications
630-241-1430
l.padovani@comcast.net