There is No "One-Size-Fits-All" in Building a Nationwide Health Information Network

Colleagues,

Please see excerpts below from a recent open message sent by Dr David Blumenthal, the U.S. National Coordinator for Health Information Technology ...

... In it, he emphasizes that the National Health Information Network (NHIN) and the related Health Information Exchanges (HIE)s are not so much things or entities, but rather a set of standards, services and policies that enable secure health information exchange over the Internet...

... An important distinction ... one I am not sure is fully appreciated by many engaged in the advanced medical technology community, yet...

Read on and,

ENJOY!

CC
---------------------------------------------------
A Message from Dr. David Blumenthal,
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

Private and secure health information exchange enables information to follow the patient when and where it is needed for better care...

... This foundation is the essence of the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN)...

... The NHIN is not a network per se, but rather a set of standards, services, and policies that enable the Internet to be used for the secure exchange of health information to improve health and health care. Different providers and consumers may use the Internet in different ways and at different levels of sophistication...

... Based on this pioneering work, a subset of these organizations is now actively exchanging information. This smaller group currently includes the Department of Defense, Social Security Administration, Veterans Health Administration, Kaiser Permanente, and MedVirginia...

...The robust exchange occurring at this level has several key attributes, including the:

Ability to find and access patient information among multiple providers;
Support for the exchange of information using common standards; and
Documented understanding of participants, enabling trust, such as the Data Use and Reciprocal Support Agreement (DURSA).

Not every organization and provider, however, needs or is ready for this kind of health information exchange today. Nor do the 2011 meaningful use requirements set forth by CMS in the recent proposed rule require it ...

... To enable a wide variety of providers – from small practices to large hospitals – to become meaningful users of electronic health records in 2011, we need to ensure the availability of a reliable and secure “entry level” exchange option...

... The newly launched NHIN Direct Project is designed to identify the standards and services needed to create a means for direct electronic communication between providers, in support of the 2011 meaningful use requirements.

... We are on an aggressive timeline to define these specifications and standards and to test them within real-world settings by the end of 2010. Timing is critical so that we may provide this resource to a broader array of participants in health information exchange as a wave of new, meaningful users prepare to qualify for incentives provided for in the HITECH Act and ultimately defined by CMS...

...The NHIN Direct Project will conduct an open, transparent, and collaborative process throughout its development by using a community wiki, blogs, and open source implementation already available on the project’s website (http://nhindirect.org ). I encourage you to participate through the website...

...ONC is committed to providing resources and guidance to stakeholders at all levels of exchange through HITECH programs, such as the Health IT Regional Extension Centers, the national Health IT Research Center, and the State Health Information Exchange Program. As you assess your own needs for exchange, please take advantage of the many Federal resources available to you on the ONC website and the online resources of the programs mentioned above, as well as through the “NHIN University ” education program hosted by our public-private partner, the National eHealth Collaborative ...

Sincerely,

David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P.
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Read the full message at: http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=1959&am...