HIDI Tech Connect - November 16

MHA To Assess Hospitals’ Interest In Leveraging HIT Vendor Purchases
MHA Staff Contact: Theresa Rogers
(11/16/09)

MHA and its affiliated group purchasing organization, Associated Purchasing Services, are conducting a short online survey to gauge hospitals’ interest in collaborating with others to leverage health information technology purchases. Please complete the 10-question survey so MHA can assess potential group purchasing activities for HIT.

NQF Releases Common Framework For EHR Clinical Data
MHA Staff Contact: Theresa Rogers
(11/16/09)

The National Quality Forum released the Quality Data Set, a standard set of definitions for capturing quality data on electronic health records and other sources of electronic health information. The QDS framework provides a standardized set of data definitions and conventions applicable to various electronics sources, including personal health records, registries and health information exchanges. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality contracted with NQF to develop the QDS standard, which aligns with other quality standards endorsed by NQF.

Blumenthal Reiterates HITECH’s Goals
MHA Staff Contact: Theresa Rogers
(11/16/09)

David Blumenthal, M.D., national coordinator for health information technology, recently emphasized that the intent of the HITECH legislation is “to make care better for patients, and to make it patient-centered. Information policy and health IT policy should serve that goal.”

Blumenthal focused on HITECH’s goals of eliminating barriers, including commercial, economic and technical, and creating building blocks for information exchange across jurisdictions. He said the upcoming cooperative HIE grants for states “must support interoperability that lets patient data follow the patient across political and geographic boundaries.” Blumenthal added that state exchanges are to operate within each state and as part of a national framework.