Question: Is there a standard to share health information between various Health Care networks ?
From: Prabu K. of Middletown, CT
Answer: The ability to share information has started. As you may recall, in 2004, President Bush laid out several tenets of his vision for healthcare. Two are: medical information will follow consumers so that they are the center of their own care and clinicians will have the patient’s complete medical history, computerized ordering systems, and electronic reminders. According to the Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, the goal is to “…link all health records through an interoperative system that protects privacy…resulting in fewer medical mistakes, less hassle, lower costs, and better health…” To accomplish this, there must be standards, infrastructure, and security to connect providers and consumers. HHS is guiding the development for Health IT standards. Health Information Exchange is defined as the mobilization of healthcare information electronically across organizations in a region or community. Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) geographically defined organizations, are emerging to provide standards and structure for health exchange efforts.
Ruthann Russo, PhD, JD, MPH, RHIT, is a healthcare expert with more than 20 years of experience working in and advising healthcare organizations.
