eHI Applauds ONCHIT Formalization
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Karla Hurter |
August 19, 2005 |
Firepower offered by federal government to advance health information exchange initiatives
Washington, DC – The structure and scope of work for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) was posted in the Federal Register today, and the nation's top public-private initiative dedicated to the advancement of health information technology applauded the official stroke of the pen.
“This is an important step,” said Janet Marchibroda, chief executive officer of the eHealth Initiative and its Foundation. “Although we've been working with ONCHIT and its leadership for more than a year, today's publication formalizes its organization, functions and delegations of authority. This formal structure will give ONCHIT the firepower it needs to move forward.”
ONCHIT was established within the Department of Health and Human Services by an Executive Order in April, 2004. On July 21, 2004 the National HIT Coordinator, David Brailer, M.D., PhD, released a “Framework for Strategic Action” to create a system of interconnected electronic health records within the next decade.
“This action raises the visibility of the need for better health information technology to improve the safety and quality of healthcare for all Americans,” Marchibroda said. “It puts the mission and goals of ONCHIT on a par with other priorities within the Administration.”
The Federal Register notice describes a formal structure for ONCHIT consisting of five components: the Immediate Office of the National Coordinator, the Office of Health Information Technology Adoption, the Office of Interoperability and Standards, the Office of Programs and Coordination, and the Office of Policy and Research. The notice can be found by clicking here.
“We look forward to the opportunity to work closely with the staff and leadership of ONCHIT to pursue our shared goals,” Marchibroda said.
The eHealth Initiative and its Foundation are independent, non-profit affiliated organizations whose missions are the same: to drive improvement in the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology. For more information, go to http://www.ehealthinitiative.org.
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