From the ONC Desk

Portrait of Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo

Expecting the Unexpected

Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo | September 3, 2014

The question isn’t whether or not we will have another disaster – it is just a matter of when, where and how severe it will be.  The recent earthquake in Northern California, centered near Napa, serves as a reminder that we must be prepared for the unexpected no matter where we live. 

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Portrait of Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo

Developing a Shared, Nationwide Roadmap for Interoperability

Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo | August 6, 2014

When we issued our interoperability vision paper, Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A 10-Year Vision to Achieve an Interoperable Health IT Infrastructure, in June, and the HHS Principles and Strategy for Accelerating Health Information Exchange last year, we promised that the journey would be collaborative.  I am pleased to say we are delivering on this promise and launching a new, interactive community on www.healthit.gov/interoperability-community.

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Portrait of Donna Mazyck

Health IT helps school nurses coordinate care for children

Donna Mazyck | May 8, 2014

Imagine this: A third grade boy diagnosed with Sickle-cell disease wakes up during the night experiencing severe pain in his chest.  His father alerts the pediatrician that he and his son are on their way to the emergency department (ED) of a hospital near their home. The pediatrician phones the ED to say her patient will arrive soon. The boy receives treatment in the ED and is admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of acute chest syndrome.

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Portrait of Carol J. Bickford, PhD, RN-BC, CPHIMS

Nurses Leading the Way

Carol J. Bickford, PhD, RN-BC, CPHIMS | May 6, 2014

Happy National Nurses Week to all nurses as we celebrate from May 6 until May 12, 2014! Also, Happy Nursing Informatics Day on May 12, 2014, which is also an important day in nursing history because it is Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

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