Portrait of Dr. Doug Fridsma

Health IT as an Ultra Large-Scale System

Dr. Doug Fridsma | February 21, 2013

This week I want to discuss a technical report that was issued in 2003, but that (I think) can help us understand why getting to an interoperable health IT system is so hard, and why we are not advocating for a single health care IT system.
We often see health care systems (and the IT in health care) as different and not comparable to work that has been done in other areas. However, I think there is a lot that we can learn from other industries.

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Portrait of Lauren Thompson

Launch of Connect 4.0 – An HIE Advancement Driven by Federal Collaboration

Lauren Thompson | February 11, 2013

I am excited to announce that today, February 11, 2012, we are releasing CONNECT version 4.0, which supports the current federal IT standards and Meaningful Use Stage 2 core objectives related to the secure electronic exchange of information. This is done through CONNECT’s support of Direct project specifications and NwHIN transports (i.e., electronically sending and receiving patient data, registering immunization information, public health reporting and patient access to data).

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Portrait of Dr. Doug Fridsma

Interoperability Standards – Shades of Gray

Dr. Doug Fridsma | February 8, 2013

“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” – Yogi Berra
A few weeks ago, I described the differences between the concepts of interoperability and health information exchange, both important goals of ONC. In this week’s discussion, I want to dive a little deeper into the characteristics of interoperability and why I believe the solutions are not black and white, but rather a shade of gray.

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