From the ASTP Desk Happy National Rural Health Day! Learn How ONC is Helping Rural Providers Get Connected
Leila Samy | November 19, 2015
Today we celebrate the work of rural communities around the country that are working with ONC to bring health IT innovation into their practices, including initiatives that 1) help rural and poor communities locate financing and facilitate broadband connectivity to support health information exchange and telehealth infrastructure and 2) leverage health IT and Blue Button to improve care coordination for rural Veterans who seek care both within the VA and their local community providers.
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ONC Posts 2015 Edition Test Procedures for Public Comment and Additional Guidance for Health IT Developers
Steven Posnack | October 22, 2015
On October 16, 2015, ONC’s 2015 Edition Health IT Certification Criteria final rule published the Federal Register. That milestone has kicked-off a burst of activity necessary to formalize the 2015 Edition testing and certification processes.
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What to Expect When You’re Done Expecting ONC’s Final Rule
Steven Posnack | October 16, 2015
I know you might be wondering, “what’s next?” now that ONC’s 2015 Edition final rule has formally published in the Federal Register.
This milestone kicks off the next phase of our work to implement the 2015 Edition’s regulatory requirements. Starting next week and over the next few weeks, ONC will be releasing two types of documents to immediately help jumpstart health IT development efforts to the 2015 Edition.
Interoperability Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap – Version 1.0
Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo | October 6, 2015
This is a unique time in health care. Scientific and technological advancements made by you, our partners across the health industry, have been rapidly transforming health and health care in the nation. More than 3 million individuals have accessed their electronic health information using ONC’s Blue Button tool. Today, over three-quarters of eligible providers and nine-in-ten eligible hospitals have received incentive payments for adopting and meaningfully using certified health IT compared with less than 15% before the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs started.
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A Reminder from the HHS Office of the Inspector General about Information Blocking and the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute
Daniel Levinson | October 6, 2015
This week, the Department marks “National Health IT Week” 2015. In connection with the Department’s efforts, my office has issued a new OIG Alert entitled “OIG Policy Reminder: Information Blocking and the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute”.
Health IT has become a critical part of the health care system and offers opportunities to improve patient care, make practice management more efficient, and improve public health. We also know that we must be vigilant in ensuring that health IT is used to achieve these benefits and not as a tool to facilitate health care fraud.