If you are involved in healthcare, one of the organizations you may want to monitor is the Health IT Policy Committee. This is a federal advisory committee that is helping to put together a national health IT policy. The Committee gives recommendations on health IT policy issues to the national coordinator for health IT policy. The national coordinator also chairs the policy committee.
The mission of the coordinator for health IT policy is twofold – first, to develop a nationwide health IT system, one that will allow different healthcare organizations to exchange information (while protecting the security and privacy of the information), and second, to promote the use of health information technology among providers.
The Committee itself focuses on policy guidelines for the development and implementation of a nationwide health information infrastructure, which includes standards for the sharing of patient medical information.
The goals of the policy makers include:
- fostering the development of a health information technology network that covers the entire country and enables organizations to use and share information;
- protecting patient information;
- improving healthcare quality;
- reducing healthcare costs;
- soliciting opinions from the public about health IT;
- helping healthcare organizations work together more effectively;
- improving the response to healthcare emergencies;
- improving health and clinical research;
- promoting a more effective healthcare marketplace;
- reducing the disparities in healthcare;
- coordinating health IT policy;
- strategic planning for putting healthcare IT exchange into place, and
- setting up a governing structure for the Nationwide Healthcare Information Network.
The Committee was formed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Act stipulates that the Committee make recommendations in areas where standards, specifications and certification criteria are needed.
The Committee has set up work groups in a number of different areas, including certification and adoption, consumer empowerment, information exchange, meaningful use, Nationwide Health Information Network, privacy and security, and quality measures. The work group meetings are open to the public.
The Committee is made up of three people who are appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thirteen members are appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States. Four members are appointed by the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and the speaker and minority leaders of the House of Representatives.
Other members are appointed by the president. The current chair of the Committee is Dr. Farzad Mostashari.
If your hospital or medical facility is looking for IT professionals who have the expertise to keep electronic patient records private, contact Morgan Hunter Healthcare. We will find and place individuals who are accomplished in assessments, migrations, HCIS project and staff augmentation, upgrades, implementations, Interim Management Services (IMS), and project management. Contact us today.