ONC seeks input on interoperability progress
ONC seeks input on interoperability progress July 10, 2017
For independent physicians, interoperability is a hot button issue, as improved access to a patient’s full longitudinal profile is essential to providing personalized, high quality care. Physicians seeking an opportunity to get involved in this policy issue can take advantage of a recent request from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology (IT), regarding feedback on framework they recently created for measuring interoperability standards.
Interoperability measurement objectives
The Proposed Interoperability Standards Measurement Framework is a move toward standardizing interoperability measurements and establishing consistent standards for the exchange of health data. By engaging with independent physicians and other healthcare providers, the ONC states that it “hopes to develop a measurement framework that is realistic to implement while providing an accurate assessment.” The ONC is “at the forefront of the administration’s health IT efforts and is a resource to the entire health system to support the adoption of health information technology and the promotion of nationwide health information exchange to improve health care.”
The ONC has identified two measurement objectives for their framework, which they state will support their ability to measure nationwide interoperability progress. These measurement areas are:
- Implementation of standards in a health IT product;
- Use of standards, including customization of the standards, by end users to meet specific interoperability needs.
As an independent physician who needs to be able to offer that coordinated care for your patients, you now have the opportunity to give the ONC feedback that may affect your specific practice. Interoperability enables the electronic sharing of patient information between different EHR systems and healthcare providers. The ease with which different health care facilities can provide coordinated care, interacting with each other to share patient information can significantly impact the quality of care provided to that patient.
At Elation Health, we are focused on coordinated care. Our philosophy includes a focus on bridging the chasm, to improve the doctor-patient relationship and to improve the level of interoperability that independent physicians can provide your patients.
Contact Elation Health to learn more about our revolutionary, cloud-based EHR system that can help you offer your patients quality, coordinated care as an independent provider.
