Full access
Government News
Published Online: 4 June 2004

Govt. to Make Health Care More IT Friendly

Christine LehmannAuthors Info & Affiliations
Publication: Psychiatric News
Volume 39, Number 11
https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.39.11.0390007
The health care industry lags behind other sectors of the economy in using information technology (IT), say IT experts.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration has set a goal of implementing a national electronic medical records (EMR) system within 10 years.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently convened a summit to hear from health IT leaders about options to meet this goal.“ Health information technology has the potential to greatly improve health care even as it yields huge savings,” according to a press release from HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson. “A national health information network can save an estimated $140 billion annually in improved care and reduced duplication of medical tests.”
Thompson announced several actions by HHS and other organizations to facilitate the adoption of a national EMR system.
•
HHS and other federal agencies adopted 15 new standards to which the Consolidated Health Informatics initiative has agreed. The goal of this initiative is to facilitate information sharing across the federal health sector. The standards build on the five existing standards adopted last year.
•
The National Library of Medicine, which is part of HHS, has posted online the standardized medical vocabulary SNOMED CT. The vocabulary, which covers most aspects of clinical medicine, can be downloaded for free.
•
With HHS support, a model EMR and specific standards were approved by a voluntary standard-setting group.
To coordinate the government's activities and promote IT adoption by the private health sector, last month President Bush directed the creation of a new national health information technology office within HHS.
David Brailer, M.D., Ph.D., described by Thompson as “a national leader in harnessing health IT to promote safe, quality, and efficient health care,” will head the new office.
One of Brailer's first tasks will be finding incentives in Medicare and other federally funded programs to encourage the private sector to adopt compatible EMR systems, according to Thompson's press release.
SNOMED CT can be downloaded from<http://umlsinfo.nlm.nih.gov>. Users must register online for a free UMLS license before downloading the data or requesting a copy on DVD. A press release on HHS efforts to promote IT are posted online at<www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040519a.html>.▪

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric News
Psychiatric News
Volume 39 • Number 11 • June 4, 2004
Pages: 7

History

Published online: 4 June 2004
Published in print: June 4, 2004

Notes

To accelerate establishment of a national electronic medical records system, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announces the creation of an office to coordinate federal and private health information technology.

Authors

Affiliations

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

There are no citations for this item

View Options

View options

Get Access

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share

×

As described within the American Psychiatric Association (APA)'s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences. Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.