New Health IT Information On HIMSS State HIT Dashboard

The National Coordinator for Health IT predicts interoperability will be the driving force behind healthcare change over the next two years, a trend now easier to track with new information available on the HIMSS State HIT Dashboard.

“The new information provides insight into key HIT advancements, and helps insure the Dashboard remains the most comprehensive and credible online resource available on health IT initiatives across the United States,” said Joyce Sensmeier, MS, RN-BC, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, FAAN, Vice President, Informatics, HIMSS. 

In addition to the broad range of information already available on the Dashboard, users can now track accountable care organizations (ACOs), eHealth Exchange participants and Department of Commerce export sites. Information on these new initiatives include the following:

• A central resource of all types of ACOs across the country, including service offerings, partner and collaborator information, business model description and point of contact.
• Office location, contacts and service offering information by state from the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA). The ITA provides resources to assist U.S. companies in identifying and exploiting export opportunities, reporting and addressing trade barriers, and enforcing U.S. trade rules. With more than 100 offices across the United States and in more than 70 countries around the world, the U.S. Commercial Service unit of ITA offers counseling, trade missions, market research, and customized services to aid companies in their export efforts.
• Location and description of participants in the eHealth Exchange, a network of nearly 40 exchange partners who securely share health information under a shared trust and interoperability framework. These participants represent hundreds of hospitals, thousands of providers and more than 100 million patients, and include a diverse group of Federal agencies; non-federal organizations; state, regional and local health information organizations (HIOs); large integrated delivery systems. The eHealth Exchange network is powered by Healtheway, a not-for-profit, public-private partnership whose mission is to expand trusted, secure and interoperable exchange of health information across the nation.

“We are reaching a tipping point for nationwide exchange of health information,” said Mariann Yeager, Healtheway’s Executive Director. “The HIMSS State HIT Dashboard provides a wonderful way to visualize the nationwide reach of eHealth Exchange participant connectivity as we securely connect the country.”

Brian Patrick Kennedy, democratic state representative from Rhode Island, explains in this video interview how one of the key benefits of HIE is the portability of a patient’s electronic medical record; when the patient visits a doctor or specialist, all of their medical history travels with them. The goal of expanding the use of HIEs is to ensure that patients and doctors are able to work together to receive the most thorough, cost-effective care.

About HIMSS
HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of health and healthcare. Founded 52 years ago, HIMSS and its related organizations are headquartered in Chicago with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. HIMSS represents more than 52,000 individual members, of which more than two thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations. HIMSS also includes over 600 corporate members and more than 225 not-for-profit partner organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the best use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, research initiatives, and media vehicles designed to promote information and management systems' contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care. For more information, visit www.himss.org