The Promise of Health IT

Health IT shows promise for transforming the delivery of healthcare in the US, improving  population health and the overall efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare.  Health IT, also  referred to as “HIT,” can be defined as the use of computers and computer programs to store,  protect, retrieve, and transfer clinical, administrative, and financial information electronically  within and between healthcare stakeholders. Health IT is used in a variety of settings: in-patie (hospital, medical/surgical/ long-term care, etc.); out-patient (ambulatory ansciences; payors; public health; and others, examples:


Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
• Electronic Medical Records (EMR
• Personal Health Records (PHRs)
• Payor-based Health Records (PBHRs)
• Electronic Prescribing (e-Prescribing)
• Financial/Billing/Administrative Systems

Enabling Healthcare Reform Using Information Technology

Call to Action: 2009 is the year for healthcare reform in the United States. HIMSS believes that lives can be saved, outcomes of care improved, and costs reduced by transforming the  healthcare system through the appropriate use of information technology (IT) and management  systems.  It is essential that health IT be harnessed as a tool in transforming healthcare, improving  quality by delivering information where and when it is most needed, reducing costs, empowering  consumers in their healthcare decisions, and providing for the privacy and security of personal  health information.  To ensure that health IT is appropriately addressed in anticipated healthcare reform policy in  2009, HIMSS developed unified recommendations for the new Congress and Administration  concerning the role of health IT in healthcare reform. The recommendations represent necessary  measures to develop and sustain a robust IT infrastructure for healthcare. Policymakers should consider the recommendations components of the necessary foundation to strengthen and sustain 

the success of their healthcare reform legislation, proposals, and regulation policies.   Healthcare Reform and the Promise of Health IT: With healthcare spending in the US totaling more than $2 trillion a year and 45 million people in the US lacking health insurance, healthcare reform must be a top priority for the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress. As a proven tool for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare, health IT is essential to  healthcare reform policy. In preparation for the 111th Congress, Members are already engaged in healthcare reform deliberations, through such initiatives as the formation of workgroups and the development of healthcare reform reports. As part of his healthcare platform during the 

presidential campaign, Senator Barack Obama called for a $10 billion-a-year investment over the 

next five years to foster the broad adoption of health IT. In addition, as President-elect, Barack 

Obama is now considering including health IT as part of an economic stimulus package to be introduced in early 2009. Health IT, such as electronic medical records (EMRs), electronic health records (EHRs), personal  health records (PHRs), payor-based health records (PBHRs), and electronic prescribing (eprescribing), shows promise for transforming the delivery and payment of healthcare in the US,  and improving population health and the overall efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare. The electronic exchange of health information made possible through health IT enables providers,  payors, and consumers to effectively access health information, while reducing medical errors and eliminating unnecessary or duplicative healthcare services and costs. Recognizing the  benefits of health IT, federal and state governments, in collaboration with the private sector,  facilitate many initiatives to help foster the use of health IT.  Health IT holds great promise for healthcare throughout the US. The full benefits will be reaped when policymakers, including Members of Congress and the Administration, appropriately  address the following issues: 

• Leadership 

• Interoperability  

• Privacy and Security 

• Electronic Payments 

• Consumer Empowerment  

• Funding 

What is a regional health information organization?

A RHIO is first and foremost a governance entity whose purpose is to facilitate the accessibility and exchange of health-related information on individuals within a contiguous geographic area for the benefit of the community in that area. A RHIO exists to supplement and enhance efforts to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of health and care on behalf of the individuals within its delineated geographic area. In essence, a RHIO is a type of HIO that is mission-driven and geographically bound. Prominent entities in a RHIO include those that create and maintain health-related information and may include any organization, individual or interest group with a stake in improving health care through efforts to make health information more widely available, using appropriate security measures to protect the privacy of individuals as well as the confidentiality of their information. roups of stakeholders may include:

Health care institutions and personnel that render care.

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                        Businesses and government agencies that reimburse for those services.

                        Researchers and professionals who are engaged in health improvement activities.

                        Public health agencies.

                        Consumers of health care.

HIE within a RHIO’s geographic area is the chief means by which its objectives are achieved. The RHIO enables, facilitates and fosters collaboration among stakeholders to attain a useful level of information sharing through HIE. A RHIO may operate directly or contract for HIE services.

Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO)

A health information organization that brings together health care stakeholders within a defined geographic area and governs health information exchange among them for the purpose of improving health and care in that community.

nderstanding a RHIO. To be designated a RHIO, an entity needs to have certain core features. These attributes distinguish it from other organizations that do not or cannot execute the distinct purpose and responsibilities of a RHIO.

An organization designated as a RHIO:

Must involve data-sharing participants that are separate and distinct legal entities operating within a defined geographic area whose collaboration through the RHIO will ross organizational boundaries.

Must intend to benefit the population in the community. This requires that stakeholders come from the defined geographic area and that the RHIO provides well-defined and transparent processes to facilitate the interoperable exchange of health information across the range of participating stakeholders.

Must be inclusive and convene various types of stakeholders in the delineated geographic area who are vested in improving the health of the community.

Can arrange for the provision of additional technical and operational services supporting its primary purpose. Such services may vary based on stakeholder needs and a range of environmental factors. Examples include:

o The technology and support for physicians to create and use electronic records, delivered to their places of work through Internet connections by application service providers (ASPs).

o Electronic exchange of messages in a secure format to report and distribute medical test results.

o Data on specific patients to first responders in a community; for example, whether a patient has signed a DNR (do not resuscitate) order.

o Coordinated electronic health record and personal health record platforms for the region.

The “regional” in RHIO defines a variable area that is less than national but can be broader than legislative boundaries (i.e. state lines, city limits, etc.) This latitude allows the determination of geographic boundaries logical to a set of stakeholders seeking to pursue the objectives of a RHIO. A RHIO can be organized to support a community, groups of communities, a statewide area or a region crossing state boundaries.

Healthy Lunches for Children

Children want lunches that taste good and keep them full, and parents want a healthy meal for their growing, active children. Children learn and focus better when they eat foods from the four food groups in Canada’s Food Guide. Nutritious lunches and snacks are best when they are tasty, handy, fun to eat, and safe from bacteria. What is a healthy lunch for children? Include a variety of foods from at least three of the four food groups: Vegetables & Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alternatives, and Meat and Alternatives. Children are eating too much fat, sugar, and salt, and not enough vegetables, fruit, milk products and whole grain foods. Unhealthy lunches at school are part of the problem.

Preparing a healthy lunch for your children No meal is a good meal if it is not eaten. Work together with your children to make a tasty and healthy lunch that they will enjoy eating.

• Involve your children in grocery shopping and planning their lunch.

• Let your children make their own lunch, choosing foods from Canada’s Food Guide..

• Add interest by combining new foods with old favourites.

• Everyone enjoys a surprise. How about a secret note, sticker or cartoon with lunch?

• Take time after dinner to prepare a healthy lunch with your children for the next day.

“My children eat the same food every day!”

Your children are developing their tastes and may be very choosy about what they will eat. The more often they see new foods, the more likely they will taste them and learn to accept them. Don’t give up if your children refuse a new food. Sometimes it takes up to 12 attempts before a new food is accepted. Help your children to accept a wider selection of foods by:

• Being a role model. Set an example by trying new foods yourself.

• Offering small amounts of the new food with a familiar one.

• Encouraging children to get to know new foods by including them in growing, buying, preparing or serving these new foods.

• Respecting that children have their own likes and dislikes