Related Guides on this Topic
You may also want to see these guides on related topics: Patient Privacy, Technology, Telehealth
Introduction
Health information technology (HIT) is using computers to store, protect, retrieve, and transfer information electronically within health care settings. The potentials of HIT are to reduce medication errors; increase sharing of health information between providers, laboratories, pharmacies, and patients; ensure safer patient transitions between health care settings; and reduce duplicative and unnecessary testing. Using HIT to drive improvements in healthcare will require the support of many diverse stakeholders in the healthcare system including practicing clinicians, hospitals, payers and HIT suppliers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
AHRQ National Resource Center Evaluation Toolkit
Web site
Helps with the process of creating a plan to evaluate a health information technology project.
AHRQ National Resource Center for Health Information Technology
Web site
Provides information meant assist health care providers adopt and use health information technology. Includes documents, Web links, funded HIT project outcomes, and funding opportunity announcements.
Broadband Opportunities for Rural America
Web site
Provides a clearinghouse of information and resources on broadband opportunities for rural America.
CMS Health Information Technology
Web site
Provides information about Health IT incentives and support for adoption, establishment of health IT standards and infrastructure, and privacy & security pertaining to Health IT.
Directory of Federal HIT Programs
Web site
A directory of federal HIT programs as defined by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). Includes the agency/organization name, title of the HIT initiative and a description of the activity.
eHealth Initiative Connecting Communities Toolkit
Web site
Tools designed to equip states, regions and local communities with the information and expertise to begin or advance local health information exchange initiatives and organizations. Free, but registration is required.
EHR Selection Toolkit for Community Health Centers
Web site
Provides a list of criteria to review with vendors of EHR systems to insure the unique needs of community health centers (CHCs) are met.
FCC Rural Health Care Pilot Program
Web site
Strives to create a nationwide broadband network that connects public and private non-profit health care providers in rural and urban locations.
Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration Toolkit
Web site
Provides guidance for conducting organization-level assessments of business practices, policies, and State laws that govern the privacy and security of health information exchange (HIE).
Health Information Technology at NLM
Web site
Contains resources regarding health information technology. NLM is the central coordinating body for clinical terminology standards within the Department of Health and Human Services.
Health Information Technology Costs & Benefits Database Project
Web site
Designed to find reported outcomes from the published literature (from 1995 to 2003) on the costs and benefits (i.e., return on investment) of HIT. Searchable interface allows easy look up, and articles are abstracted in case users do not have access to the journals' full content.
Health Information Technology Toolkit for Home Health Agencies
Web site
Can be used to implement or overhaul a home health agency Health Information Technology or Electronic Health Record system, and to evaluate system effectiveness.
Health Information Technology Toolkit for Nursing Homes
Web site
Can be used to implement Health Information Technology or Electronic Health Record system in a nursing home and to evaluate system effectiveness.
Health IT in Small and Rural Communities
Web site
Provides background information, current activities, emerging lessons, and projects funded by AHRQ.
Health IT Tools
Web site
A collection of tools that describe and recommend strategies for addressing some of the common challenges organizations encounter when working with health IT systems.
Health IT.gov
Web site
Health IT initiatives harness current information technologies to improve patient safety while reducing the cost of providing care. Some of the numerous benefits of health IT initiatives will include a reduction in medical errors, avoidance of costly duplicate testing, and elimination of unnecessary hospitalizations.
NHINWatch
Web site
Provides information on the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) in the United States, which allows medical providers to share health data.
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Web site
Provides leadership for the development and nationwide implementation of an interoperable health information technology infrastructure to improve the quality and efficiency of health care and the ability of consumers to manage their care and safety.
Regional and National Telehealth Resource Centers
Web site
Describes the five regional Telehealth Resource Centers which serve as a focal point for advancing effective use of telehealth technologies in their respective communities and regions of the nation.
Rural Health Information Technology Conference, 2007
Web site
Includes links to the presentations from the Rural Health Information Technology Conference, held in Kansas City, Missouri, September 12-14, 2007.
Rural Health Research: Health information technology
Web site
Provides summaries of current and completed rural health research projects and related publications addressing the topic of health information technology (HIT), produced by the Office of Rural Health Policy's funded rural health research centers.
Rural Health Resource Center HIT Tools and Resources
Web site
Provides tools, documents, state profiles, funding, legislation and organizations that focus on Health Information Technology for rural healthcare communities.
Rural Health Resource Center: Health Information Technology
Web site
A search engine to access rural health information technology (HIT) resources including news, legislation, events, an HIT dictionary, funding, and state profiles.
Funding
Exploratory and Developmental Grant to Improve Health Care Quality through Health Information Technology (IT) (R21)
Funding to support short-term preparatory, pilot or feasibility studies that will inform larger scale real world health IT implementation and use or the conduct of more comprehensive health IT implementation research.
Rural Broadband Access Loans and Loan Guarantees Program
Loans and loan guarantees for the construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equipment for broadband service in eligible rural communities.
Small Research Grant to Improve Health Care Quality through Health Information Technology (IT) (R03)
Funding to support the development and enhancement of expertise in health IT and related disciplines, including research and evaluation methods.
USAC Rural Health Care Service Discounts
Provides discounts to rural health care providers to obtain Internet and telecommunications access.
USDA Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program
Funding to construct, enlarge, or improve essential community facilities for health care, public safety, and public services in rural areas.
Utilizing Health Information Technology (IT) to Improve Health Care Quality (R18)
Funding to support health information technology (IT) demonstration projects that evaluate factors associated with successful implementation and utilization of health IT in order to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness & efficiency of health care.
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this topic that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Call for Action: Enabling Healthcare Reform Using Information Technology: Recommendations for the Obama Administration and 111th Congress
Sponsoring organization: Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
Discusses that health information technology shows promise for transforming the delivery of healthcare, improving population health and the overall effectiveness of healthcare.
Date: 12 / 2008
Continued Progress: Hospital Use of Information Technology, 2007
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
Results of a survey to gauge the extent of health IT use among U.S. hospitals, including rural, and better understand the barriers to further adoption.
Date: 2007
Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology: Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 132
Author(s): Paul Shekelle, Sally C. Morton, Emmett B. Keeler
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Assesses the evidence base regarding benefits and costs of health information technology (HIT) systems in various healthcare settings. Widespread implementation of HIT has been limited by a lack of knowledge about what types of HIT and implementation methods will improve care and manage costs for specific health organizations.
Date: 04 / 2006
Current Status of Health Information Technology Use in CAHs
Author(s): Michelle Casey, Jill Klingner, Walt Gregg, Ira Moscovice, Emily Nicholson, Tami Lichtenberg, Terry Hill
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
Examines the use of Health Information Technology (HIT) in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Includes information on HIT infrastructure and the computerization of different functions within CAHs.
Date: 05 / 2006
Defining Key Health Information Technology Terms
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Provides definitions of health information technology (HIT) terms.
Date: 04 / 2008
Directory of Rural Health Networks: Profiling Network Information Technology Use
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Brandi Shay, Sue Nardie, J. Patrick Hart, Dianne Harrop, Donadea Rasmussen
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Profiles of selected rural health networks funded by the Office of Rural Health Policy. Includes information on each network's current use of information technology (IT) and future plans for IT.
Date: 03 / 2005
Electronic Health Record Incentives: RHC Technical Assistance Conference Call Transcript, 05/26/2009
Sponsoring organization: Office of Rural Health Policy
Transcript of the May 26, 2009 technical assistance call discussing electronic health records.
Date: 05 / 2009
Electronic Health Records Adoption: Rural Providers’ Decision-Making Process
Author(s): Li-Wu Chen, Anne Skinner
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Examines the decision-making process that small rural physician clinics and hospitals use as they investigate and select an electronic health record (EHR) system.
Date: 10 / 2008
Emerging Health Information Technology for Children in Medicaid and SCHIP Programs
Author(s): Beth Morrow
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Documents ways states are incorporating HIT to help keep children enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP.
Date: 11 / 2008
Few Patients Use or Have Access to Online Services for Communicating with their Doctors, but Most Would Like To
Author(s): Jennifer Cummings
Reports on the results of a Harris Interactive online survey that reveals the medical profession is lagging behind in its use of Internet-based solutions to communicate with patients.
Date: 09 / 2006
Focus on Funding: Finding the Funds for Rural HIT
Author(s): Hope Hanson
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Provides a condensed introduction to HIT funding sources and reference tools.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08 / 2006
For the Record: EHR Adoption in the Safety Net
Author(s): Julie Murchinson, Aaron Apodaca, Christine Sison, Christy Rosenberg, Richard Swafford
Sponsoring organization: California HealthCare Foundation
Reports on the special EHR challenges that safety-net clinics encounter and what some clinics have done to surmount them.
Date: 02 / 2009
Forward Momentum: Hospital Use of Information Technology
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
Describes a survey which asked hospitals about use of specific kinds of IT, financing of IT systems, barriers to greater use, and involvement in arrangements to share clinical information.
Date: 10 / 2005
Health Information Exchange Evaluation Toolkit
Author(s): Caitlin M. Cusack, Eric G. Poon
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Help team members through the process of creating an evaluation plan for data exchange projects within the realm of Health Information Technology.
Date: 11 / 2007
Health Information Exchange: The Role of Safety-Net Providers
Author(s): Suzanne Felt-Lisk, Melanie Au, Patricia Higgins
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
An issue brief that reviews lessons learned from a 13-member panel convened to discuss barriers and catalysts safety-net providers face in integrating health information exchange (HIE).
Date: 06 / 2009
Health Information Technology Evaluation Toolkit
Author(s): Caitlin M. Cusack, Eric G. Poon
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Provides step-by-step guidance for project teams who are developing evaluation plans for their health information technology (health IT) projects.
Date: 10 / 2007
Health Information Technology in Rural Areas
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
Chapter from the 2006 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Service Issues. Discusses rural health information technology (HIT), with a focus on the electronic health record (EHR). Includes discussion of specific rural HIT concerns and advantages compared to urban/suburban providers.
Date: 01 / 2006
Health Information Technology in the United States: Where We Stand, 2008
Author(s): Blumenthal D, DesRoches C, Donelan K, Ferris T, Jha A, Kaushal R, Rao S, Rosenbaum S, Shield A
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Considers the growth of electronic health records and how it might affect the cost and quality of health care.
Date: 06 / 2008
Health Information Technology: 2007 and 2008 State Legislation
Author(s): Kory Mertz
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
Identifies and analyzes major policy trends across the enacted health information technology legislation.
Date: 11 / 2008
Health Information Technology: A "HIT" in Rural Areas
Author(s): Hope Hanson
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses the growing use of technology in rural health care, and the importance of HIT and electronic health records. Describes the CareSpark Model. Examines how technology is opening up a world of powerful possibilities in advancing health care, both urban and rural.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08 / 2006
HIPAA Privacy Rule's Right of Access and Health Information Technology
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Describes how HIPAA right to access rules apply to health information technology and electronic health records (EHRs).
Date: 01 / 2009
Historic Opportunity: Wedding Health Information Technology to Care Delivery Innovation and Provider Payment Reform
Author(s): Todd Park, Peter Basch
Sponsoring organization: Center for American Progress
Reports on the integration of health information technology with care delivery innovation and provider payment reform.
Date: 04 / 2009
HIT Incentives and State Grant Opportunities: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Resource Center
Describes the Health Information Technology (HIT) Incentives and State Grant Opportunities from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 HITECH Act.
Date: 2009
HIT: Issues and Opportunities for Rural Hospitals
Author(s): Tami Lichtenberg
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Resource Center
Discusses the barriers to implementing health information technology (HIT) and the electronic health record (EHR) for rural hospitals.
Date: 10 / 2007
Human Services and HIT
Author(s): Hope Hanson
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses how the medical community is moving toward a more integrative approach through HIT by integrating with human services. Highlights the North Olympic Telehealth Network based at Clallam County Hospital in rural Forks, Washington as well as the Michigan Childhood Immunization Registry.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08 / 2006
Lessons Learned from Electronic Health Record Implementation at Three North Dakota Critical Access Hospitals
Sponsoring organization: JSI Research and Training Institute
Highlights common successes and challenges experienced during an electronic health
record (EHR) implementation project involving three Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in North Dakota. Offers recommendations for future Health Information Technology implementation processes.
Date: 03 / 2009
Perspectives on the Future of Personal Health Records
Author(s): Christopher J. Gearon
Sponsoring organization: California HealthCare Foundation
Presents the views of six experts; the technologist, informed patient, physician, employer, and the public health sector on the promises, perils, and challenges of PHRs and the impact they may have in the next few years.
Date: 06 / 2007
Privacy and Security Solutions for Interoperable Health Information Exchange
Author(s): Linda L. Dimitropoulos
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Documents and summarizes the Assessment of Variations and Analysis of Solutions reports that were submitted 33 states and 1 territory to identify barriers to the electronic exchange of health information, suggest possible solutions and plans to implement these solutions.
Date: 07 / 2007
Profiles of Progress: State Health IT Initiatives
Sponsoring organization: National Association of State Chief Information Officers
Offers a compendium of Health Information Technology (HIT) efforts that focuses on measures state governments have initiated or endorsed through legislation, executive order, or by engaging in public/private or non-profit partnerships with outside organizations.
Date: 11 / 2006
Public Health and Information Technology at the United States-Mexico Border: Examples Show Potential
Sponsoring organization: Office of Rural Health Policy
Examines the use of health information technology (HIT) in public health programs at the United States-Mexico border, with an emphasis on frontier and rural health. Includes examples of successful projects addressing tuberculosis, immunizations, and diabetes.
Date: 02 / 2007
Roadmap for the Adoption of Health Information Technology in Rural Communities
Author(s): Julie A. Schoenman, Joy Keeler, Adil Moiduddin, Benjamin N. Hamlin
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Assists rural providers who are just beginning their investigation of using health IT, and its applicability to their organization.
Date: 08 / 2006
Rural Health Information Technology
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Issue paper discussing health information technology (HIT) and its implications for rural health care. Issues discussed include HIT standards, privacy, skills, and finance.
Date: 02 / 2006
Safety-Net Providers Bring Patients Online: Lessons from Early Adopters
Author(s): Susan Baird Kanaan
Sponsoring organization: California HealthCare Foundation
Provides a look at the experiences of early adopters of electronic health record (EHR) portals and personal health records (PHRs), focusing on how initiatives were undertaken; services provided; benefits and challenges encountered and lessons learned.
Date: 04 / 2009
Small, Stand-Alone, and Struggling: The Adoption of Health Information Technology by Rural Hospitals: Policy Analysis Brief
Author(s): Julie A. Schoenman
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Reports findings from a national survey of rural hospitals designed to investigate how differences among the hospitals affect their implementation of health IT.
Date: 04 / 2007
Telemedicine Technologies: What is the Cost of Improving Access to Health Care Services in Rural Areas?
Author(s): Julie Lowery
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development
Summarizes the benefits and challenges associated with two major types of telemedicine systems available—store-and-forward vs. real-time videoconferencing.
Date: 06 / 2004
Toward Health Information Liquidity: Realization of Better, More Efficient Care From the Free Flow of Information
Author(s): Susan L. Penfield, Kristine M. Anderson, Margo Edmunds, Mark Belanger
Sponsoring organization: Federation of American Hospitals
Examines ways that health information technology can accelerate progress toward the goal of a patient-centered health care system.
Date: 2009
Using Telehealth to Improve Quality and Safety: Findings from the AHRQ Health IT Portfolio
Author(s): Brian E. Dixon, Julie M. Hook, Julie J. McGowan
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
An analysis of grants in AHRQ’s health IT portfolio that are focused on implementing or evaluating telehealth in order to improve care for patients, increase efficiency, and contain costs.
Date: 12 / 2008
Value of Personal Health Records
Sponsoring organization: Center for Information Technology Leadership
Examines the value of PHR systems, primarily with respect to their direct financial costs and benefits. Provides a framework for understanding the rapidly evolving set of technologies and offers projections on the costs saved from widespread adoption of PHR systems.
Date: 2008
Organizations
AAFP Center for Health Information Technology (CHIT)
National organization
Works to promote use of health information technology by American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) members and other office-based clinicians, for the purposes of improving the quality and safety of medical care, and to increasing the efficiency of medical practice.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Federal government
Sponsors and conducts research that provides evidence-based information on health care outcomes; quality; and cost, use, and access. The information helps health care decisionmakers - patients and clinicians, health system leaders, purchasers, and policymakers - make more informed decisions and improve the quality of health care services.
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
National organization
A community of professionals engaged in health information management, providing support to members and strengthening the industry and profession.
American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)
National organization
Dedicated to developing and using information technologies to improve health care.
Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT)
National organization
A recognized certification body (RCB) for electronic health records and their networks, and an independent, voluntary, private-sector initiative. Mission is to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by creating an efficient, credible and sustainable product certification program.
eHealth Initiative (EHI)
National organization
Membership organization seeking to drive improvement in the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology.
Health IT Certification
Commercial
Provides professional training and certification for those responsible for planning, selecting, implementing, and managing electronic health records (EHR) and other health information technology (HIT).
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Federal government
Works to improve and expand access to quality health care for all. Part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
National organization
HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems' contributions to ensuring quality patient care.
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
Federal government
The world's largest medical library. Producer of MEDLINE, PubMed and MEDLINEplus.
Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT)
Federal government
Promotes wider adoption of advanced technologies in the provision of health care services and education. Part of the Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Rural Health Resource Center (RHRC)
National organization
Provides technical support for the State Offices of Rural Health and their flex coordinators for the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, focuses on rural practice opportunities for healthcare providers in Minnesota and the surrounding region, does performance improvement with hospitals across the country, and develops the Rural Health Resource Directory of rural consultants and speakers found throughout the United States.
Rural Telecommunications Congress (RTC)
National organization
Dedicated to assuring that rural areas in the United States have access to the information and support they need to obtain and use advanced telecommunications services and technology for social and economic development.
Terms & Acronyms
Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) A system that includes both inpatient orders and the electronic ordering of outpatient prescriptions often referred to as e-prescribing. The CPOE allows physicians and other caregivers to input orders directly into a computer, thereby eliminating problems with handwriting legibility and order transcription.
Electronic Medical Record (EMR) A generic term used to describe a computer-based patient medical record that includes patient information regarding diagnoses, test/procedure results and other relevant medical information such as medical appointments and correspondence.
Electronic Prescribing (eRx) The component of CPOE systems which can increase medication safety by checking drug doses, routes of administration, frequency of administration, patient allergies, and drug-to-drug interactions before a prescription is issued, and by alerting clinicians when patients are at risk because of a potential prescription.
Health Information Exchange (HIE) Refers to the sharing of clinical and administrative data across the boundaries of health care institutions and other health data repositories.
Medical Informatics Deals with promoting the effective organization, analysis, management, and use of information in health care.
Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) A cooperative organization which can enable the regional constituents to securely and reliably exchange patient healthcare information. Their purpose is to improve patient health services and care through information sharing, advocacy, collaboration, technical innovations, and community affiliations.
Telehealth The use of telecommunication technologies for clinical care (telemedicine), patient teaching and home health, health professional education (distance learning), administrative and program planning, and other diverse aspects of a health care delivery system.
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