HealthIT.gov | the official site for Health IT information

HealthIT.gov | the official site for Health IT information

New This Week on HealthIT.gov Help Us Update the HIT Strategic Plan On Monday we announced that we are looking for your ideas to help update the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan and we are using a new tool to get that input, which includes … information technology! Isn't that so predictable? The Planning Room tool we are using is a project of the Cornell eRulemaking Initiative and – we like to think – pretty handy and easy to use. Please take a look and give us your 2 cents about where we are heading with consumer engagement and other health IT issues that may be important to consumers in the HIT Strategic Plan! HIT Policy Committee Meets 4/3 The Health IT Policy Committee will meet next week in Washington, DC and for those of you interested in the progress of the committee's work, we posted the draft minutes from the March 14 meeting. Among the highlights from the last meeting: Adoption of EHRS is continuing to climb - CMS reported that 85% of eligible hospitals are registered in the Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Program, while more than 73% of eligible hospitals received subsidies for adoption and meaningful use of the systems. Almost two-thirds of eligible professionals participate in the program and approximately 35 percent of EPs are meaningful users. My Health Counts! E-Patients We are adding a new video to healthIT.gov's "Patients and Families" page featuring our own Consumerista, Lygeia Ricciardi and Dave deBronkart, aka, "ePatient Dave." The video is part of the PBS My Health Counts series and is geared toward patients and those of us who might ever become patients – pretty much everyone. The takeaway is that you can leverage technology – patient portals, apps, wireless scales and even something that can all help track your own health and wellness. Take a look at the video and learn about what we're doing to try and help you help yourself using health IT. Transitions of Care and LTPACs If you have been a patient you know that leaving the hospital or nursing home can be a stressful and difficult experience. If you, or your parents, have moved from a hospital to a nursing home – or vice versa – you may have experienced a problem or complication when this "hand-off" of care occurs. We at ONC and CMS are trying to improve these transitions of care, especially in long-term or post-acute care settings, because we have seen that this is often where information about treatment is incomplete or fragmented. So, we are checking in with grantees in four states that have been focusing on these "hand-offs." We published a new report about their progress, Improving Transitions of Care in LTPAC: An Update from the Theme 2 Challenge Grant Awardees, so take a look! HIT Success Stories Our latest Health IT Success Stories that highlight EHR implementation and meaningful use experiences from providers around the country are worth a look. Find these stories and more under Success Stories & Case Studies: Dr. Robinson Implements an EHR System in a Small Physician Practice Foresight Family Physicians Overcomes Challenges and Achieves Meaningful Use Nurse Practitioner Dr. McQuade-Jones Talks about Finding the Right EHR for Her Practice Electronic Health Records Inspire Dr. Fleur Sack to Reestablish Her Practice HealthIT Buzz blog updates Since we last pinged you, ONC has published three blog posts that you may find interesting. The first two are about how health information exchange (HIE) helps with the treatment of a diabetes patient we call Larry, so check in on his progress! The third is a day-in-the-life of an urban family physician who uses his electronic health record (EHR) to help avoid a hospital readmission of an elderly pneumonia patient. Stay tuned for more updates from our HealthIT Buzz blog.