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Health IT Investments
that Improve Health Care:
Critical Information Policy and Technology
Attributes and Expectations
Investments in health IT and health information sharing efforts should be consistent with the
following three Information Policy and Technology Attributes:
1. Enable interoperability, support a diversity of applications, use secure, open web standards.
2. Incorporate technical tools that facilitate trusted use: audit, access, authorization,
authentication, and accuracy.
3. Promote technology choices, including distributed architecture and use of de-identified
information, that limit the potential for abuse and reduce risks of large breaches.
4. Support and encourage networked approaches that make information accessible to
consumers and their providers, including through the internet, mobile devices, etc.
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Health IT investments will help us make progress toward our goals if we set explicit Expectations
that link investments to health objectives. The Expectations focus on outcomes, not a specific
technology approach. Adoption of electronic health records is certainly one path to the desired
result, but other uses of information technology and options 2 might be equally or more viable, alone
or in combination, to meet health outcome and delivery system goals.
Within one year, and each year thereafter, appropriate agencies, including the Office of Management
and Budget and the Department of Health and Human Services, should report to Congress on the
adoption and use of the Information Policies and Technology Attributes and Expectations across all
health IT programs, funding and activities. The report should:
1. Review the status of adoption of Information Policy and Technology Attributes and
Expectations.
2. Identify and suggest strategies for overcoming barriers to adoption.
3. Discuss the resources and processes for training, adoption, oversight and accountability.
4. Propose any policy, regulatory or legislative changes needed to advance implementation.
2 Other technology options and models might include: networked approaches relying on the internet, electronic
messaging of existing digital information such as medications filled and laboratory results, simple tools to support
information sharing across care transitions and to care teams, ongoing management of chronic conditions through
remote monitoring and secure messaging with patients, increasing availability of high speed internet access to sites of
care, etc.
3
Examples of health improvement goals might include: reducing hypertension, improving cardiac mortality, increasing
chronic medication adherence, reducing hospital readmissions, reducing medical errors.
4
Examples of non-IT investments might include: training, implementation support, care delivery redesign, chronic
care management, and patient engagement.
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