In the wake of National HealthIT week (NHITweek), The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) came out with a Health IT Playbook and EHR Contract Guide to help providers gain knowledge and utilize information technology in their practices to the best of their abilities.
The EHR Contracts Untangled – Selecting Wisely, Negotiating Terms and Understanding the Fine Print highlights on the importance of choosing the right electronic systems, tips on negotiating with vendors and understanding the contract language that plays a vital role in any business relationship. The Health IT Playbook is an intuitive guide that covers a range of topics for providers i.e Patient Engagement, Patient Safety, Value-based Care, Population Health etc. It’s a comprehensive tool for providers to refer to in case they wish to know about Health IT in detail. This playbook is an expansion of the Patient Engagement Playbook released by ONC earlier.
The national coordinator for health information technology, B. Vindell Washington, said “I know from my experiences practicing emergency medicine and managing information technology for a health system how helpful practical tools can be for clinicians and health care administrators as they navigate the purchase and use of health IT. The EHR contract guide and the Health IT Playbook incorporate feedback we have heard from the provider community about the need for clear, reliable information about EHR contracts and user-friendly, specific tools for how to get the most out of health IT to better manage patient health and care.”
These tools are an addition to ONC’ constant effort in helping providers adopt Health IT across their care setting. The organization has been developing tools and organizing conferences to increase awareness about HealthIT and ensure the smooth flow of information between patients & providers.
Follow #NHITweek on Twitter to participate in the conversation during the National Health IT week.
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