At this time, HITSP's contract with ONC has ended. AHIMA plans to be actively involved with the standards coordination process that follows HITSP and believes that the work of HITSP has built an important foundation for future development. For the immediate future HITSP deliverables are still available at
www.HITSP.org
Standards and Interoperability Framework
Under the direct oversight of the Office of Interoperability and Standards the Standards and Interoperability Framework is the mechanism by which the Office of the National Coordinator will manage the implementation of specifications and the harmonization of existing health information technology standards to promote interoperability. The Framework will guide the coordination of future standards activities, including harmonization, development, testing, and priority setting. Current HIT standards’ development participants, methods, artifacts, and existing standards development organization (SDO) collaborations are foundational to Standards and Interoperability Framework governance, processes, and harmonization efforts. The mission of the Standards and Interoperability Framework shall be to: Promote a sustainable ecosystem that drives increasing interoperability and standards adoption. Create a collaborative, coordinated, incremental standards process that is led by the industry in solving real world problems. Leverage “government as a platform” – provide tools, coordination, and harmonization that will support interested parties as they develop solutions to interoperability and standards adoption.
Verizon Medical Data Exchange (MDE)
A web services platform that allows healthcare providers to push both structured and unstructured information to one another electronically via transcription platforms, electronic medical records (EMR), electronic health records (EHR), HIEs and the Verizon portal, in a fully virtualized, highly available, secure and cost effective manner
The Direct Project
The Direct Project develops specifications for a secure, scalable, standards-based way to establish universal health addressing and transport for participants (including providers, laboratories, hospitals, pharmacies, and patients) to send encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the internet.
State Level Health Information Exchange (SLHIE), State RHIO Consensus Project
Value and importance of activity: The focus of SLHIE Project is on activities organized at the state level to advance HIE. The State-level Health Information Exchange (SL-HIE) Consensus Project (Project) began in 2006 under a contract from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and is continuing under the terms of a 2009 cooperative agreement.
SL-HIE working in cooperation with the State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program (State HIE Program), administered by ONC as part of the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act under its HITECH provisions will play an important role providing resources to support SL-HIE leaders and stakeholders.
Why and how AHIMA is involved AHIMA has been active on the SL-HIE Consensus Project from its launch 2006. AHIMA volunteers contribute content to the landmark publication Development of State Level Health Information Exchange Initiatives published in September 2006 as well as the State Level Health Information Exchange: Coordinating Health Information Exchange Policies on Consent, Authorization, Authentication, and Audits published in December 2008.
Status and deliverables
SL-HIE working in cooperation with the State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program (State HIE Program), administered by ONC as part of the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act under its HITECH provisions will play an important role providing resources to support SL-HIE leaders and stakeholders.
Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration (HISPC)
Value and importance of activity: In 2006 the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality AHRQ-05-0015 Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration (HISPC) contract, was awarded to Research Triangle Institute - International (RTI) by the Department of Health and Human Services, to identify best practices and develop solutions to overcome variances in laws and business practices that prevent the nationwide sharing of electronic health information.
Why and how AHIMA is involved: The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) was awarded a subcontract by the Research Triangle Institute - International (RTI) to help assess state-level barriers to interoperable health information exchange. Under the subcontract, AHIMA designed, developed, and pilot tested an assessment tool to evaluate state and federal laws and business practice barriers that hinder interoperability and the free flow of information between providers and within regional health information organizations (RHIO). In addition AHIMA volunteers served as subject matter experts to the various HISPC committees and work groups throughout the three years of the HISPC contract (2006-2008)
Status and deliverables
Although no longer an active project the work of the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration continues in numerous state and federal initiatives. The reports of the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration continue to be a rich resource on privacy, security, and interoperable health information exchange
HISPC Final Reports::
- Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration Reports, National Final Summary - July 20, 2007
- Final Implementation Plan Report - June 30, 2007
- Final Assessment of Variations and Analysis of Solutions - June 30, 2007
Presentations from HISPC conferences
e-Health Initiative (eHI)
Value and importance of activity: An independent, non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization the eHealth Initiative is committed to raising national and grassroots awareness of how health information technology can be employed to address our nation's most pressing health care challenges, including those related to quality, safety, efficiency, and access. For the last six years the eHealth Initiative's Annual Survey of Health Information Exchange has provided valuable into the rapidly evolving health information exchange environment.
Why and how AHIMA is involved: AHIMA shares the eHealth Initiative's commitment to building a trusted, distributed, electronic health information infrastructure that will transform care delivery, improving the quality, safety, and efficiency of our healthcare delivery system. AHIMA volunteers serve on the eHealth Initiative's Policy Steering Committee and other committees.
Status and deliverables
Value and importance of activity: Connecting for Health is a public-private collaborative with representatives from more than 100 organizations across the spectrum of health care stakeholders. Its purpose is to catalyze the widespread changes necessary to realize the full benefits of health information technology (HIT), while protecting patient privacy and the security of personal health information.
Why and how AHIMA is involved: AHIMA representatives serve on Connecting for Health Working Groups working alongside collaborators from other healthcare stakeholders providing a variety of informed perspectives to content specific Working Groups from across the health sector. In addition AHIMA volunteers serve on the Connecting for Health Steering Committee.
Status and deliverables:
The Common Framework includes 16 technical and policy components, which were developed by experts in information technology, health privacy law, and policy. This initial set of critical technical and policy components demonstrates how various health information networks can share information while protecting privacy and allowing for local autonomy and innovation.