Tia Abner
Manager of Communications
AMIA
(301) 657-1291
kabner@amia.org

HEALTH INFORMATION ASSOCIATIONS URGE PRESIDENT TO SUPPORT KEY ACTIONS TO ACCELERATE EHR ADOPTION, INTEROPERABILITY
AHIMA and AMIA Outline Recommendations for Achieving National Health IT Goals

Chicago, February 2—Increased support for adoption of technology and data content standards are needed to achieve the President’s plan to “expand the use of electronic health records and other health information technologies to reduce costs and help prevent dangerous medical errors," according to two leading health information professional associations.

In a letter to President Bush, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) praised the President’s continued attention health IT and the measurable progress being made, but asked for his vocal and active support to move forward some specific action items needed to accelerate the adoption of a nationwide system of interoperable EHRs.

The two groups urged the President to increase support and efforts to formally adopt EHR standards for use in the healthcare industry that ensure a complete, legal, and uniform health record and to accelerate efforts to upgrade and ensure the coordination of health information data standards including classifications, terminologies, and vocabularies. Such action should include:

• Continuance of the SNOMED-CT® contract for a clinical terminology that will serve as the foundation for the standard EHR and expanded for availability as Medline is today
• The immediate adoption of the ICD-10 classification system with an implementation deadline no later than 2009
• Additional funding for the National Library of Medicine to ensure that approved vocabulary and other data content standards are maintained, coordinated, and updated regularly

“These actions will not only facilitate national adoption of EHRs but also support national efforts to improve biosurveillance, improve healthcare quality, and keep America competitive with other nations,” said Don E. Detmer, MD, MA, AMIA President and CEO.

The groups also called for the President to actively call for the House to pass S. 306, the “Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act,” as a step to convincing the American public that they have nothing to fear in the adoption and use of electronic health records and nationwide health information networks and to support increased funding for education and training in healthcare informatics and information management.

“It will take an increasingly large, educated, and diverse workforce to ensure proper management and use of electronic health systems and networks, said Linda Kloss, MA, RHIA, AHIMA CEO. “These highly skilled 21st century healthcare workers are needed to ensure that we can convert the volumes of data such systems and networks will provide into useful knowledge applicable to improving quality, reducing medical injuries, increasing health research information and information to improve coverage and lower costs, and biosurveillance and public health monitoring for outbreaks such as pandemic flu.”

In addition, AHIMA and AMIA are urging Congress to push forward on the two pieces of Health IT legislation— S. 1418 and H.R. 4157—that address many of the issues contained in their recommendations to the President.

AHIMA and AMIA are national professional associations engaged in advocating for sound public policy that benefits patients, health care providers, and society at large. The groups advocate for policies that advance the scientific and applied bases of effective use of information technology to transform health care with greater safety, better outcomes, efficiency, and effectiveness.

For a copy of AMIA and AHIMA’s letter to President Bush, visit AHIMA's Web site at: http://www.ahima.org/dc/StateoftheUnionResponse.asp.

About AMIA
AMIA is an organization of leaders shaping the future of health information technology in the United States and abroad. AMIA is dedicated to the development and application of medical informatics in support of patient care, teaching, research, and health care administration.

About AHIMA
AHIMA is the premier association of health information management (HIM) professionals. AHIMA’s 52,000 members are dedicated to the effective management of personal health information needed to deliver quality health care to the public. Founded in 1928 to improve the quality of medical records, AHIMA is committed to advancing the HIM profession in an increasingly electronic and global environment through leadership in advocacy, education, certification, and lifelong learning.