Feds urged to set simple, expandable HIE standards

Technology executives from across the business world told a federal health IT advisory group yesterday it should establish simple but expandable health information exchange standards or risk overwhelming healthcare practitioners. The Health IT Standards Committee, which is helping establish the ground rules for the administration's health IT incentive plan, has recommended a set of standards for delivering "meaningful use" of health IT by 2011. But some healthcare providers say they are too broadly-based and might be difficult and costly to adopt. Instead, a standard that is destined to be accepted should be easy enough that small provider practices can apply it.