With Beacons lit, ONC prepares support network

Even as the Office of the National Coordinator named Cincinnati and Detroit as its final two "Beacon" communities, it was already at work on measures designed to share the findings and successes of the health IT test centers among rank-and-file clinics and medical practices.

These include a revised Web site where the 17 Beacon grant winners, as well as newly chartered health IT regional extension centers and state-sponsored health information exchanges can share their experiences, according to national coordinator Dr. David Blumenthal. ONC is also in discussions with the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation to increase the number of health IT-related communities-of-practice, collaborations of the kind that will be set up by the Health IT Research Center, a national clearinghouse of research and lessons from those taking first steps at going digital. ONC's aim is to compile and make available a collection of real-world best practices, Dr Blumenthal said.