HealthITBuzz

The Department of Health and Human Services posted a report by JASON, an independent group of scientists that advises the Federal government on matters of science and technology, called “.”

This report is consistent with our intent to support nationwide interoperability in a way that supports care, health and is flexible enough to meet the challenges of the future. The Office of the National Coordinator and the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) have already begun to work on many of the recommendations cited in the report–although this represents the beginning, not the end of our efforts.

The JASON recommendations continue to challenge us to stay focused on the path ahead. As we move forward over the next few years, we will be focusing much of our efforts on supporting advanced care models and completing electronic health record adoption across the spectrum of health care. We will use the policy levers available to support the electronic exchange of health information and support consumer engagement in health-care, while trying to reduce health disparities.

Finally, we will strive to improve our electronic health record certification program -- while we continue our strong support of the standards and technical infrastructure to reach our goals. The JASON report builds upon our understanding of the technical, broad policy and privacy and security issues that are both opportunities and challenges as we advance an agenda of meaningful exchange and interoperability.