Title: The Decade of Health Information Technology: Delivering Consumer-centric and Information-Rich Health Care

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Section/SPIG: Health Administration

Issue Date:

A report released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlines a 10-year plan to build a national electronic health information infrastructure featuring joint public/private cooperation and leadership. The plan includes bringing electronic health records (EHRs) into clinical practice and linking health records nationwide.

The plan's four major collaborative goals are to:


  • Inform clinical practice by bringing EHR systems to physician offices and hospitals.


  • Interconnect clinicians by building an interoperable health information infrastructure.


  • Personalize care by using health information technology to help consumers become more involved in health decisions.


  • Improve population health by expanding capacity for public health monitoring, quality-of-care measurement, and the acceleration of research advances into medical practice.



HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced several specific actions that will advance the plan. These include funding community health information exchange demonstrations and establishing a Medicare beneficiary portal, which will provide secure, personalized health information via the Internet. Thompson Launches "Decade of Health Information Technology" (7/21/04, news release, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
<http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040721a.html>

HHS Fact Sheet--HIT Report At-A-Glance (7/21/04, fact sheet, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
<http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040721.html>

The Decade of Health Information Technology: Delivering Consumer-centric and Information-Rich Health Care (7/21/04, full report, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
<http://www.hhs.gov/onchit/framework/>

Source: Janice Solomon, Program Analyst, Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch, Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute.