Question

How do Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Agency for healthcare research and quality (AHRQ), Office of the national coordinator (ONC) externally influence Health Information Management?

Answer 1

Solution:-

AHRQ's digital healthcare initiative is part of the Nation's strategy to put information technology (IT) to work in healthcare.

*AHRQ has a key role in developing and disseminating evidence and evidence-based tools on how digital health strategies can improve health care quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness.

Some of AHRQ's most notable collaborations with the agencies like :-

1)Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

2)Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

3)National Science Foundation (NSF).

4)National Institutes of Health (NIH).

5)Indian Health Service (IHS).

CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES (CMS) :-

AHRQ, in collaboration with CMS, one of its sister Agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has developed the Children's Electronic Health Record (EHR) Format—a database of requirements that provides a blueprint for the child-specific functionality that EHR developers can integrate into their systems.

Pilot Projects in E-prescribing:-

In 2005, AHRQ and CMS collaborated on a major project involving pilot testing of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) standards.

From September 2007 until May 2012, CMS partnered with AHRQ to provide a technical assistance program to Medicaid and CHIP agencies to help them develop, implement, or participate in health IT and health information exchange (HIE).

OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL COORDINATOR FOR HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (ONC):-

AHRQ, in collaboration with ONC, leads the Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC), which was funded under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.

HITRC incorporates input from relevant sources, including—

1)Other Federal agencies with demonstrated experience and expertise in information technology services.

2)Users of health IT such as providers and their support and clerical staff and others involved in the care and care coordination of patients, from the health care and health IT industry; and others as appropriate.

The purposes of the HITRC are to :-

✓Provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience.

✓Accelerate the transfer of lessons learned from existing public and private sector initiatives, including those currently receiving Federal financial support.

✓Assemble, analyze, and widely disseminate evidence and experience related to the adoption, implementation, and effective use of health IT that allows for the electronic exchange and use of information including through the Regional Extension Centers.

✓Provide technical assistance for the establishment and evaluation of regional and local health information networks to facilitate the electronic exchange of information across health care settings and improve the quality of health care.

✓Provide technical assistance for the development and dissemination of solutions to barriers to the exchange of electronic health information.