D.C. Report: NHIT Week Wrap-Up, Anne Arundel Hospital Showcases its EMR
Each week, Healthcare Informatics online brings to you, our readers, a special report from Sharon Canner, Senior Director of Advocacy Programs for the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), with responsibility for government affairs. The Washington, D.C.-based Canner currently oversees three groups within the CHIME organization: the Advocacy Leadership Team, the Policy Steering Committee, and CIO StateNet. Advocacy Corner will provide our readers with a brief report on the latest advocacy efforts of the CHIME organization.
NHIT Week Comes to a Close. To mark the significant impact health information technology has made in improving healthcare delivery in the United States, over 170 public and private sector organizations participated in the Fifth Annual National Health IT Week in Washington, D.C. Established in 2006, NHIT Week has emerged as a landmark occasion for bringing together diverse national healthcare stakeholders to develop neutral, common ground for the advancement of health information technology (HIT) adoption with “One Voice, One Vision.”
Kicking off the event on June 14 was a tour of the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Conducted in partnership with CHIME and the HIMSS Federal Health Community, attendees from various federal agencies had the opportunity to learn about the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR) implementation. On June 15, CHIME ALT Chair David Muntz, senior vice president and CIO at Baylor Health Care System, Dallas, Texas, joined House and Senate members and industry leaders for a press conference to encourage continued federal support of HIT. CHIME welcomed Dr. Farzad Mostashari, deputy national coordinator for policy and programs with the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology, for its first in-person meeting of StateNet on June 16. Mostashari shared ONC’s state-level agenda and heard from CIOs on StateNet’s recently identified priority issues for health information exchange (HIE) development. CHIME was among other non-profits and IT corporations sponsoring information booths at the day-long Capitol Hill Technology Showcase on June 17, which yearly draws 350-400 attendees from government, industry and academia, with remarks by members of Congress.
NIST Visits Anne Arundel Hospital. Last Wednesday, representatives of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) observed first-hand the substantial impact of meaningful use and electronic medical record (EMR) technology during a hospital site visit to Annapolis, Md.-based Anne Arundel Medical Center, a subsidiary of Anne Arundel Health System in Annapolis. Approximately 11 NIST staff members met with informatics specialists, clinicians, physicians and various others of the hospital organization’s administrative team to learn about its new patient-centric EMR and the successes and challenges that come with implementing a community-wide system.
According to Doug Abel, Anne Arundel Health System’s CIO, the purpose of the site visit was to provide a real-world, hands-on view of the realities of implementing, supporting and utilizing systems required for meaningful use. NIST representatives were provided with an overview of the work completed by the organization to carry out full deployment of a community-based EMR. They were also given a live demonstration of the expanded EMR system, which covers not only the acute care venue, but ambulatory venues and personal health record as well.
