US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

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More Research Volunteers Are Getting Their Medical Test Results. Should We Cheer — or Worry?

Kat McGowan | STAT | December 1, 2016

Volunteer for a clinical trial and your body will be poked, prodded, scanned, and analyzed. But you’re unlikely to get any of the results. A small but influential band of activists has been pushing hard to change that — and they’re starting to get traction. The research establishment has long opposed giving volunteers access to their data, even though that’s supposed to be part of the arrangement. Some worry that it’s too easy for laypeople to misinterpret test results, while others maintain that it’s a waste of resources to organize data for individual review...

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Multiple New Reports on Interoperability Released

Two new reports on interoperability, and a related Call to Action were released in fall 2017 with potential impact on public health. The reports focus on the perceived successes and barriers to health information exchange and interoperability. We draw out the relevance of these reports to public health as well as some of our own observations on these issues from a past working paper. The Call to Action released by the Health Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) calls on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to demonstrate leadership and promote progress in a number of key areas.

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New Report: Top Challenges Facing HHS Includes Harnessing Data

In November 2019 the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a new report, Top Management and Performance Challenges Facing HHS. Divided into six major sections, this report reviews the OIG's observations with respect to financial integrity of HHS programs, value and quality, protecting the health and safety of beneficiaries as well as the public at large, harnessing data to achieve these goals, and working across government. The fifth challenge, "Harnessing Data To Improve Health and Well-Being of Individuals," is particularly foundational. Read More »

NIST Soliciting Bids for Solutions to Steamline Patient Access to Health Information

Mike Garcia | NSTIC Notes | March 31, 2016

Today I’m thrilled to introduce our second solicitation for pilot funding of 2016, which focuses on streamlining the way that patients and providers access health information from different organizations online. We’re looking for a project that will pilot solutions to access health information that are privacy-enhancing, secure and resilient, interoperable, and cost-effective and easy-to-use. For this funding opportunity, we’re looking to solve this problem through deployment of federated identity credentials in healthcare.

Nurses' Union Knocks EHRs Hard

Bernie Monegain | Healthcare IT News | May 27, 2014

An image on the National Nurses United website highlights the campaign slogan. Launches national campaign to call attention to risks of healthcare IT Read More »

Obama and Biden Blast EHR Vendors for Data Blocking

As they are winding their terms in office, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden dropped a stink bomb on the health IT industry. Speaking at different events on Friday, January 9th, the President and Vice President both criticized proprietary electronic health record (EHR) vendors as the primary obstacle to the success of their administration’s health care strategy. This is the highest level acknowledgment so far of the serious impact that “lock-in” EHR software vendors are having on America’s medical infrastructure and the ability of physicians to provide medical care.

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Obama's Electronic Medical Records Scam

Michelle Malkin | Michellemalkin.com | December 14, 2012

Here’s more evidence that government “cures” are inevitably worse than the “diseases” they seek to wipe out. Buried in the trillion-dollar stimulus law of 2009 was an electronic medical records “incentive” program. Like most of President Obama’s health care rules, this top-down electronic record-sharing scheme is a big fat bust. Oversight is lax. Cronyism is rife. The job-killing and privacy-undermining consequences have only just begun.

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ONC Head Dr. Donald Rucker Addresses open API's, Interoperability and Usability During WEDI Keynote

Press Release | Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) | August 23, 2017

Earlier this month, the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), the nation’s leading nonprofit authority on the use of health IT to create efficiencies in healthcare information exchange and a trusted advisor to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), held its 2017 Summer Forum which featured keynote addresses by Donald W. Rucker, MD, head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC/HHS) and Madhu Annadata, director, Division of National Standards, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)...

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Open Source Collaboration Key to Healthcare Blockchain Adoption

Elizabeth O'Dowd | HIT Infrastructure | August 24, 2017

Interest in healthcare blockchain continues to grow as organizations realize the potential data sharing advantages. Blockchain is not currently used in healthcare, but open source projects, such as Hyperledger, are working to develop blockchain standards that can eventually be used in healthcare. Entities are showing genuine interest in blockchain and are currently working on projects for future adoption, according to Hyperledger Executive Director Brian Behlendorf...

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Open Source Solutions For Public Health Case Reporting and COVID-19

The United States is continuing its slow emergence from a nation-wide shut down imposed to slow down the spread of COVID-19. Most states have started to reopen, with bars, restaurants, and many workplaces starting to fill. As people begin to spend more time together again, it is critically important that public health agencies do everything they can to help prevent further spread of the infection and continue to monitor the level of infection within the population. Data is an important tool that public health has to understand what is going on in the country. Years of limited government investment and neglect of current systems has limited public health's ability to meet the challenges of managing both localized outbreaks and pandemics.

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OpenFDA Backstory: Breaking The Paperwork Backlog

David F. Carr | Information Week | June 5, 2014

The startup Captricity uses a combination of crowdsourcing and OCR to digitize mountains of paper records, particularly for government agencies and healthcare...

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Opening Up the FDA

The President's Executive Order on Open Government Data states, "Government information shall be managed as an asset throughout its life cycle to promote interoperability and openness, and, wherever possible and legally permissible, to ensure that data are released to the public in ways that make the data easy to find, accessible, and usable." Interestingly, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), has a tradition of expansive disclosure of information and/or data it generates or collects – contrary to current practices at the FDA. Hopefully, changes being made to 'open up' the FDA will start to accelerate. Read More »

OSEHRA 2015: Preliminary Agenda Open Source Summit Released

The 2015 Open Source Summit: Community-Powered Healthcare IT Solutions is shaping up to be another exciting event that will showcase the remarkable achievements of our growing community!  The Summit offers a unique perspective on healthcare IT innovation in the U.S. and global markets, as well as an opportunity to network with the individuals and companies who are making it happen...Further, the OSEHRA community is expanding beyond its VistA-centric origins. This year, in collaboration with Open Health News, a diverse panel of open source community leaders has been formed to exchange ideas, expertise, and business opportunities. Read More »

OSEHRA 2015: Summit Sponsors for Open Source Summit Announced

Press Release | OSEHRA | July 27, 2015

The Open Source Electronic Health Record Alliance (OSEHRA) is excited to announce the confirmed sponsors for the 2015 Open Source Summit: Community-Powered Healthcare IT Solutions to be held July 29-31 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Sponsors for the 4th Annual Summit include...

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OSEHRA 2018 Open Source Summit Dates Announced

Press Release | OSEHRA | January 12, 2018

The Open Source Electronic Health Record Alliance (OSEHRA) is pleased to announce that it will host its 7th Annual Open Source Summit: The Open Road for Government Innovation from Wednesday, July 18 through Friday, July 20, 2018 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. This year’s three-day Summit will highlight open source initiatives across Federal and State agencies, and the increasing level of public-private partnership in major programs. Read More »