Defining Health IT Alphabet Soup
The National Alliance for Health Information Technology released its final Report to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (aka "ONC") today which, among other things, provides consensus definitions for the following six key health information technology terms:
- Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
- Electronic Health Record (EHR)
- Personal Health Record (PHR)
- Health Information Exchange (HIE)
- Health Information Organization (HIO)
- Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO)
The project which resulted in the Report was called "Defining Key Health Information Technology Terms" and was funded by ONC with the goal of addressing the need to clarify terminology used in health IT policy, regulation, contracts and other initiatives. The Report, which also includes helpful explanations, guidance, statistics, and links to a number of other helpful resources, is an must-see for all individuals, groups or organizations engaging in HIE and/or looking to form an HIO or RHIO . . . as such terms are defined in the Report, of course.
