ONC Releases Overview of EHR Adoption and Training
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released a tool that allows users to see initial patterns of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and use by healthcare facilities and doctors.
The Health IT Dashboard offers information on state-by-state health IT implementation through colorful maps, charts, graphs, and other interactive tools.
“Our ONC stakeholders and the interested public now have a more comprehensive picture of the ways in which ONC programs and research are contributing to the widespread adoption and meaningful use of health IT,” says Victor T. Lazzaro, ONC's director for the health IT dashboards projects.
The ONC determines the criteria for the federal government’s “meaningful use” program, which provides funding to doctors and hospitals that prove, per that criteria, they are meaningful users of EHRs. The agency also maintains grant programs and regional extension centers that offer technical help to accelerate the use of health IT.
In a press release, the ONC says the dashboard contains “six different views presenting over 250 custom dashboards for states, ONC programs, and grantees.”
The agency says the dashboard can help answer questions such as how many health IT providers are in a certain county or state, and what percentage of pharmacies use electronic prescribing.
The dashboard also provides an overview of health IT training. The ONC has a Health IT Workforce Program that awards grants to universities and community colleges to establish and maintain health IT training programs.
For more information on the dashboard, click here.
Posted: September 18, 2012