E-prescribing and consumer privacy are critical to advancing healthcare reform, according to a report released Sept. 23 by the State Alliance for e-Health. In its inaugural report, Accelerating Progress: Using Health Information Technology and Electronic Health Information Exchange to Improve Care, the group of bipartisan health policy and technical experts called for accelerating adoption and use of health IT and electronic health information exchange (HIE) to speed improvements in the U.S. healthcare system.
The report examines the challenges states face in implementing health IT and HIE, including provider concerns about implementation costs, variations in technical standards for interoperability, and consumer concerns about data privacy and security. E-prescribing is cited as a landmark gateway to stimulating other advances in e-health, but progress in this and other e-health areas should move simultaneously with increased scrutiny and attention to protect the privacy of consumers’ health information.
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices created the State Alliance for e-Health in 2006. Download the report.
