ONC to Boost Oversight over EHR Usability, Patient Safety Woes

ONC (The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at HHS,https://www.healthit.gov/newsroom/about-onc) is reportedly getting more authority to oversee HIT quality.Some initial observations:(1) More government control of yet another healthcare domain may be a double-edged sword, BUT:(2) Something had to be done about HIT, and this initiative could have a good outcome if not overwhelmed too much by corporate and inter-party politics (in our current environment, that is far from assured), and(3) It validates what we have been writing about on this blog since 2004, and elsewhere on my part since about 1998.I am also bolding passages I find of most interest.  Emphases mine:-------------------------------------Health AnalyticsByJennifer Bresnick October 14, 2016http://healthitanalytics.com/news/onc-boosts-oversight-to-fix-ehr-usability-patient-safety-woes The ONC will now have more authority to look into EHR usability problems that may produce patient safety risks, thanks to a rule that increases oversight capabilities.The nation ’s quality improvement and payment activities aren’t the only things receiving a federal overhaul this week: the electronic health records that will support clinicians as they implement MACRA and move towards a patient-centered, value-based care environment are also getting some renewed attention.In conjunction with the publication of the MACRA final rule, the ONChas announced enhanced oversight for the Ce...
Source: Health Care Renewal - Category: Health Management Tags: healthcare IT certification healthcare IT safety ONC Source Type: blogs