Topics in This Section
Learn about ONC’s Initiatives to Create a Secure Health Information Exchange
The ability to exchange health information electronically is an important foundation for efforts to improve health care quality and safety. Learn about ONC’s initiatives to help providers safely share information with one another and get one step closer to meeting meaningful use.
Nationwide Health Information Network: An Overview
The nationwide health information network is a set of standards, services and policies that enable secure health information exchange over the Internet. The network will provide a foundation for the exchange of health information across diverse entities, within communities and across the country, helping to achieve the goals of the HITECH Act. This critical part of the national health IT agenda will enable health information to follow the consumer, be available for clinical decision making, and support appropriate use of healthcare information beyond direct patient care so as to improve population health.
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Health Information Exchange
A group of federal agencies, local, regional and state-level Health Information Exchange Organizations (HIOs) and integrated delivery networks, formerly known as the NHIN Cooperative, has been helping to develop the network standards, services and policies. Today, these organizations are demonstrating live health information exchange through the Nationwide Health Information Network Exchange. By the end of 2010, it is expected that approximately 35 entities, including small provider practices, will be securely sharing live health information as part of this Exchange.
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The Direct Project
Based on initial recommendations from the Nationwide Health Information Network Work Group, the Direct Project was launched in March 2010 to specify a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based way for participants to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the Internet. The Direct Project expands existing Nationwide Health Information Network standards and service descriptions to address the key Stage 1 requirements for Meaningful Use, and to provide an easy "on-ramp" to nationwide exchange for a wide set of providers and organizations.
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