ONC report to Congress looks at evolving health IT landscape

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology today released its annual report to Congress on health IT progress, as required by the HITECH Act of 2009. The report notes that 96% of hospitals and 78% of physician offices used certified electronic health record technology in 2015, while only 9% and 17%, respectively, had at least a basic electronic health record in 2008. “This progress, where an extraordinary amount of electronic health information and infrastructure now exist that the country lacked merely a decade ago, has set the stage for a transition in focus to the seamless and secure flow of this health information – also known as interoperability – to improve the health and care of individuals and communities,” the report states. “...HHS will continue to work with public and private sector partners in the months and years to come to ensure that people, organizations and communities can easily access actionable electronic health information when and where it matters most.”