Health IT Safety Plan Out for Comments
The goal of the plan is to encourage the use of health information technology to eliminate medical errors, improve the quality of care, protect patients, and increase efficiency in the U.S. health care system.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released its Health IT Patient Safety Action and Surveillance Plan on Dec. 21 and is accepting comments on it until Feb. 4. The goal of the plan is to encourage the use of health information technology to eliminate medical errors, improve the quality of care, protect patients, and increase efficiency in the U.S. health care system.
The plan addresses recommendations in the 2011 Institute of Medicine report titled "Health IT and Patient Safety: Building Safer Systems for Better Care," according to HHS.
"This report will help all of us better use health IT to deliver high quality care and improve patient safety," said National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari, M.D. His office will propose using electronic health record certification criteria to make it easier for clinicians to report patient safety events, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will work with the office to align its health and safety standards and guidance for providers and suppliers, according to the HHS announcement.
For more information about the plan, visit http://www.healthit.gov/policy-researchers-implementers/health-it-and-patient-safety.