Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Laboratory Exchange Meeting

摘要

Health information exchange (HIE) initiatives are being developed in communities and regions across the country. These initiatives are intended to enhance connectivity of healthcare information to improve the quality of health care. These exchanges are essential requirements for health care transformation. Without the availability of the appropriate information at the time care is delivered, some improvements in the quality of care are not possible. In ambulatory care settings, the availability of medication histories and current clinical laboratory data are especially important. Both are central areas of activity of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services American Health Information Community (HHS AHIC) and rate-limiting steps to realization of truly interoperable and connected health care information systems. The lack of such standardized approaches also diminishes the ability to care for evacuees from natural disasters and inhibit the creation of a bio-surveillance network to protect the American public.