Needle moving on drug monitoring program efficacy, ONC says

Needle moving on drug monitoring program efficacy, ONC says

A new brief from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology data says that one-third of prescribers now access prescription drug-monitoring programs through their electronic health records and 62% reported they used electronic prescribing of controlled substances technologies often – up from 37% in 2019.WHY IT MATTERS
“The use of (PDMPs) and electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) technology is critical to improving opioid prescribing practices, informing treatment decisions and supporting safe and effective patient care,” wrote Chelsea Richwine and Jordan Everson in a new HealthIT blog post.
They say the new data adds to previous analyses demonstrating the benefits of the systems by…

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Must-Have Tech Tools For A Successful Medical Practice

Must-Have Tech Tools For A Successful Medical Practice

In the medical field, there is a never-ending list of tools and technologies that can help to make your practice more successful. From patient care and record-keeping to medical imaging, many tools are available to help streamline your practice and provide better care for your patients.
However, knowing which tools will work best for you can be challenging and how to implement them effectively into your workflow can be difficult. This blog post will discuss the must-have tech tools for a successful medical practice.
These tools are designed to help increase efficiency and productivity in any healthcare organization. CRO (Contract Research…

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This World AIDS Day – Reflecting on Health IT as a Tool for Advancing Health Equity and Ending the HIV Epidemic

This World AIDS Day – Reflecting on Health IT as a Tool for Advancing Health Equity and Ending the HIV Epidemic

December 1st is World AIDS Day, when we collectively remember those who died due to AIDS-related illnesses and renew our commitment to work together to end the HIV epidemic and support people with HIV. This year’s theme, “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV,” emphasizes accountability and action. Collaborative, community-based, cross sector, and whole-of-government approaches that address clinical and social determinants of health (SDOH) are needed to support communities disproportionally affected by HIV and achieve national HIV/AIDS goals. Interoperable health IT, with health equity as a fundamental design feature, is an important tool to enable these efforts.Health IT…

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STAR HIE Program Helps Unlock Powerful Public Health Data in West Virginia

STAR HIE Program Helps Unlock Powerful Public Health Data in West Virginia

ONC launched the Strengthening the Technical Advancement and Readiness of Public Health Agencies via Health Information Exchange (STAR HIE) Program in 2020 using funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The program was expanded in 2021 to increase support for efforts to improve vaccination data sharing between jurisdictional Immunization Information Systems (IIS) and HIEs. The West Virginia Health Information Network (WVHIN) was among the 22 recipients that received a combined $20 million in funds from ONC via the CARES Act.We sat down with WVHIN’s Executive Director, Sonia Chambers, to learn how the STAR HIE Program helped…

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Addressing Evolving Health Information Technology Needs in Pediatric Care: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Informational Resource (IR)

Addressing Evolving Health Information Technology Needs in Pediatric Care: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Informational Resource (IR)

Hot off the presses, the Pediatric Health Information Technology: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Informational Resource (NAS IR) [PDF – 808 KB] is a new resource from ONC to support pediatric care and practice settings specific to neonatal abstinence syndrome. The NAS IR builds upon prior efforts included in the ONC Pediatric Health Information Technology Informational Resources (IR) for health IT developers and for health care providers, and includes information about the implementation of health IT and its use as part of delivering health care to infants experiencing withdrawal after maternal exposure to opioids and other substances during pregnancy. This is the third…

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