HL7 Awards iSOFT ‘Benefactor’ Status
UK health IT applications developer iSOFT has been awarded ‘Benefactor’ status, the highest level of accreditation provided by Health Level Seven (HL7), the healthcare data standards body. The accreditation recognises iSOFT’s commitment to the development of interoperability standards, vital to meet the requirements specified by the National Programme for IT (NPfIT). iSOFT becomes one of […]
News
US Institute Publishes Core Capabilities for EHRs
In a new report the independent Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the US National Academies, has published a set of eight core functions that electronic health records (EHRs) should be able to offer. The IOM report, ‘Key Capabilities of an Electronic Health Record System’, is intended to provide a basic ‘functional model’ for an […]
News
Health Information Infrastructure Act for US
A National Health Information Infrastructure Act has been introduced into the US Congress to support a national drive for interoperability between different healthcare IT systems. The Act will authorise a National Health Information Officer to work with public and private healthcare entities to develop a strategic plan to: • co-ordinate multiple public and private health […]
News
Healthcare Interoperability Forum in ‘Abeyance’
The Health Care Interoperability Forum (HCIF), an industry group of leading system suppliers focused on developing common standards, has gone into ‘abeyance’ and has no further plans to meet. The decision to cease further work was taken at meeting of the group two weeks ago after it became apparent that much of the work planned […]
News
Safety Gains Available from IT
IT can substantially improve the safety of medical care but few of the technologies likely to achieve this are implemented, according to a major US review of the subject published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The review’s authors from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Center for Applied Medical Information Systems, Partners HealthCare System […]
News
GPC Chair Pledges Practices Will Retain Choice
Dr John Chisolm, chairman of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) General Practitioners Committee (GPC) has pledged to fight to defend practices’ right to choose which practice systems they use. With just days to go before the closure of the ballot on the new UK-wide GP contract this Friday Dr Chisholm told delegates at the British […]
News
European Award for NHS Direct Online
Health advice and information portal, NHS Direct Online, was chosen as one of four winners of the first eEurope Awards for e-Health at a recent ceremony in Brussels. The awards were presented at a conference of 33 ministers responsible for ehealth in the European Union, European Economic Area and acceding countries. The winners were chosen […]
News
Healthcare IT and Devolution
The health services in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were detached from the English mother ship as part of devolution. This can be seen in terms of policies: in this week’s elections for the Welsh Assembly, Labour promised free prescriptions if it regained power. But it also means that IT is procured by each nation, […]
News
Spring Quiz: The Answers
Thanks to everyone who entered the Spring Quiz. The winner is… Deirdre MacGuigan, Knowledge Development Co-ordinator, IM&T Modernisation Programme, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. In fact no one got every answer correct. Apologies to those who got foxed by the Tech Lit section – the author of the first extract obviously isn’t as mainstream as we […]
News
New Forum to Support Interoperability Standards
A new Health Care Interoperability Forum (HCIF) has been set up to actively support the design of interoperability standards covering over 90 data flows which occur in the patient’s journey through the UK health system. The forum says its members are drawn from all the leading GP, out of hours and NHS Direct system suppliers […]
News