Earlier this year, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the State Coordinator for Health IT (ASTP) and reflected on the transformative impact of health IT on the delivery of patient care in the United States. These developments have helped create a more connected, patient-centered healthcare system, supporting the goal of seamless data exchange between healthcare providers and enabling real-time access to critical patient health information.
In our “Decade of Data Explored” series, we aim to highlight promising trends and key achievements in the areas of interoperability, electronic prescribing, public health reporting, and patient access to health information. As part of this, I’ve written several blog posts over the past year. The trends explored across these blog posts demonstrate significant changes in the overall health system landscape in a relatively short period of time.
Interoperability rates have increased. Seventy percent of hospitals are now addressing all four areas of electronic data exchange: finding, transmitting, receiving, and integrating patient health information electronically, up from just 23% in 2014. This enhances care coordination and patient outcomes, helping to provide seamless support. Information sharing across the healthcare system. Still, persistent challenges in data integration and standardization demonstrate the need for continued efforts to address persistent barriers to exchange and promote interoperability across the country. E-prescribing has become nearly ubiquitous over the past decade, with 92% of prescribers now using e-prescribing systems. This change has helped improve prescribing accuracy and patient safety, particularly through the increased use of electronic prescribing for controlled substances. There remain challenges in achieving consistent adoption across all healthcare settings, highlighting the need for continued efforts to optimize e-prescribing practices, particularly with regard to the prior authorization process. Significant advances have been made in public health reporting over the past decade. 90% of hospitals now report immunization data electronically, up from 63% in 2012. Data shows significant improvements in hospitals’ ability to electronically report immunization, test results, and syndromic surveillance data. All of this data is critical for a timely and effective public health response. Especially at a time when new health threats are emerging. Patient access to electronic health information has also been improved. Today, 97% of hospitals and 65% of physicians offer online access to health records. This expansion has empowered patients to be more proactive in their healthcare, with patient access to online medical records more than doubling from 25% in 2014 to 57% in 2022. However, disparities in access and utilization persist, highlighting the need for targeted health records. A commitment to ensure that all patients have equal opportunity to access their health information electronically.
Our recently published manuscript, “Evolution of Health Information Technology to Enhance Patient-Centered Care in the United States,” delves into these advances through data-driven analysis and provides perspectives and recommendations for the future. . This paper explores how health IT has evolved from an auxiliary tool to a core component of patient care. We detail the progress made by examining key developments, laws, and initiatives. We will also highlight ongoing challenges, particularly in achieving national interoperability and addressing equity issues. Finally, we provide insights and recommendations for the future of health IT to enhance patient-centered care.
Growth of health IT to enhance patient-centered care
We are excited about the future of health IT and its potential to transform patient care over the next decade. New initiatives like TFCA and the rulemaking proposed in HTI-2 will help set the stage for further advances in how health information is shared, accessed, and used, and reduce certain barriers to two-way exchange. Helpful. Integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into health IT systems can support more personalized, efficient, and accessible healthcare. ASTP currently leads the coordination of AI policy across HHS and works on public-private efforts to proactively shape the AI landscape. This will help ensure that the use of AI in health and social care services is fair, appropriate, effective, effective and safe. We are optimistic about these innovations and that continued collaboration will improve patient access to health information and provide healthcare providers with an increasing number of cutting-edge tools to deliver quality care. I hope that you will be able to take advantage of it.
Acknowledgments: “The Decade of Data Examined” blog series and the “Evolution of Health Information Technology to Enhance Patient-Centered Care in the United States” paper are by Wesley Barker, Wei Chang, Jordan Everson, Meghan Gabriel, Vaishali Patel, and Chelsea. Written by ASTP staff including: Richwine and Catherine Strawley.
