Using Health IT to Eliminate Disparities: A Focus on Solutions
Posted originally on Office of Nat’l Coordinator for Health IT’s
Federal Advisory Committee Blog: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
by Joshua Seidman PhD
See June 4, 2010 Meaningul Use Workgroup Agenda Below
The meaningful use (MU) of electronic health records (EHRs) has great potential to improve the quality, efficiency and safety of health care. If we are not careful, however, benefits may disproportionately accrue to those best positioned to implement and use new technologies. That could have the unintended consequence of growing health, health care and health information disparities.
On the other hand, ignoring technological innovation is not a viable option for preventing exacerbation of disparities. Moreover, many innovators have demonstrated that—deployed thoughtfully—health IT solutions can improve access to, and understanding of, important personal health information.
That is the focus of the June 4 public hearing being convened in Washington, DC by the Health IT Policy Committee’s MU Workgroup. Given the great research that already exists on what causes disparities, we are focusing this discussion specifically on solutions—that is, how can meaningful use of health IT solutions help us reduce disparities?
In this context, disparities can refer to differences in health, health care and health information. They may be caused by inadequate health literacy or by cultural or language issues that affect communication. In many cases, disparities can also be caused by access to care, to technology, or to meaningful and useful health information.
Like the Workgroup’s previous hearing on patient and family engagement, we will build on the live public testimony and discussion through this FACA Blog. The April 20 hearing generated more than 50 thoughtful comments that have been incorporated into the public record as we begin the process of building the definition for future stages of meaningful use.
We hope that we have an equally robust online discussion that provides valuable input on this topic. As with the previous hearing, all comments are welcome but we particularly encourage you to consider the following questions that we posed to the panelists.
1. What do you see as the greatest risks posed by the implementation of HIT in relationship to potentially increasing disparities in health processes and outcomes?
2. What are you, or others with whom you work, doing (or planning to do) to reduce the risk of exacerbating disparities as HIT is implemented across the county?
3. What research is being done, or needs to be done, in this area to inform the HIT Policy Committee in trying to establish guidelines that will move providers to implement methods of using HIT to reduce disparities?
4. With patient and family engagement in care at the forefront of our thinking about improving our Nation’s health, what particular strategies would you recommend to us as potential meaningful use requirements in 2013 and 2015 for the vulnerable populations we have asked you to address?
5. How can the meaningful use of HIT specifically reduce a health disparity?
6. What specific HIT applications have been used to address health literacy (panel 1), culture (panel 2), or access (panel 3)?
7. Please share any relevant evidence on your topic.
Additional Questions for the Access Panel:
What tools can be used to improve access for those who face access barriers to healthcare or technology?
What are the most innovative solutions you have seen to overcome these challenges?
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To post comments directly on FACA blog article, click here.
AGENDA (pdf version) excerpted from ONC site
HIT Policy Committee Meaningful Use Workgroup
Friday, June 4, 2010
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m./Eastern Time
Washington, DC
Hearing on “Using HIT to Eliminate Disparities: A Focus on Solutions”
“As providers across the country begin to meaningfully use health information technology to improve care to vulnerable populations, we acknowledge the need to pay special attention to ensuring that we are improving disparities in healthcare processes and outcomes, not exacerbating them.”
9:00 a.m. Call to Order/Roll Call – Judy Sparrow, Office of the National Coordinator
9:05 a.m. Meeting Objectives and Outcomes:
Using HIT to Eliminate Disparities: A Focus on Solutions
– George Hripcsak, Co-Chair, and Neil Calman, The Institute for Family Health
9:15 a.m. Panel 1: Health Literacy & Data Collection
Moderator: Neil Calman
–Sara Czaja, University of Miami
–Cynthia Solomon, MiVia
–Geniene Wilson, The Institute for Family Health
–Silas Buchanan, The Cave Institute
10:45 a.m. Panel 2: Culture
Moderator: Joshua Seidman
–Russell Davis, National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved
–M. Chris Gibbons, Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute
–Dianne Hasselman, Center for Health Care Strategies
–Deeana Jang, Asian/Pacific Islander American Health Forum
12:15 p.m. LUNCH BREAK
1:15 p.m. Panel 3: Access
Moderator: George Hripcsak
–Carolyn Clancy, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, HHS
–Howard Hays, MD, Indian Health Service, HHS
–Ian Erlich, Maniilaq Association, Alaska
–R. Scott Hawkins, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless
–Cesar Palacios, Proyecto Salud Clinic
2:45 p.m. Meaningful Use Workgroup Discussion
3:15 p.m. Public Comment
3:30 p.m. Adjourn
To participate:
Webconference or iPhone
Audio
You may listen in via computer or telephone.
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