The report reveals a number of high-level findings including:

• Significant progress has been made over the last three years as a result of public and private sector initiatives. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was the key driver of progress.
• Many providers are concerned about the lack of coordination across the government health and health information technology (HIT) initiatives.
• More education and outreach to consumers about HIT and health information exchange (HIE) is required.
• Knowledge and transparency of privacy and security policies will be the key to building consumer trust of HIT and HIE.

As part of the assessment process, eHI conducted an informal online survey to gauge perceptions of progress. The survey responses offer a snapshot about the eHealth landscape. Some findings include:

• The majority of respondents believe significant progress has been made: 61 percent of respondents agree or strongly agree with the statement that significant progress has been made in the successful adoption and use of HIT since 2007.
• The value of HIE is not clearly understood by the majority of respondents: 54.9 percent disagree or strongly disagree with the statement that the value of HIE is clearly understood.
• The majority of respondents believe outreach to consumers about the value of EHRs and HIE is not effective: 66.6 percent disagree or strongly disagree with the statement that current outreach to consumers about the value of EHRs and HIE is effective.
• The majority believe Regional Extension Centers and the National Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC) will be vital to educating providers: 66.1 percent of respondents agree or strongly agree with the view that Regional Extension Centers and the HITRC will be vital to educating providers about adoption and meaningful use of HIT.

“Contributors to the report found that, while considerable progress has been made over the past three years, challenges remain,” noted Jennifer Covich Bordenick, eHealth Initiative’s Chief Executive Officer. “Coordinating public and private sector efforts, and communicating the true value of HIT and HIE to consumers will be critical as we move forward.”

As part of its work, the eHealth Initiative collected information on dozens of existing and new HIT initiatives occurring across the country. An online version of the current activities is available in the report and online.

The National Progress Report on eHealth was supported by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation supporting independent research on health policy reform and a high performance health system.

The report is available on the eHI website at: http://www.ehealthinitiative.org/

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About eHealth Initiative
The eHealth Initiative (eHI) is an independent, non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization whose mission is to drive improvements in the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology (IT). eHI is the only organization that represents all of the stakeholders in the healthcare industry. eHI advocates for the use of HIT that is practical, sustainable and addresses stakeholder needs, particularly those of patients. For more information, visit http://www.ehealthinitiative.org/
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Jennifer Lubell, HITS staff writer, reported July 2, 2010 in ModernHealthcare.com on National Progress Report,
“Electronic healthcare initiatives have made headway over the last several years, but health information technology remains an undervalued tool, a new report concludes.”