Agencies Advised to Get Started, Now

By Barbara DePompa

Early adopters of the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) offered several tips to help healthcare providers and federal agencies involved in the provision of healthcare information and services.

TIP: It’s wise to start now. Federal agencies and healthcare providers of all kinds will gain more from joining the process now, rather than waiting for everything to be completed and more fully matured in a few years’ time. In fact, they said it may be more difficult by then to merge onto the NHIN as standards (and traffic) grow.

TIP: Anticipate risks. Involvement in this project requires participants to understand that not everything will work perfectly, and there are undoubtedly calculated risks involved. This is why early adopters also recommend agencies take it slowly, testing the network thoroughly
and learning how the processes work. Obviously, federal agencies can’t risk jeopardizing the security of medical records, and additional development – both in functionality and governance is still needed.

TIP: Visit the Web. Sankaran suggested that those seeking more information about participating should check out the following website www.connectopensource.org.

TIP:Use cost savings as a driver. Early adopters said the advantages created by automating certain processes, such as the collection of medical evidence for submission to the SSA, can free personnel for other tasks that better serve patient needs. Productivity, efficiency and cost savings were cited by all as key benefits.

TIP: Gather support. Early adopters recommend federal agencies or departments understand that getting involved requires a strong commitment, and backing from the highest levels of an organization. Agency personnel must gain buy-in from leadership, and be willing to participate in conference calls and technical meetings.

TIP: Outside help is a good thing. Involvement in a program as complex as NHIN requires some expertise in electronic health records (EHR) and Health Information Exchanges (HIE). It’s not realistic to start from scratch to build the linkages to the Social Security Administration, officials said. That team also included outside expertise, from Lockheed Martin services professionals, to aid in the design and ramp up of the CONNECT/NHIN project.

Obviously, the sooner federal agencies participate the more they will learn, and the more they will be able to influence the evolution of this nationwide healthcare information sharing network.