HIT Standards 3-24

The HIT Standards Committee met on March 24, 2010. Much of the meeting focused on the new NHIN Direct project which John Halamka described as a “learning lab” to test out the transport of patient information. Dr. Blumenthal stated that NHIN direct is a "project" not a "product" and is designed to be nimble and responsive to customer requests, especially from small practices.

The committee also heard from Doug Fridsma about plans for a framework for interoperability. The proposed framework is designed to engage a wide community of users and will use a process developed by National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). NIEM was originally developed by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, but has been used by HHS and state and local governments. Dr. Blumenthal debunked a rumor that NIEM was a “Trojan Horse” for government control over health information. “The question has come up about whether NIEM will make it possible for health information to be transmitted to DOJ, the CIA, Homeland Security or other government agencies. The answer is ‘No.’ The ONC would not participate in a process that would lead to that.”

Of course, the best summary of the meeting is found on John Halamka's blog:

http://geekdoctor.blogspot.com/2010/03/march-hit-standards-committee-meeting.html


The audio from the meeting is posted with the agenda and meeting materials below:

Download




Agenda

Privacy and Security Workgroup Update

Report on Certification NPRM