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Resources by Topic: Health information technology

Disparities in Individuals' Access and Use of Health IT in 2013
Reports on patients' use of different types of health information technology (HIT) as of 2013, prior to a federal push to expand patient access to and use of HIT. Includes data specific to rural patients' use of HIT, showing lower use compared to urban patients. HIT types included emailing a provider, text messaging a provider, looking at test results online, and using a smart phone health app.
Author(s): Vaishali Patel, Wesley Barker, Erin Siminerio
Date: 06/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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The Persistent Health Care Access Gap for Children Living in Poverty: Will the Health Technology Revolution Level the Playing Field?
Discusses the need for and challenges to expanding healthcare technology for medically underserved children living in poverty stricken areas and rural areas. Highlights the potential to improve access to healthcare and health outcomes through the use of electronic health records (EHRs), telehealth, mobile medical clinics and diagnostic tools, and mobile communication devices. Offers recommendations for accelerating the use of technology in rural and underserved areas.
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Children's Health Fund
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Population Health in Rural Communities
Policy paper discussing the concept of population health in rural communities with a focus on providing better care, improving health, and lowering costs.
Author(s): Sally Buck, Patricia A. Crawford, John Gale, Deborah Holzmark, Michelle Mills
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Compendium of Unimplemented Recommendations: March 2015
Annual report identifying the top 25 unimplemented recommendations from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) that, in OIG's view, would have the most substantial positive impact on Health and Human Services (HHS) programs. Positive impact may refer to cost savings, program efficacy and efficiency, and/or quality improvement. Primary areas of interest in the March 2015 edition include: Medicare payment policies and oversight mechanisms, face-to-face requirements for home health agencies, and strengthening fraud prevention in electronic health record (EHR) technology across all providers, including Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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National Rural HIT Coalition Meeting
Details the minutes of a National Rural Health Information Technology Coalition face-to-face meeting in Washington D.C. Discusses a number of national and federal updates, as well as telehealth expansion and population health integration.
Date: 02/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Critical Access Hospitals' Receipt of Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Payments
Describes Critical Access Hospital (CAH) participation in Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs and compares participation rates between states and by facility characteristics.
Author(s): Peiyin Hung, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 01/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Health Information Technology in the United States, 2015: Transition to a Post-HITECH World
Reports on health information technology (HIT) adoption over an 8-year period, and includes the results of programs supported by the HITECH Act. Exhibit 19 provides information on adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) and achievement of meaningful use for rural hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and others who received technical assistance from the Regional Extension Centers.
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Rural Healthy People 2020: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2020, Volume 2
Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities with an overview for each of the top health priorities ranked 11 through 20 identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 1 discussed the top 10 priorities.) Topics include: cancer, health education, oral health, immunizations and infectious disease, public health, sexual health and family planning, injury and violence prevention, and social determinants of health. Includes reviews of the relevant literature and model programs appropriate for rural communities. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Sustaining "Meaningful Use" of Health Information Technology in Low-Resource Practices
Discusses the barriers in maintaining electronic health records (EHRs) for compliance with the federal policy of meaningful use found in small practices located in rural and urban Michigan.
Author(s): Lee A. Green, Georges Potworowski, Anya Day, et al.
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 13(1), 17-22
Date: 2015
Type: Document
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Meaningful Use Attestations Among U.S. Hospitals: The Growing Rural-Urban Divide
Provides an analysis of the Electronic Health Record Incentive Program adoption in metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural hospitals in the U.S. Compares rural and urban hospitals that were attesting to meaningful use and receiving federal incentive payments.
Author(s): Ryan H. Sandefer, David T. Marc, Paul Kleeberg
Citation: Perspectives in Health Information Management, 2015 (Spring), 1-10
Date: 2015
Type: Document
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