Focusing on the progress of eHealth in the wake of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the eHealth Initiative (eHI) has released the “National Progress Report on eHealth.” The report includes a review of progress made over the last three years relative to strategies and actions proposed.

 

eHI conducted an informal online survey to gauge perceptions of progress as part of the assessment process.  The survey responses offer a snapshot about the eHealth landscape. So, according to the survey, the majority of respondents believe significant progress has been made. The survey also states that a large number of respondents do not understand the value of HIE.

 

Driving improvements in the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology (IT), the eHealth Initiative (eHI) is an independent, non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization. eHI is the only organization that represents all of the stakeholders in the healthcare industry.

 

“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.”

 

According to the survey, most of the respondents believe that outreach to consumers about the value of EHRs and HIE is not effective. The survey collected information on dozens of existing and new HIT initiatives occurring across the country as part of this survey, eHealth stated.

 

In November 2009, the organization took a significant step forward in supporting patient-centered health information technology efforts, announcing that it will adopt the Information Therapy Action (IxAction) Alliance, effective immediately. The IxAction Alliance resides at the intersection of patient-centered care and health information technology, focusing on issues relating to the prescription and use of targeted health information to help people make good health decisions and lead healthy lives.