ABSTRACT
Despite its closure in December 2006, the Santa Barbara County Care Data Exchange helped focus national attention on the value of health information exchange (HIE). This in turn led to the federal government's plan to establish regional health information organizations (RHIOs). During its existence, the project pioneered innovative approaches, including certification of health information technology vendors, a community-wide governance model, and deployment of a peer-to-peer technical model now in wider use. RHIO efforts will benefit from the project's lessons about the need for an incremental development approach, rigorous implementation processes, early attention to privacy and liability concerns, and planning for a sustainable business model.
Subject(s)
Community Networks/organization & administration , Information Systems/organization & administration , Medical Record Linkage , Medical Records Systems, Computerized/organization & administration , Program Development , California , Confidentiality , Federal Government , Humans , Liability, Legal , Models, Organizational , Pilot Projects , Program Evaluation , Public Health Informatics , Regional Health Planning , United StatesABSTRACT
The Internet is a burgeoning source of healthcare information for consumers and medical professionals, providing a wealth of data on diseases and chronic conditions, treatment options and patient safety. However, numerous studies have documented substantial variation in both the completeness and accuracy of this information. Although there are promising signs of improvement and new self-policing efforts, Internet users must still proceed with caution when seeking healthcare information online, as incomplete, inaccurate and even dangerous information still abounds in cyberspace. Constituencies concerned with healthcare and the Internet can take action to improve the quality of information online.
