|
A consumer centric approach to healthcare delivery is becoming the focal point in a significant effort underway to develop a National Health Information Network (NHIN). The Markle Foundation’s Personal Health Technology Initiative as part of the Connecting for Health Common Framework supports this by stating that consumers are expected to play a central role in using information technology to improve their health and manage their healthcare. The Kay Center for E-Health Research, established at Claremont Graduate University, has a specific focus on user acceptance of e-health systems, including advancing the adoption of personal and electronic health records among the disability community.
In October 2006, the Kay Center sponsored an initial Disability Policy Forum in Washington, DC to explore dimensions of Electronic Disability Record (EDR) systems, which are disability systems that utilize health and medical records for disability eligibility determination as well as disability health management. This forum, conducted in conjunction with Cornell University’s Institute for Public Policy, noted several key areas that needed addressing, such as: determining value proposition for national EDR systems, establishing protocols for linking EDR systems to Personal Health Record (PHR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, conducting usability analysis related to the diverse needs of disability users, and addressing concerns about privacy and security.
The 2007 Kay Center Policy Forum at Washington D.C., titled “Connecting Disability Systems and Users to Health Information Networks” built upon these discussions with the goal of identifying specific opportunities and actions for using health information technology to support disability consumer needs, to improve care, to streamline benefit determination and care coordination, and to empower consumers to participate in their own medical care.
The Kay Center Policy Forum:
· Examined existing and potential NHIN and consumer access services that are or could be used to support disability determination and healthcare management of disability consumers, so as to provide suggestions for new applications and services
· Outlined specific research testing and deployment opportunities as well as policy issues of privacy that need to be addressed by Federal policy and possibly legislative actions
· Featured short, highly interactive, expert presentations focusing on the results of research studies underway on EDR systems, implementation strategies and challenges, and potential solutions for a collaborative and interoperable electronic health data exchange system
The forum was an invitational session and was held at the City View Room of George Washington University, located at 1957 E Street, 7th Floor, Washington, DC. Participants included approximately 40 representatives from Academia, State and Federal Government Agencies, Associations and Non-Profit Organizations, and Healthcare Service and System Providers.
|
How to Apply to CGU
