The AAFP newly announced the estab...

The AAFP newly announced the establishment of the Center for Health Information Technology, whose mission is to stir up and facilitate the adoption and optimal use of health information technology by way of AAFP members and other office-based clinicians. The center will collaborate with regulation industry, and other professional organizations to encourage health information technology. It will be the focal point of AAFP's technical expertise, advocacy, research, and member services activities associated with health information technology. The center which is based at the AAFP's headquarters in Leawood, Kan., will guide all health technology initiatives based upon the following four operating principles: (1) affordability, which make secures that the costs of acquiring and using health information technology will be within the batch of small- and medium-sized medical practices; (2) compatibility, which render certains that the health information a whole s and their components will operate within existing systems; (3) interoperability, which is belong toed with the sharing of data between other medical specialists, laboratories, pharmacies, hospitals, and the patients regardless of the application or vendor used; and (4) data stewardship, which allows physicians and other clinicians to retain have charge of of the data and single out who will be the guardian of those data. David C Kibbe, MD former director of health information technology for the AAFP, is director of the Center "The establishment of the Center signals the importance for the two members and leaders of the AAFP of the ne to stir from paper-based to computerized information hypothesiss in the family physician's office," said Douglas E Henley, MD AAFP executive vice president. "The activities of the Center will improve the quality and safety of medical care and, in employ increase the efficiency of health care delivery," he added.

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

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