American College of Cardiology Informatics and Health Information Technology Task Force member Dr. Michael J. Mirro has released a statement regarding his testimony during Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on health information blocking.
According to Dr. Mirro, many electronic health record vendors provide the functionality needed by the healthcare community, but also require the purchase of the specific company's health IT products to make the elements of the EHRs fully interoperable.
In emergency situations, the rapid, secure exchange of health information is critical. During his hearing on the important issue of health information blocking, Dr. Mirro noted that we must work toward rewarding interoperability and discouraging information blocking. He commended Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray for their dedication to achieving these goals.
The American College of Cardiology is a 49,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, provides professional medical education, promotes cardiovascular research and bestows credentials on cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications.
