ELINCS: Developing a National Lab Data Standard for EHRs
The EHR-Lab Interoperability and Connectivity Standards (ELINCS) project will develop a national standard for the delivery of real-time laboratory results from a lab’s information system to an electronic health record. This will help physician practices reap tangible benefits early in EHR implementation and reduce costs associated with EHR system installation and configuration.

HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP PANEL -- FINAL REPORT
The Leadership Panel identified three key imperatives for health IT: 1. Widespread adoption of interoperable health IT should be a top priority for the U.S. health care system. 2. The federal government should use its leverage as the nation?s largest health care payer and provider to drive adoption of health IT. 3. Private sector purchasers and health care organizations can and should collaborate alongside the federal government to drive adoption of health IT.

Secure, online personal health record available to every American at no cost!
The iHealthRecord allows health information to be updated by patients themselves, by their physician’s electronic medical records systems or by their health plan. This interoperability helps to facilitate information exchange between healthcare providers, a key focus of the national healthcare IT infrastructure and regional health information organizations (RHIOs).

Business Process Automation: Closing the Automation Gap
HEALTH PLANS TODAY are constantly barraged by ever increasing stakeholder expectations: members insist on increased service levels; employers require flexible plan options and real-time billing and enrollment information; and providers depend on prompt, accurate payment and reimbursement transparency. One solution may be found in business process automation (BPA).

Vaccine safety websites meeting essential and important good information practices criteria
While many quality websites offer science-based information about vaccine safety, other sites provide unbalanced and misleading information. This can lead to undue fears, particularly among parents and patients. To assist readers in identifying websites providing information on vaccine safety that comply with good information practices, the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety has recommended a list of sites providing information on vaccine safety.

HL7 Receives ANSI Approval of Three Version 3 Specifications Including CDA, Release 2
We now have a document structure on which we can build local and regional exchange networks which will support everything from discovery and retrieval of scanned document images to disease registries and decision support.

Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance Approves Uniform Starter Set of Performance Measures
The Starter Setcomprises prevention measures for cancer screening and vaccinations, measures for chronic conditions including coronary artery disease, heart failure, diabetes, and asthma, depression, prenatal care, and two efficiency measures that address overuse and misuse.

Evaluation of electronic decision support systems
The National Electronic Decision Support Taskforce report "Electronic Decision Support for Australia"s Health Sector" (published January 2003, available at http://www.ahic.org.au/downloads/nedsrept.pdf) identified the need for evaluation of electronic decision support systems (EDSS). In particular the importance of promoting evaluation of the efficacy and effectiveness of electronic decision support systems as a matter of course, using rigorous and validated methodologies. It would be difficult to propose a single evaluation methodology that meets the diverse needs of the EDSS community. Different user groups have different evaluation tasks and objectives (depending on factors such as the stage of system development, intended goals for the system). By providing a set of evaluation guidelines this web site is the initial stage in promoting the evaluation of EDSS. Over time this initial set will be added to in what is hoped to be an evolving resource for the EDSS community.