Issue briefs published by the American Hospital Association (AHA) present a snapshot of current hospital and health system use of health information technology with policy context and considerations.
Produced for the AHA by the team of Lara Cartwright-Smith, Jane Hyatt Thorpe, and Marie Mongeon of the George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health, the briefs are based on the 2016-2017 IT Supplement to the AHA Annual Survey. They are the first two in a series of four issue briefs.
The first issue brief, "Expanding Electronic Patient Engagement," addresses the state of hospital and health system patient's access to and engagement with their health data through health IT (https://www.aha.org/system/files/2018-03/expanding-electronic-engagement.pdf). The second, "Sharing Health Information for Treatment," focuses on provider sharing and use of clinical data and barriers to effective use of shared information (https://www.aha.org/system/files/2018-03/sharing-health-information.pdf).
Upcoming briefs will cover the use of health IT for patient safety and quality improvement activities and the advanced use of health information technology in new models of care, such as Accountable Care Organizations.