On December 10th, Dr. Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, posted a letter to the ONC site summarizing the activities of the past year.   Whether you are a full supporter of the direction that the Federal Government is taking with respect to the promotion of health IT or not, it has been a busy year.  As listed by Dr. Blumenthal, the key events this year were:

• Temporary Certification Program, to authorize organizations to test and certify EHR technology and to establish the processes used for that purpose.
• Standards and Certification Criteria Final Rule, which outlines the capabilities EHR technologies must include to support achievement of meaningful use Stage 1 under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
• Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records Final Rule [PDF – 14 MB], released by CMS in July, to provide health professionals and hospitals with guidelines on how to adopt and use electronic health record technology in a meaningful way and how to qualify for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
• Certified Health IT Product List (Version 1.0), which identifies EHR technologies that have been tested and certified as being technically capable of supporting those providers’ achievement of meaningful use based on Stage 1 criteria outlined in HHS rules.

The post by Dr. Blumenthal also announced a two-day update meeting (which begins today) and can be accessed here.

So…as 2010 comes to a close, what do you believe were the major accomplishments of the year with respect to health IT? What about the major shortfalls?  What are your hopes for 2011?

This post is the personal opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the American College of Physicians (ACP). ACP does not endorse a specific EHR brand or product and ACP makes no representations, warranties, or assurances as to the accuracy or completeness of the information provided herein.