CHICAGO, Dec. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement is attributable to Rita Bowen, MA, RHIA, AHIMA President:

The American Health Information Management Association congratulates the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) for the release of today's report that envisions the critical role electronic health records (EHRs) must play in improving healthcare as well as the Council's advocacy for the positive impact integrated EHRs can have on advancing the delivery of high-quality healthcare services.  AHIMA agrees that this is an appropriate time for the PCAST recommendations to be made and now discussed.  

The goals stated by this Taskforce mirror those of AHIMA's more than 60,000 professional health information management practitioners to achieve universal use of EHRs and a nationwide health information exchange (HIE) that does not jeopardize the protection, confidentiality and security of an individual's health information.  

AHIMA will, as requested by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), conduct a thorough review of these recommendations trusting that the federal government and the healthcare industry will also look at these requirements as applied across the healthcare industry and not just those entities that can qualify for Meaningful Use incentives.  

SOURCE American Health Information Management Association

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