Continua Design Guidelines Recognized In The ONC's 2017 Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA)

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance) announced today that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) 2017 Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA) now includes the Continua Design Guidelines. The Continua Design Guidelines and associated standards (e.g. ISO/IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data standards) enable the sharing of patient-generated health data with healthcare providers to support efficient patient-centered healthcare delivery. The ISA is published by the ONC, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the federal agency office leading national health IT interoperability to advance electronic exchange of health information.

The 2017 ISA, an update to the 2016 version, will help vendors and providers achieve patient-centered information sharing supporting effective care and reflects the ongoing dialogue, debate, and consensus among industry stakeholders.

The Continua Design Guidelines (specifically, ITU H.810 – H.813) are listed in the ISA as an implementation specification for four interoperability needs that support the sharing of patient-generated health data to enable effective, safe, high quality health care: 

• Remote Patient Monitoring to Support Chronic Condition Management, Patient Education, and Patient Engagement
• Push Communication of Vital Signs from Medical Devices
• Medical Device Communication to Other Information Systems/Technologies
• An Unsolicited "Push" of Clinical Health Information to a Known Destination and Information System User

"This marks an important milestone, not just for the Continua Design Guidelines, but for the betterment of patient care," said Dr. Patricia Mechael, Executive Vice President of the Personal Connected Health Alliance. "By publishing the Interoperability Standards Advisory, the ONC is making great progress in enabling patient-centered health information sharing and improving safety, quality and efficiency of connected health technologies to connect patients to their providers and vice versa. We are pleased to be part of this important effort."

The full set of the 2017 ISA can be found here: https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/2017_isa_reference_edition-final.pdf

The ISA, initiated in late 2015, catalogues key information about standards and implementation specifications to help encourage use of the standards to enhance patient centered information sharing, and is a key component of the Agency's ongoing implementation of the Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap.

The ISA was essential to the commitment signed at the 2016 HIMSS Annual Conference by some of the industry's largest vendors, providers and stakeholder groups to adopt "federally recognized, national interoperability standards, policies, guidance and practices" for healthcare data. HIMSS is a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better health through information technology (IT).

About the Personal Connected Health Alliance
The Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance) aims to make health and wellness an effortless part of daily life. The PCHAlliance, a non-profit organization formed by HIMSS, believes that health is personal and extends beyond healthcare. The Alliance mobilizes a coalition of stakeholders to realize the full potential of personal connected health. PCHAlliance members are a vibrant ecosystem of technology and life sciences industry icons and innovative, early stage companies along with governments, academic institutions, and associations from around the world. To support its vision, the PCHAlliance convenes the global personal connected health community at the annual Connected Health Conference, the premier international event for the exchange of research, evidence, ideas, innovations and opportunities in personal connected health. The Alliance publishes and promotes adoption of the Continua Design Guidelines. Continua is recognized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the international standard for safe, secure, and reliable exchange of data to and from personal health devices. The PCHAlliance accelerates technical, business, policy and social strategies necessary to advance personal connected health through its flagship Academy for Healthy Longevity to promote lifelong health and wellness.

SOURCE Personal Connected Health Alliance

Related Links

http://www.pchalliance.org