While the Office of the National Coordinator was still naming the final two Beacon communities, it also set up measures designed to highlight the communities' findings and successes, according to a Government Health IT report.
The Beacon Community program, made up of 17 communities, was created to demonstrate how healthcare information technology can lead to improvements in healthcare quality, efficiency and population health. Beacon communities were chosen based on above-average experience in healthcare information exchange.
One of the initiatives designed to measure the communities' success is a website where the communities can share their experiences as new regional extension centers for healthcare information technology and state-sponsored health information exchanges, according to the report. ONC is also working with the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation to create more health information technology-related communities-of-practice.
Beacon communities will give healthcare providers and leaders a look into future stages of meaningful use, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology David Blumenthal said. The ONC's goal is to compile and make available a collection of real-world best practices, he added.
Read the Government Health IT report about the Beacon communities' website.
Read other coverage about healthcare information technology:
- ONC Choose Final Beacon Cities to Track Healthcare IT Innovation, Outcomes
- HIMSS Launches Primer Website for Quality Reporting
- Government to Distribute $17M for IT-Based Patient Center Outcomes Research
The Beacon Community program, made up of 17 communities, was created to demonstrate how healthcare information technology can lead to improvements in healthcare quality, efficiency and population health. Beacon communities were chosen based on above-average experience in healthcare information exchange.
One of the initiatives designed to measure the communities' success is a website where the communities can share their experiences as new regional extension centers for healthcare information technology and state-sponsored health information exchanges, according to the report. ONC is also working with the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation to create more health information technology-related communities-of-practice.
Beacon communities will give healthcare providers and leaders a look into future stages of meaningful use, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology David Blumenthal said. The ONC's goal is to compile and make available a collection of real-world best practices, he added.
Read the Government Health IT report about the Beacon communities' website.
Read other coverage about healthcare information technology:
- ONC Choose Final Beacon Cities to Track Healthcare IT Innovation, Outcomes
- HIMSS Launches Primer Website for Quality Reporting
- Government to Distribute $17M for IT-Based Patient Center Outcomes Research