Standards development is at the heart of healthcare reform, according to David Blumenthal, MD, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Blumenthal said the National Health Information Network, designed to allow providers to share information for the efficient care of patients, is in the spotlight as Congress moves forward with health reform legislation. President Barack Obama has pledged $50 billion toward healthcare IT advancement over the next five years, with $20 billion already committed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009(ARRA), passed in February. As “meaningful use” is defined and with the inclusion of information exchange, he said, the HIT Standards Committee will need to accelerate the availability of standards and specifications to bring them into faster and more effective use. Read more…