It was reported on Jan. 26 that the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel, better known as HITSP, will close shop when its contract expires Jan. 31, but John Halamka, MD, said a contract extension will keep HITSP operational until ONC awards work for the next evolution of standards development.
Halamka didn't say how long the extension was. He mentioned continued participation in HIMSS, which I assume to mean participation at HIMSS10, so that takes us to the end of the first week in March. "Hiatus," as he called it, is an interesting word to describe this extension. In addition to business as usual, the panel may be figuring out its next move, either as an intact group that pursues the next round of funding or splinter groups of members who wish to continue harmonization of standards. One hopes that Halamka still plays a significant role.
Whatever the future of HITSP, I'd like to say that the industry should give the panel members a standing ovation. Defining healthcare information standards that enable and support interoperability among health IT applications is a monumental task. You know you've done your job when your work has been incorporated into the Interim Final Rule, which will guide the industry toward meaningful use of health IT. In crafting the meaningful use criteria, Blumenthal's office had a lot of good material from which to work.
That's quite a legacy. But the work, as we all know, is far from done. When we have a healthcare system that across the board achieves meaningful use through health IT, then we know President Bush's vision, shared by President Obama, has been realized. It might take another decade, but whatever speed we've gained in the process the work done by HITSP has certainly played a hand.
