The U.S. and European Commission will promote common standards that will enable electronic health records to exchange information, to foster safety and quality of care across their boundaries and to spur health IT market growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services secretary, and Neelie Kroes, vice president of the European Commission and European Digital Agenda commissioner, signed an agreement in Washington to advance a common approach not only on the interoperability of EHRs but also on education programs and competencies for health IT professionals.
Both sides understand that a skilled health IT workforce is necessary to make the benefits of health IT available to providers and patients.
The agreement on "Cooperation Surrounding Health Related Information and Communication Technologies" aims to boost the potential of the health IT market for European companies wishing to do business in the U.S. and vice versa, Kroes said Dec. 17.
Under the agreement, HHS and the European Commission will exchange information about their health IT activities, as well as establish joint working groups to identify steps to accomplish shared goals and organize collaborative scientific conferences and workshops.
Promoting the use of health IT to improve the quality of healthcare, reduce medical costs and foster independent living, including in remote locations, are among the objectives of the Digital Agenda for Europe. And although the adoption of EHRs is four times higher in Europe than in the U.S., HHS plans to spend about $20 billion over the next several years to encourage physicians and hospitals to deploy certified electronic health records.
