Progress report on working towards some IT standards with healthcare data...making sure the 2 major committees are on the same track..at least 3 years away according to the report...BD

NEW YORK - The head of the panel charged with setting technology standards to ensure interoperability among healthcare information technology systems across the country said the process of defining and creating those standards is about to accelerate.

"We're getting ready to really scale up in the future," said John Halamka, chairman of the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel, or HITSP.He said the key to achieving the one-standard goal is to make sure the work of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology aligns with HITSP efforts. CCHIT and HITSP already have a joint working group and a three-year plan for a gradual rollout of new standards, he said.

Standards work to gather speed as it builds on previous achievements