The HIT Standards Committee is a committee established under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. This act called for the government to spend more money on health information technology and to improve the electronic records kept by health care professionals in the country. The committee established under that act performs functions separate from the act itself.
Do Testing
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act increases the amount of security available to patients today. It protects those patients with new software and standards that limit what doctors and facilities can do with the electronic records they keep. Performing tests on different types of software and potential standards is just one of the functions of the HIT Standards Committee. When an individual identifies a potential new program or piece of software, the group is responsible for doing a pilot test of that program. The group will then recommend whether the health care industry should adopt that software. It also performs tests on new methodologies too.
Implement Changes
Implementing changes in the way a hospital or health care facility operates is harder than some might think. There is a risk that new software will not work with older computers or computers that use an older operating system. Those facilities must also spend money training workers on those changes. The Standards Committee is responsible for helping those facilities implement these new changes. The organization will do its own research and perform tests before deciding how to best implement those new things.
Follow Social Security Act
Enacted in 1935, the Social Security Act is one of the most important acts of legislature in the United States. As a social welfare act, it explains how the government will support those in need. Though the act changed significantly over the years, it did create a program that pays those who cannot work because of physical injuries or disabilities. It also allows retired American workers to draw Social Security benefits later in life. One of the more important functions of the HIT Standards Committee is that it must ensure that any changes made to health care record keeping will follow all parts of the Social Security Act.
Create a Schedule
This organization is also responsible for creating a schedule that any associated groups or organizations must follow. Creating a schedule goes along with the implementations done by the committee. The schedule will often show what changes will go in to effect and how quickly those changes will go in to effect. It might include specific dates by which facilities must change to a newer operating system or distinct steps that they must take in the coming weeks or months.
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Make Recommendations
The HIT Standards Committee also makes a number of recommendations in regards to policy changes, new software, electronic record maintenance and other issues. It may make recommendations about the security measures that professional institutions should follow to keep patient records safe, or it might make recommendations on which apps doctors and nurses should use in the field. Before making a recommendation, the committee will do its own research, run tests that determine which products or ideas work the best and then put all their research in a paper or document that the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology will read.
As hospitals and other medical facilities switch from traditional paper records to electronic records, there is a high need for professionals who can determine the standards and regulations associated with those records. The HIT Standards Committee is a committee that is responsible for testing and determining new standards for government approval.
