To evaluate the effectiveness of electronic health records (EHRs) and the progress of the exchange of clinical health information on a region-wide basis, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT has awarded two new contracts.
Surescripts LLC, the electronic prescribing network, received a $1.4 million contract to measure clinical transactions--including e-prescribing and laboratory results (that occur through EHRs), according to an announcement in Federal Business Opportunities.
The contract also calls for the Arlington, Va.-based company to analyze data and provide detailed reports and charts on the number of healthcare providers involved in health data exchanges. It will be responsible for providing breakdowns by provider type and identifying characteristics, such as clinical degrees, size of practice, payer mix, and pharmacy ownership (independent or national chain).
The ONC also awarded SK & A Information Services Inc., a healthcare research company in Irvine, Calif., a $2.5 million contract to survey providers on the acquisition, deployment, and adoption of EHRs. The company also will provide ONC with reports on the number and types of providers participating by medical specialty and on their level of EHR adoption.
For each quarter, the vendors are to describe and break down their data by geography, including state, metropolitan area, county, and zip code. They also will identify areas where estimates of exchange could not be made, according to Government Health IT.
The vendors will report their data through December 2014.
To learn more:
- read this Government Health IT article
- read the Federal Business Opportunities listings here and here