Industry Resources
AAFP
American Academy of Family Physicians
"This organization preserves and promotes the science and art of family medicine and ensures high-quality, cost-effective health care for patients of all ages."
AHIMA
American Health Information Management Association
"The American Health Information Management Association is the community of professionals engaged in health information management, providing support to members and strengthening the industry and profession. AHIMA supports the common goal of applying modern technology to and advancing best practices in health information management."
AHRQ
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
"This Agency’s mission is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of healthcare for all Americans."
AMA
American Medical Association
"The AMA’s mission is to maintain high standards of medical education, provide scientific information to medical professionals and health-related information to the public, and develop programs to advance the practice of medicine and to serve the health needs of the public."
AMIA
American Medical Informatics Association
"The American Medical Informatics Association is a nonprofit membership organization of individuals, institutions, and corporations dedicated to developing and using information technologies to improve health care."
ANSI
American National Standards Institute
"ANSI is a voluntary organization composed of over 1,300 members (including all the large computer companies) that creates standards for the computer industry. In addition to programming languages, ANSI sets standards for a wide range of technical areas, from electrical specifications to communications protocols."
BPHC
Bureau of Primary Health Care
A department within HRSA
CAP
College of American Pathologists
"The College of American Pathologists, the principal organization of board-certified pathologists, serves and represents the interest of patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine. "
CHIME
College of Healthcare Information Management Executives
Their mission is to serve the professional needs of healthcare Chief Information Officers; and to advance the strategic application of information technology in innovative ways aimed at improving the effectiveness of healthcare delivery.
http://www.cio-chime.org/index.asp
CMS
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
"CMS administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with the States to administer Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and health insurance portability standards."
DHHS
Department of Health and Human Services
"This is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves."
DOQ-IT
"DOQ-IT is a two-year Special Study demonstration that is designed to improve quality of care, patient safety ... by promoting the adoption of Electronic Medical Records (EMR)/Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Information Technology (IT) in primary care physician offices." Note that successful physician participants will receive additional Medicare funding.
eHI
eHealth Initiative
"The eHealth Initiative and the Foundation for eHealth Initiative are independent, non-profit affiliated organizations whose missions are the same: to drive improvement in the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology. "
http://www.ehealthinitiative.org
Electonic Medical Record Blog
EMR Medical Software Information and Resources
"EMR (electronic medical records) and other medical software information and resources that help physicians save time, save money and improve quality of care."
http://www.electronic-medical-record.blogspot.com/
FDA
Food and Drug Administration
"The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation."
HCFA
Health Care Financing Administration
It has recently been renamed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
HIMSS
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
"HIMSS is the largest membership organization representing healthcare information systems users, vendors and consultants."
HIPAA
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (of 1996)
"This requires the Department of Health and Human Services to establish national standards for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, health plans, and employers. It also addresses the security and privacy of health data."
HRSA
Health Resources & Services Administration
"A component of the PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE that provides leadership related to the delivery of health services and the requirements for and distribution of health resources, including manpower training."
Health Technology Review
"Health Technology Review provides Electronic Medical Records Software Reviews & Medical Billing Software Reviews."
http://www.healthtechnologyreview.com/
IOM
Institute of Medicine
"This is a nonprofit organization for science-based advice on matters of biomedical science, medicine, and health. The Institute provides a vital service by working outside the framework of government to ensure scientifically informed analysis and independent guidance."
ISO
International Standards Organization
"ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer of standards. ISO has defined a number of important computer standards, the most significant of which is perhaps OSI (Open Systems Interconnection), a standardized architecture for designing networks. ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 148 countries, on the basis of one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system. "
JCAHO
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations
"An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Since 1951, the Joint Commission has maintained state-of-the-art standards that focus on improving the quality and safety of care provided by health care organizations."
MRI
Medical Records Institute
"The Medical Records Institute's (MRI) mission is to promote and enhance the journey towards electronic health records, e-health, mobile health, and related applications of information technologies (IT)."
NAHIT
National Alliance for Health Information Technology
"The Alliance is the healthcare leadership catalyst driven to change healthcare through technology and achieve measurable improvements in patient safety, quality and efficiency. The Alliance has a unique relationship with government: guiding, informing and educating these leaders, as peers, on this unified healthcare technology system."
NCDCP
National Council on Prescription Drug Programs
"NCPDP creates and promotes standards for the transfer of data to and from the pharmacy services sector of the healthcare industry. NCPDP also offers its members resources, including educational opportunities and database services, to better manage their businesses."
NCHS
National Center for Health Statistics
"They are the Nation’s principal health statistics agency, They compile statistical information to guide actions and policies to improve the health of people."
NCQA
National Committee for Quality Assurance
"They are a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. The organization is frequently referred to as a watchdog for the managed care industry, but NCQA also recognizes individual doctors and medical groups."
NCVHS
National Committee on Vital Health Statistics
"This committee was established by Congress to serve as an advisory body to the Department of Health and Human Services on health data, statistics and national health information policy."
NHII
National Health Information Infrastructure
"This is composed of the set of technologies, standards, applications, systems, values, and laws that support all facets of individual health, health care, and public health."
http://aspe.hhs.gov/sp/nhii/index.html
NIH
National Institutes of Health
NIH is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation. Its mission is science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.
NIST
National Institute of Standards and Technology
"The National Institute of Standards and Technology develops technologies, measurement methods and standards that help U.S. companies compete in the global marketplace"
NLM
National Library of Medicine
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care.
RSNA
Radiological Society of North America
This is the largest association of Radiologists in North America
SNOMED
Systematized Nomenclature of Human Medicine
"SNOMED International advances excellence in patient care through the delivery of a dynamic and sustainable, scientifically validated terminology and infrastructure that enables clinicians, researchers and patients to share health care knowledge worldwide, across clinical specialties and sites of care."
SNOMED CT
Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine--Clinical Terms
"The SNOMED CT Core terminology provides a common language that enables a consistent way of capturing, sharing and aggregating health data across specialties and sites of care."
TEPR
Towards an Electronic Patient Record
"This is the annual conference on EHR’s, e-health and clinical IT issues. This conference is sponsored by the MRI – Medical Records Insititute."
