Summary of the main results of a first year of work since the publication of the EU eHealth Action Plan (2004) to achive "an integrated, interoperable European approach to eHealth systems"

"eHealth forms an important part of the European Union’s i2010 initiative. It focuses on the three key areas of the development of a European health information space, innovation in all eHealth initiatives, and enabling greater access, involvement and inclusion of Europe’s citizens and other stakeholders in healthcare provision through electronic means. It has also been a key component of the previous two eEurope action plans, and has involved action in several policy areas, including public health, work in a number of Member States on promoting mobility of patients, and assessment of the impact of ageing on healthcare systems."

"Overall, the new i2010: European Information Society initiative will stimulate the take-up of information and communication technologies, to continue the eEurope agenda. The new initiative promotes a clear, stable and competitive environment for electronic communications and digital services - a European information space; increased research and innovation in information and communication technologies; and an Information Society dedicated to inclusion and quality of life. It goes without saying that eHealth is an important part of the new strategy which will continue to foster the growth of our competitive, knowledge-based economy.Hence, it will support European citizens through creation of a safe, reliable, efficient and accessible eHealth infrastructure which not only meets the demands of national health strategies, but also develops a European-wide preparedness to address transborder health challenges and crises."

Short HHS progress report to date on its HIT implementation programme, initiated in 2004, centred on the development of a Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) on which "most Americans [will] have access to an interoperable electronic health record by 2014". The report also summarises plans for 2007.

2006 is listed as having been the programme's "major accomplishments" year. These accomplishements included:

• Release by the American Health Information Community (AHIC) of its initial recommendations on consumer empowerment, chronic care, electronic health records and biosurveillance;
• Release by AHIC of three sets of receommended interoperability standards;
• Certification (by the Certification Commission for Health IT) of 37 ambulatory EHR products;
• Publication of new HHS regulations designed to allow hospitals and other providers to donate "health IT and training services" to healthcare providers in order to help accelerate IT adoption.

From the preface to the report:

"Medical informatics deals with all aspects of understanding and promoting the effective organization, analysis, management, and use of information in health care. For over 30 years, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has supported research on informatics. Computer systems and applications, many of which are still being used today, were developed and tested through AHRQ-funded research. AHRQ has funded numerous studies on medical informatics, detailed elsewhere. This report describes only a select few of the computer systems that are relevant to the problems clinicians face, such as improving the quality of patient care and patient safety, preventing medical errors, reducing costs, helping patients manage their conditions, and minimizing the impact of a new enemy—bioterrorism. "