Health IT governance is a relatively "new" concept, the demands for this expertise are vast and the needs are immediate

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Health IT governance is the process of developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure that health information technology (IT) is used effectively and securely. This includes ensuring that health IT meets the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The ACA includes a number of provisions related to health IT, including:

• Meaningful Use: The Meaningful Use program provided financial incentives to healthcare providers and hospitals to adopt and use electronic health records (EHRs) and other health IT systems. The program has been successful in increasing the adoption of health IT, but it has also been criticized for being too complex and burdensome.

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• Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs): ACOs are groups of healthcare providers that work together to coordinate care for their patients. ACOs are required to use health IT to track and measure the quality and cost of care.
• Health Insurance Exchanges: The ACA established health insurance exchanges where individuals and small businesses can shop for and purchase health insurance. Exchanges use health IT to verify eligibility and enroll people in health plans.

Health IT governance can help healthcare organizations to meet the requirements of the ACA in a number of ways. For example, health IT governance can be used to:

• Develop and implement policies and procedures for the use of EHRs and other health IT systems. This can help to ensure that health IT is used in a way that is consistent with the ACA's requirements.
• Monitor and measure the use of health IT. This can help healthcare organizations to identify areas where they need to improve their use of health IT in order to meet the ACA's requirements.
• Ensure that health IT systems are secure and compliant with privacy regulations. This is important because the ACA includes a number of provisions related to the privacy and security of health information.

Here are some specific examples of how health IT governance is being used to ensure that the requirements of the ACA are being met, implemented, monitored, and maintained:

• ACOs are using health IT to track and measure the quality and cost of care. This information is used to improve the quality of care and to reduce costs. For example, ACOs may use health IT to track the number of patients who are hospitalized for preventable conditions. ACOs may also use health IT to identify patients who are at high risk for complications and to provide them with preventive care.
• Health insurance exchanges are using health IT to verify eligibility and enroll people in health plans. This information is used to ensure that people have access to the health insurance they need. For example, health insurance exchanges may use health IT to verify that people meet the income requirements for eligibility. Health insurance exchanges may also use health IT to enroll people in health plans automatically, based on their eligibility.
• Healthcare organizations are using health IT governance to develop and implement policies and procedures for the use of EHRs and other health IT systems. This is important because EHRs and other health IT systems are used to store and share sensitive patient information. For example, healthcare organizations may have policies and procedures that govern how EHRs are used to access and share patient information.

Health IT governance is an important tool for healthcare organizations to ensure that they are meeting the requirements of the ACA. By developing and implementing sound health IT governance practices, healthcare organizations can improve the quality and efficiency of care, reduce costs, and protect the privacy and security of patient information.