Health Information Technology

Health Information Technology (HIT) is the use of computers and computer programs, such as an electronic health record (EHR) to store, retrieve and securely transfer patient information electronically within health care settings. HIT use in clinics includes three phases: 1) adopting an EHR system; 2) using its various features to gather and manage patient information, and; 3) exchanging information among doctor's offices.

• Information about you and the care you need is recorded in an EHR instead of a paper medical record.
• Your doctor uses the EHR to order lab tests, track your health problems and improve your care.
• Your information is sent and received in a secure manner among the doctors involved in your care.

The table and checkmarks below will tell you how successful Minnesota doctors and other health care providers are in advancing the use of HIT in their practice. Each checkmark represents a milestone. A high number of green checkmarks shows more advanced HIT use which signifies high quality care. View Milestones for HIT Use

Close (X) Milestones for Advancement of HIT Use in Provider Practices

Adopt	Utilize	Exchange
Planning on adopting an EHR	Use the EHR for lab and test results	Do electronic prescribing OR safely send data to hospitals in the provider's network
Started installation of an EHR	And also use the EHR to track patients' health problems and track doctor orders	Do electronic prescribing AND send data to hospitals in the doctor's network
Fully installed EHR	And also use the EHR to create benchmarks and remind patients when they are due preventative care	And can also safely send data from the EHR to hospitals outside the doctor's network

Close (X)2010 Statewide Advancement of HIT Use in Doctor's Practices

Advancement of HIT use in doctor's offices across Minnesota is summarized above. These numbers represent the percentage of doctor's offices across the state who have achieved milestones in each of the three phases of HIT use. For example, the first means that 98% of doctor's offices in Minnesota are planning on adopting an EHR. Responses for individual clinics are displayed using a slightly different model.