HHS recognizes healthcare IT specs

The Health and Human Services Department has formally recognized three new interoperability specifications related to electronic health records, personal health records, and electronic quality monitoring. Formal recognition is part of a two-step process in which specifications are first accepted by the HHS secretary and then recognized a year later. The recognition process "is critical to advancing both federal and private sector use of health IT standards," according to HHS representatives. The official recognition was noted Jan. 21 in the Federal Register.