NTREC witnesses historic signing in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.K. Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt signed a bi-lateral agreement this morning for the use and sharing of health IT information and tools.
Kathleen Sebelius and Jeremy Hunt signed the bi-lateral agreement this morning.
The historic agreement between the U.S. and U.K. strengthens efforts to increase the use of health IT tools and information designed to help improve the quality and efficiency of the delivery of health care in both countries. The two Secretaries of Health signed the agreement at the Annual Meeting of the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.
North Texas Regional Extension Center (NTREC) representatives were present including Richard Howe, PhD, director, and Harmona Epps, grants compliance administrator.
Richard Howe (middle) and Harmona Epps (right) at this morning’s signing.
“I was honored to be present for this historic occasion,” said Howe. “This agreement signals a formal commitment by both countries to collaborate to advance the applications of data and technology to improve health.”
Originally identified at the June 5, 2013, bilateral summit meeting between the U.S. and U.K., the collaboration focuses on four key areas for health IT and innovation including sharing quality indicators, liberating data, adopting digital health records systems and priming the health IT market. Howe and Epps will be present throughout the two-day event.
NTREC was established as a program by the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council Foundation in 2010. The primary purpose of NTREC is to promote the adoption and meaningful use of Electronic Health Records in the practices of primary care providers. NTREC covers a 42-county area centered on the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. For more information, please go to www.ntrec.org.