ASCP unveils health IT/EMR policy
The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) has unveiled its policy on health IT/informatics and electronic medical health records.  
 
According to the policy, ASCP supports the implementation of standardized health IT within the nation’s healthcare system to improve patient care and public health. Pathology informatics will be central to these improvements in healthcare, the organization said.
 
This is because, according to ASCP, pathology informatics help insure that healthcare services are delivered in the fastest, most accurate way possible. The laboratory should be a leader in healthcare informatics because the medical information labs provide is the heart of a patient’s medical record.  Many decisions about treatment stem from diagnostic tests performed in the laboratory, ASCP said.
 
“All indicators point to implementation of health information technology being a catalyst to improved patient care and cost savings,” said John S.J. Brooks, MD, FASCP. “The annual savings from efficiency alone could be $77 billion or better.” 
 
To ensure the implementation of a health information technology infrastructure geared toward quality care and patient safety, ASCP recommends the establishment of strong measures to protect the privacy of electronic health records.  

To view the ASCP policy statement visit: www.ascp.org/Advocacy/publicPolicy_statement.aspx
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