Arien Malec is coordinator of NHIN Direct, a new open-source effort sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve health care through the secure exchange of patient data. Malec, a speaker in the health track at next month’s OSCON conference, has led a uniquely open, community-based project to define standards for NHIN Direct.
In this 27-minute audio interview, Malec talks about:
- Why privacy concerns make communication standards in health care more difficult than e-commerce.
- The difficulties doctors face when trying to send data needed to treat patients.
- The learning process HHS went through in deciding NHIN Direct was needed, as well as the steps it took to develop standards in the Internet’s “rough consensus and running code” fashion.
- The kinds of applications and services that should be facilitated by NHIN Direct.
Arien Malec will discuss the collaboration and framework that made NHIH Direct possible at the OSCON convention (running July 19-23 in Portland, Ore.). Learn more about OSCON’s new health track.