National Association of Health Data Organizations (NAHDO): NAHDO provides a number of resources and tools on their website which are particularly useful for those who work with healthcare data. Originally created in 1986 by the Washington Business Group on Health (WBGH) and the Intergovernmental Health Policy Project (IHPP), NAHDO became a private, not-for-profit, national, educational and charitable membership organization in April 1988.

Government Agencies and Resources:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: An agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, this website provides a number of links that can assist with healthcare information technology and with collecting, managing, and reporting data.

Centers for Disease Control: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, especially for those people who are least able to help themselves. CDC is at the forefront of public health efforts to prevent and control infectious and chronic diseases, injuries, workplace hazards, disabilities, and environmental health threats.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): HRSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.

National Library of Medicine: The National Library of Medicine is the world’s largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care. Search engines for healthcare providers and for patients and families can be found at this link. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

HIPAA/Medical Records Confidentiality:

Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA.org). This includes the entire text of the law, resources, and other links, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid HIPAA website. http://www.hipaa.org/

American Hospital Association: One of the useful links on the AHA site includes information, including current news, about HIPAA privacy/security standards and practical information about what HIPAA means for healthcare providers. This link is: http://www.hospitalconnect.com/aha/key_issues/hipaa/links/links.html

AMIA: The AMIA website provides links to other sites for a description of various organizational stands on medical records confidentiality issues. http://www.amia.org/informatics/public_policy/medicalrecordssites.asp

Rural Healthcare Resources:

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). HRSA has an Office of Rural Health Policy that is devoted to specifically addressing issues related to rural health care. HRSA trains healthcare providers to work in rural areas, works to address health workforce shortages, and also provides grants for specific rural healthcare projects.

Rural Health Quality Network (RHQN): Created in 2002, the Rural Healthcare Quality Network (RHQN) consists of active rural health providers who are engaged in meaningful improvement in the quality of care delivered to patients in rural Washington. This site includes links to many resources helpful to those working with rural or critical access healthcare data or providing healthcare in rural areas.