Health information technology (health IT), which includes electronic health records
(EHRs) and health information exchange (HIE), has increasingly been recognized by
public and private sector leaders as a key tool to support health reform across the
nation. The benefits of health IT will impact practitioners, patients, and the population
as a whole. Real-time clinical information helps practitioners make the best health care
decisions, provides patients with continuity of care regardless of the provider the patient
visits, and enhances population health through use and analysis of the data collected
and maintained throughout the system