SHIRE: Model for Advancing HIT Adoption in Communities of Color NHIT Glossary of Health IT Definitions: This glossary of health information technology related terms was developed to provide NHIT stakeholders with common definitions of basic terms they might encounter in their work on behalf of the Collaborative. We believe these definitions can help NHIT stakeholders share a common dialogue when discussing HIT, particularly as it relates to communities of color and other underserved populations. NHIT Selected Abbreviations and Terms Health Information Technology: Addressing Health Disparity by Improving Quality,Increasing Access, and Developing Workforce - Ricardo Custodio, MD, MPH; Anna M. Gard, MSN, FNP-BC; and Garth Graham, MD, MPH Health Information Technology: A Tool for Health Equity and System Transformation – Ruth Perot, MAT and Russell Davis, DPA, MAPT

Health information technology (HIT) has the potential to improve health and health care delivery for the underserved, with an emphasis on communities of color and those who care for them. The NHIT Collaborative believes that all healthcare and information technology stakeholders can use HIT to access trusted information, tools, and resources needed to make good health decisions and to access safe, high-quality health care.

NHIT, with valuable contributions from our Education and Outreach Workgroup have compiled an online resource of information, resources, research, and lessons learned that will aid in informing and educating consumers, healthcare providers, researchers, developers, and policymakers about the potential value of health IT to improve health and health care management, as well as to support consumer empowerment among underserved populations and communities of color.

These resources employ a variety of communications and educational approaches to assure that they are culturally relevant, reflecting the knowledge of community values and history that make them useful. The educational resources also are geared to the appropriate literacy and health literacy levels of each audience.

Results from a 2009 study supported by the National Center for Health Statistics show that EHR adoption among doctors who treat underserved people of color is typically lower and slower than adoption among other doctors. (Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, May 2009)		SHIRE Website Office of Minority Health NHIT Glossary Office of the National Coordinator for HIT Hispanic Technoogy & Telecommunications Partnership Internet Innovation Alliance HIMSS eHealth Initiative Foundation Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Knowledge Library
		View our Sharepoint Website (members only) Chair Russell J. Davis, DPA, MAPT Co-Chair Andrea Pennington, MD, C.Ac. Liaison Kathy Sakraida