Archives 2009
December 30, 2009 Update
The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) encourage public comment on two regulations issued today that lay a foundation for improving quality, efficiency and safety through meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology. The regulations will help implement the EHR incentive programs enacted under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). A proposed rule issued by CMS outlines proposed provisions governing the EHR incentive programs, including defining the central concept of "meaningful use" of EHR technology. An interim final regulation (IFR) issued by ONC sets initial standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for EHR technology. Both regulations are open to public comment.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/
December 23, 2009 Update
When the public gets its chance to comment on upcoming meaningful use rules, an advisory health IT panel will know if they got the standards piece of the entitlement package right. The Health IT Standards Committee will weigh those comments before producing final recommendations for 2011 meaningful use requirements to the Office for the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), said John Halamka, vice chairman of the committee, at its final meeting for the year. ONC is expected to publish an interim final rule on certification standards for meaningful use by the end of the month. In the meantime, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will separately propose rules defining meaningful use and provider eligibility for incentives under the HITECH Act.
http://govhealthit.com/
December 21, 2009 Update
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has announced a $60 million grant program to support advanced research covering health information technology. Dr. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator, unveiled the Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects (SHARP) in his blog, noting that, "as we continue this unprecedented effort towards meaningful use and seamless, secure information exchange, we also must acknowledge that there remains a gap between the promise of health IT and the realization of its full benefits." Projects awarded grant funds will last for four years. The funding is authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
http://govhealthit.com/
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
December 18, 2009 Update
Meaningful use still remains a mystery after Tuesday's [Dec. 15] Health IT Policy Committee meeting and standards for electronic laboratory orders have been pushed off until next month. David Blumenthal, MD, the national coordinator for health IT, asked the advisory Health IT Policy Committee to defer until January a decision on whether to allow temporary variations in those standards to be used. The policy committee had recommended providers start using in 2011 a single set of national standards for communicating electronically with labs, one of the tenets of the administration’s meaningful use policy to encourage the use of health IT.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
December 16, 2009 Update
David Blumenthal, MD, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, said the recent flurry of activity by his office is just the start of big things to come. "There's more than just random motion going on" with the recent launch of several key programs, he said at a Dec. 15 meeting of the HIT policy committee. "We think the programs we've announced to date relate to one another and will be synergistic." The ONC will soon be announcing 30 recipients for regional extension center program grants, designed to provide nationwide healthcare IT resources and technical assistance to providers. In the past month, the ONC has announced $235 million in funding for "beacon community" health IT grants and $80 million to train an HIT workforce.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
December 10, 2009 Update
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that Medicaid programs in seven states will receive federal matching funds for state planning activities necessary to implement the electronic health record incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Iowa was the first state to receive the matching funds; California, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New York, Texas and the U.S. Virgin Islands are the next seven states and territories to receive the funds.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
December 9, 2009 Update
Nearly $600 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding has been earmarked for community health center construction and renovation projects and to help networks of health centers adopt electronic healthcare records and other health IT systems. President Barack Obama announced Dec. 9 that $88 million of the grant money will be used to help community health centers replace paper records with EHRs and build other healthcare IT systems to improve care and manage clinical support services.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
December 7, 2009 Update
Officials of the Department of Health and Human Services have long intended to issue this month a number of rules to implement major provisions of the HITECH Act within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Publication on Dec. 7 of HHS' semi-annual regulatory agenda shows the anticipated schedule hasn't changed. The agenda also lists the dates for starting Medicare incentive programs as Oct. 1, 2010, for hospitals and Jan. 1, 2011, for physicians. This could be an indication that the start dates for incentives for the meaningful use of electronic health records are not slipping.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
December 4, 2009 Update
HITECH news and funding updates:
- Wisconsin has created a health board responsible for developing a statewide health information exchange plan, one of the requirements states must meet to qualify for health IT funds under ARRA. Gov. Jim Doyle signed an executive order, creating the Wisconsin Relay of Electronic Data (WIRED) Health Board.
- West Virginia Health Information Network last month issued a request for proposals for a statewide HIE. WVHIN seeks several core HIE features, including clinical messaging, referrals and e-prescribing.
- In Florida, the state's Agency for Health Care Administration has received a federal grant to help prevent healthcare-associated infections in ambulatory surgical centers. The grant comes through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and stems from ARRA funding.
December 2, 2009 Update
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. David Blumenthal, HHS' National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, announced today plans to make available $235 million to support an innovative Beacon Community Program. The program will work to accelerate and demonstrate the ability of health information technology to transform local health care systems, and improve the lives of Americans and the performance of the health care providers who serve them. The Beacon Community Program will include $220 million in grants to build and strengthen health IT infrastructure and health information exchange capabilities, including strong privacy and security measures for data exchange, within 15 communities. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Beacon Community Program will take communities at the cutting edge of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange and push them to a new level of health care quality and efficiency.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/
November 30, 2009 Update
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services soon will send a series of documents to state Medicaid agencies to assist them in developing health information technology plans, which include incentive payments to providers for meaningful use of electronic health records. The incentives are authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. CMS will send letters and templates for the State Medicaid HIT Plan, the Planning Advance Planning Document and the Implementation Advance Planning Document to make the documentation process as simple as possible, according to a notice published Nov. 30 in the Federal Register.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
November 25, 2009 Update
In another key step toward developing a robust U.S. health information technology (HIT) infrastructure, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Nov. 23 that Iowa's Medicaid program is the first to receive federal matching funds for planning activities necessary to implement the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). Iowa will receive approximately $1.16 million in federal matching funds.
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/
November 24, 2009 Update
The Department of Health and Human Services will release $80 million in grants to help develop and strengthen the health information technology workforce. The grants consist of $70 million for community college training programs and $10 million to develop educational materials to support the programs, said David Blumenthal, MD, the national coordinator for health information technology, during a Nov. 24 morning press call.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
November 23, 2009 Update
Dr. David Blumenthal, HHS' National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, today announced the launch of Health IT Buzz, a new blog that will allow readers to learn more about health information technology (health IT) and provide a space for consumers, providers, policymakers, and technology experts to share their ideas and concerns regarding health IT. The blog is available at http://healthit.hhs.gov/blog/onc.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/
November 19, 2009 Update
On Nov. 18, the House of Representatives approved a bill (HR 3014) designed to help health care providers purchase electronic health record systems and other health IT tools, the Rutherford Daily News Journal reports. The Small Business Health IT Financing Act would authorize the Small Business Administration to oversee a loan program for health care providers seeking to purchase health IT systems.
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/
November 17, 2009 Update
The first public comment period for the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology's 2011 development cycle is open through Dec. 11. The CCHIT will accept comments on the first draft of criteria for behavioral health electronic health records – both stand-alone and as an optional add-on to comprehensive ambulatory EHR certification – as well as add-on certifications for clinical research and dermatology. After additional rounds of comment and refinement, the new certification options are scheduled to be made available to vendors in July 2010. Comments will only be taken through the commission's Web site.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
November 12, 2009 Update
The stimulus law compels the creation of ways to exchange health information within states and across a nationwide heath information technology infrastructure, according to the nation's health IT coordinator. A key premise of the HITECH Act is that information should follow the patient. "Artificial obstacles – technical, business related, bureaucratic – should not get in the way," said David Blumenthal in a public e-mail message. Blumenthal's office is preparing to award $564 million in grants to states to establish information exchange.
http://govhealthit.com/
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
November 10, 2009 Update
Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), a senior member of the Finance Committee and former Chairman of the Small Business Committee, today [Nov. 10] introduced legislation to help family doctors modernize their patients' records and prescriptions. The Small Business Health Information Technology Financing Act of 2009 would make family doctors and other small medical practices eligible for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans to cover the costs of health information technology to create electronic health records and prescriptions.
http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=319838
November 9, 2009 Update
The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a landmark, $1 trillion health system reform bill during a rare Saturday late-night vote Nov. 7, capping a day of heated debate over issues that had divided the Democratic caucus and threatened chances for final passage. By a vote of 220-215, the House approved the Affordable Health Care for America Act. The measure is projected to cover 96% of Americans through a combination of individual and business mandates, health insurance reforms, and new government coverage subsidies.
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/
November 4, 2009 Update
Healthcare organizations aren't prepared to meet privacy and security standards associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to a new survey. The survey of 196 healthcare information technology and security professionals, conducted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and sponsored by Symantec Corp., a Mountain View, Calif.-based developer of security, storage and systems management solutions, indicated healthcare organizations aren't using available security technologies to keep patient data safe. Reasons given include stretched budgets and lack of a chief security officer (CSO) or chief information security officer (CISO). Approximately 60 percent of respondents said their organization spends 3 percent or less of their organization's IT budget on information security.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
November 2, 2009 Update
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in the final rule for the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, has made several changes in the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative pay-for-performance program and the Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program. CMS will publish the final rule, with a comment period, in the Federal Register on Nov 25. The rule is available now for viewing at federalregister.gov/inspection.aspx#special.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
October 30, 2009 Update
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an interim final rule with request for comments Oct 30 to strengthen its enforcement of the rules promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, modified the HHS Secretary's authority to impose civil money penalties for violations occurring after Feb 18, 2009. These HITECH Act revisions significantly increase the penalty amounts the Secretary may impose for violations of the HIPAA rules and encourage prompt corrective action.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/
October 27, 2009 Update
Legislation reported to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives would authorize $10 billion in federal loan guarantees to aid providers and other health care small businesses in buying health information technology products. These would include electronic health records to meet meaningful use requirements in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Eligible providers under the Small Business Health Information Technology Financing Program include physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants; physical and occupational therapists; speech-language pathologists, audiologists, medical transcriptionists, pharmacists, and suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, and orthotics.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
October 23, 2009 Update
The HIT Policy Advisory Committee's information exchange workgroup learned Oct 20 just how difficult it's going to be for doctors to exchange electronic lab results to qualify for federal "meaningful use" bonuses. Physicians can earn a potential $44,000 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), beginning Oct 1, 2011, but they will have to show meaningful use of data, including the use of electronic laboratory results. According to experts, one of the problems is that state laws regulate the exchange of electronic laboratory results, and standards don't exist to allow this information to flow easily between labs and physician offices. Deven McGraw, co-chairman of the workgroup investigating potential barriers to HIT adoption and lab data exchange, said the committee will be deliberating the issue for weeks and will take public comment through the end of October.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
October 22, 2009 Update
As part of the 2009 series of LSS Data Systems' User Group (LUG) activities, LSS will be conducting a free webinar for customers titled "Achieving 'Meaningful Use' with LSS Data Systems: What You Need to Know to Prepare" on Wednesday, November 4 at 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (CST). LSS customers are encouraged to visit www.lssdata.com/lug for more information and to register for the webinar (your MEDITECH password is required).
October 20, 2009 Update
Surescripts will adopt a new version of a technical standard that's recommended by federal regulators as part of a $19 billion incentive program to encourage greater use of electronic health records. The standard – referred to by industry participants as "NCPDP SCRIPT 10.6" – allows physicians using electronic health record software to electronically access prescription information from pharmacies and health plans while also making use of electronic prescriptions. Assuming the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services adopts the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) SCRIPT 10.6 as a standard under the MMA, pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers and health plans, along with makers of electronic health record software, can on May 1, 2010, begin certifying and deploying their systems to support the Surescripts implementation of the NCPDP SCRIPT 10.6 standard.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
October 18, 2009 Update
The Office of the National Coordinator is weighing proposed requirements for how consumers' preferences about their healthcare and personal health information could be made inseparable from their electronic health record. According to a consumer preferences draft document, for which public comments were due Oct 16, standards built around the requirements would enable patient preferences about the use of their health information to be "interoperable" among those authorized to handle the record. Patients would communicate their preferences in consultation with their physician and through options offered in their electronic health record, according to the document.
http://govhealthit.com/
October 14, 2009 Update
Today during a meeting of the Health IT Standards Committee, National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal said health IT standards development will be a cornerstone of national health care reform. He called for the standards panel to continue promoting health IT standards and specifications as they move closer to defining "meaningful use" of electronic health records. Health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of EHRs will qualify for incentive payments under the federal economic stimulus package. Blumenthal also discussed federal efforts to expand the Nationwide Health Information Network and improve its interoperability.
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
October 13, 2009 Update
The health care reform debate reached a new milestone October 13 as a key congressional committee passed an $829 billion plan projected to extend coverage to an additional 29 million Americans. The Senate Finance Committee's bill would subsidize insurance for poorer Americans, establish nonprofit health care cooperatives, and create health insurance exchanges to make it easier for small groups and individuals to purchase coverage. Among other things, it would cap annual out-of-pocket expenses and prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. The plan is financed by a combination of reductions in spending for Medicare and other government programs, as well as higher taxes on expensive insurance policies and new fees on the health industry. The committee passed its long-awaited plan on October 13 with a 14-9 vote. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, was the lone committee member to cross party lines, breaking with other Republicans to vote for the measure. All the committee's Democrats supported the bill.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/13/senate.health.care/
October 8, 2009 Update
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology said on October 7 that vendors and developers can start applying for its new modular certification programs that focus on meeting meaningful use requirements in the health IT stimulus law. With this approach, vendors can apply for certification for electronic health record system modules, such as e-prescribing or electronic patient registries. The certification program, called Preliminary ARRA 2011, is limited to the standards CCHIT expects will be set for qualifying electronic health records (EHR) systems for meaningful use as spelled out in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the commission said in a release.
http://www.govhealthit.com/
October 6, 2009 Update
A Health and Human Services Department advisory panel is wrestling with the underlying differences between how primary care providers and specialists such as oncologists and cancer treatment centers might use health IT most productively. The Health IT Policy Committee will take up the discussion on the meaningful use of health IT by specialists when it meets later this month. The panel is working on what should be required of providers to show meaningful use of health IT to be eligible for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments.
http://govhealthit.com/
October 5, 2009 Update
LSS Data Systems joined approximately 75 public and private sector organizations in Washington, D.C. at the Fourth Annual National Health IT Week (September 21-25), to participate in a range of events intended to inform the nation's policymakers about the importance of fostering widespread health IT adoption to improve patient safety and healthcare quality.
http://www.lssdata.com/news/
October 2, 2009 Update
In an open letter e-mailed Thursday, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology David Blumenthal discusses what the government means when it refers to the "meaningful use of electronic health records." The term "meaningful use" has been the subject of much discussion since the federal government tied it into eligibility for incentive payments aimed at promoting the uptake of healthcare information technology. The federal Health IT Policy Committee has provided recommendations to the Office of the National Coordinator regarding what makes up meaningful use. But the formal definition will come from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is slated to publish a definition by Dec. 31.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
September 30, 2009 Update
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has awarded grants totaling $27.8 million to health center-controlled networks and large multi-site health centers to implement electronic health records and other health information technology. The funds are part of the $2 billion allotted to HHS Health Resources and Services Administration under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to expand healthcare services to low-income and uninsured individuals through its health center program.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
September 22, 2009 Update
Health IT advocates on Capitol Hill Tuesday pledged to keep pushing for IT measures in healthcare reform and other pending legislation, despite the commitment already included in the economic stimulus package. At a briefing, lawmakers said that even with health IT provisions in the stimulus and reform bills, they want to be sure that funding continues to be available.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
September 16, 2009 Update
The Health IT Standards Committee Tuesday endorsed a set of security and privacy standards for electronic health record systems that it said would get progressively tougher without holding back wider health information sharing. The committee's security and privacy workgroup clarified requirements that electronic health record systems must meet so both vendors and healthcare providers could use a number of access controls in their electronic health record systems and practices by 2011.
http://govhealthit.com/
Link to additional meeting details: http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/
September 9, 2009 Update
As part of the ARRA, ONC is required to publicize the HIT Standards Committee recommendations in the Federal Register and also provide for public input. Below is information on the public input process.
HIT Standards Committee Recommendations: During the August 20, 2009 meeting, the Committees recommendations focused on the following areas: Clinical Quality, Clinical Operations and Privacy and Security. All recommendations may be found at http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/.
I. Clinical Quality: The Clinical Quality recommendations pertain to the appropriate standardized performance measures that correspond to the HIT Policy Committees 2011 Meaningful Use Measures. The recommendations include 30 quality performance measures and the data types required for each, of which National Quality Forum (NQF)-endorsed measures can either be retooled for use in an Electronic Health Record (EHR) or will require attestation for the foreseeable future.
2011 Measure Recommendations Clinical Quality Workgroup 08202009.pdf
II. Clinical Operations: The Clinical Operations recommendations focus on standards for 2011 Meaningful Use, including quality data reporting, messaging formats, and all the vocabularies necessary for semantic interoperability.
Ferguson Clinical Operations WG Recommendations Revised Summary.pdf
III. Privacy and Security: The Privacy and Security recommendations focus on authentication, authorization, auditing and secure data transmission standards as well as Meaningful Use measures related to HIPAA compliance.
Privacy and Security Standards Applicable to ARRA Requirements.pdf
Individuals wishing to make comments on the Committees August 20, 2009, recommendations may present oral comments at the Committees next meeting on September 15, 2009, from approximately 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m./Eastern Time, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008. Comments will be limited to two (2) minutes per person. A separate notice announcing this meeting has been published in the Federal Register and provides additional information.
September 8, 2009 Update
The Certification Commission for healthcare information technology has announced that it will launch new certification programs on Oct 7. CCHIT officials announced Tuesday they will offer an updated comprehensive electronic health record certification program, called CCHIT Certified 2011, as well as a modular certification program - called Preliminary ARRA 2011 - that is limited to the standards for qualifying EHR technology under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). "There is a high risk that providers would not achieve meaningful use to qualify for the ARRA incentives in 2011 and 2012 if they wait until late 2010 to implement certified EHR systems and technologies," said Mark Leavitt, MD, chairman of the commission.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
September 3, 2009 Update
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is now releasing healthcare IT funding from the stimulus package to state Medicaid programs. According to a CMS letter mailed Sept 2 to state Medicaid directors, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act enables the government to pay a 100 percent federal financial participation (FFP) match to states that help Medicaid providers adopt, implement or upgrade certified electronic health record technology to demonstrate meaningful use. It will also pay a 90 percent FFP match to cover a state's administrative costs for running an HIT Medicaid incentive program.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
August 30, 2009 Update
On Aug. 27, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT hosted a Web briefing on its plans to distribute nearly $600 million in grants intended to help build a national network of health IT training centers. Farzad Mostashari, ONC senior adviser, laid out the parameters of the grant program, designed to lend providers technical assistance on using health IT to not only make their businesses more efficient but improve healthcare quality nationwide. Mostashari identified the target of the federally subsidized services, called for in the HITECH health IT stimulus legislation: Small primary care providers and group practices with 10 or fewer physicians. Mostashari also said the government will award grants of $8.5 million to $9 million to help not-for-profit organizations establish 70 regional health IT extension centers nationwide. In addition, the National Health IT Research Center will receive $50 million to serve as a resource to the regional centers. ONC said it hopes each extension center will train about 1,500 primary care providers on electronic health record adoption, with the goal of helping 100,000 primary care providers demonstrate "meaningful use" of health IT.
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/
August 26, 2009 Update
The Certification Commission for Health IT (CCHIT) said yesterday it would move ahead with its plans to offer "more limited, modular" certification of electronic health records so providers could get a jump start on health IT purchases under the economic stimulus plan. CCHIT said it would hold a "Town Call" Web conference Sept. 3 to go over its "new paths to certification," which involve offering preliminary certification for individual EHR components, such as electronic prescribing or computerized physician order entry software that meet the "meaningful use" conditions of the stimulus law.
http://www.govhealthit.com/
August 21, 2009 Updates
The federal government is accepting applications for $1.2 billion in grants for programs to help support the use and exchange of electronic health records. The grants were mandated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Some $598 million in grants will support creating about 70 Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers. These centers will help hospitals and physicians select, acquire and use electronic health records systems. Another $564 million in grants will go to states as well as state-designated entities to support creation of health information exchanges for the sharing of clinical information.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
The HIT Standards Committee recently approved recommendations for how providers can electronically record observations by doctors for qualification of bonus money under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, reports Healthcare IT News. Next year, providers will have to use either ICD-9 or Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine--Clinical Terms (or SNOMED CT) for qualification, and in 2013 they'll have to use ICD-10 and SNOMED CT, and two years after that, just SNOMED CT. Furthermore, 30 performance measures that were initially given the OK in late July by the HIT Standards Committee's Clinical Quality Workgroup were endorsed by the committee itself. The measures will go into effect in 2011, and continue to become more intricate into 2015, when CMS will be paying out bonuses.
http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
August 20, 2009 Update
New regulations requiring health care providers, health plans, and other entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to notify individuals when their health information is breached were issued August 19th by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These "breach notification" regulations implement provisions of the HITECH Act, passed as part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The regulations, developed by the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), require health care providers and other HIPAA covered entities to promptly notify affected individuals of a breach, as well as the HHS Secretary and the media in cases where a breach affects more than 500 individuals.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/
August 17, 2009 Update
The federal Health IT Policy Committee on August 14 endorsed recommendations that would leave the Certification Commission for Health IT (CCHIT) in the short term as the sole organization authorized to certify health IT systems that qualified for funding under the economic stimulus plan. Certification of electronic health record systems that met federal criteria for meaningful use of health IT could start as early as October, members of the Department of Health and Human Services Health IT Policy Committee said at the August 14th meeting.
http://www.govhealthit.com/
August 16, 2009 Update
One of the issues that federal officials must tackle as they write a rule defining meaningful use of electronic health records is to figure out how to know that a provider organization has achieved meaningful use. The only thing certain now is that in the proposed rule covering meaningful use that is expected in December, CMS won't propose any compliance process that its computer systems can't accept, says Tony Trenkle, director of CMS' office of e-health standards and services. Trenkle spoke during the Aug 14 meeting of the HIT Policy Committee, a federal advisory body. Asked about the ability of CMS' systems to accept meaningful use data, Trenkle replied, "Whether we can do it in 2011 or later will be discussed in our proposed rule in December."
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
August 12, 2009 Updates
HHS Deputy Secretary Bill Corr today announced the release of $13.4 million for loan repayments to nurses who agree to practice in facilities with critical shortages and for schools of nursing to provide loans to students who will become nurse faculty. The funds were made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed Feb. 17, 2009, by President Obama.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality plans to make available in the fall details of grant opportunities worth $48 million for developing national patient registries for researching the long-term effects of treatment strategies and collecting data on under-represented populations. Beside the patient registries, AHRQ plans grants and contracts amounting to $300 million in total for comparative effectiveness projects funded by the economic stimulus.
http://govhealthit.com/
August 10, 2009 Update
As part of a federal effort to dispel myths about health reform, David Blumenthal, the nation's coordinator for health information technology, said HIT can reduce medical errors and improve the quality of healthcare. At a Friday Webcast hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services, Blumenthal was part of a panel of federal experts gathered to promote the Obama administration's proposal for health reform. Also on Friday, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a series of reports on how health reform will impact each state.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
http://www.healthreform.gov/healthcarestatus.html
August 4, 2009 Update
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius yesterday unveiled a new feature on Grants.gov to help users find and apply for The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant opportunities. Grants.gov contains information about finding and applying for all federal grant programs. The launch of this Recovery Act feature on the homepage of Grants.gov will direct users to Recovery Act opportunities, other Recovery Act resources, upcoming Webinars and links to www.whitehouse.gov/recovery and www.recovery.gov.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/
August 3, 2009 Update
The Obama administration's national health information technology coordinator has approved recommended definitions for what constitutes "meaningful use" of electronic health records, about a month after asking a key working group to revise its initial recommendations. The green light from David Blumenthal, MD, means that the recommendations now will be sent to the Dept. of Health and Human Services, which by the end of the year must issue a rule with final definitions. Meaningful use is a key term that ultimately will determine which physicians and hospitals are eligible for billions in federal EHR money made available through the economic stimulus package approved earlier this year.
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/
July 31, 2009 Update
Legislation pending in the U.S. House that would provide loan guarantees to help physicians purchase electronic health records systems "would be a superb adjunct to the provisions contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," a family practitioner recently testified before Congress. Text of H.R. 3014 is available at congress.gov.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/
July 28, 2009 Update
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the availability of $200 million to support grants, loans, loan repayment, and scholarships to expand the training of health care professionals. The funds are expected to train approximately 8,000 students and credentialed health professionals by the end of fiscal year 2010. Today's funds are part of the $500 million allotted to HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to address workforce shortages under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/
July 23, 2009 Update
A group charged with identifying health IT standards to advance goals of the economic stimulus approved July 21 measures that healthcare providers must put in place in 2011, as well as a roadmap for future work. The HIT Standards Committee recommended quality measures and standards that are ready and deployable to support the criteria for meaningful use, said Jonathan Perlin, chief medical officer and president of clinical services at HCA, and chair of the HIT Standards Committee. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, providers will be eligible for increased Medicare and Medicaid payments if they can show they are meaningful users of certified health IT.
http://govhealthit.com/
Link to additional meeting details: http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/
July 16, 2009 Update
The federal HIT Policy Committee has approved revised recommendations of a workgroup for an initial definition of "meaningful use" of electronic health records systems. Among the changes made in the recommendations are refinements in computerized physician order entry criteria and a shorter timeline for implementing personal health records.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
July 6, 2009 Update
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released to Congress an operating plan for implementing provisions of the HITECH Act within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. "This operating plan outlines immediate actions to meet statutory requirements and to begin the huge task ahead," according to the eight-page document. "Over the next several weeks, ONC will hold hearings and meetings to develop and vet plans and procedures."
For details of the operating plan click here.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/
June 29, 2009 Update
A fact sheet recently posted on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Web site explains steps that federal officials will take over the next year to implement the health information technology provisions of the federal stimulus package. The fact sheet summarizes the Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs for meaningful use of electronic health records and gives timelines for implementation activities.
For the complete fact sheet, click here.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
June 24, 2009 Update
The Department of Health and Human Services Health Information Technology (HIT) Standards Committee took aim at a moving target yesterday as it began to discuss how to apply specifications and certification criteria to the definition of "meaningful use" of health information technology. "The definition of meaningful use will be evolving in the next 60 days," noted John Halamka, the chief information officer of Harvard Medical School and co-chairman of the standards committee, at yesterday's meeting in Washington. "This will require the standards committee to coordinate their work with a set of evolving criteria."
http://govhealthit.com/
HIT Standards Committee Meeting Materials
June 16, 2009 Update
The meaningful use workgroup of the HIT Policy Committee has released its initial recommendations for a definition of "meaningful use" of electronic health records. The definition is important because under the economic stimulus law, providers must "meaningfully use" EHRs to receive financial incentives from Medicare and Medicaid. These initial recommendations do not include a formal definition of meaningful use. But they are the initial recommendation of the functionalities that will be required by 2011 when incentives start.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
http://healthit.hhs.gov/
Meaningful Use Matrix Released by HHS
June 9, 2009 Update
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the availability of nearly $200 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to support student loan repayments for primary care medical, dental and mental health clinicians who want to work at National Health Service Corps (NHSC) sites. In exchange for the loan repayments, clinicians serve for two years with the Corps. "The Recovery Act has laid the foundation for health reform and is supporting our effort to give more people access to the quality, affordable care they need," Secretary Sebelius said.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/
June 1, 2009 Update
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology has published online the "Concise Guide to CCHIT Criteria" covering the 2009-10 testing criteria for certification of inpatient and outpatient electronic health-record systems, plus child health and cardiovascular medicine add-ons for ambulatory EHRs. The guide and the criteria are at the CCHIT Web site. According to a commission news release, the guide highlights the changes in the new criteria specified in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
http://cchit.org/about/news/
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/
May 29, 2009 Update
HHS expects to spend on average $1 million to $2 million each on two-year grants to fund electronic health-record system implementation assistance and other activities for an unspecified number of health information technology regional extension centers to be launched under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to a draft description of the program published in the Federal Register.
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/
May 26, 2009 Update
LSS and MEDITECH customer Citizens Memorial, was recently featured in a Forbes.com article on E-Health Care. Citizens' CIO discusses her interpretation of meaningful use and the path they have taken to become meaningful users of the LSS and MEDITECH system.
http://www.forbes.com/
May 19, 2009 Update
On May 18 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released their implementation plans for the $167 billion dollars they received through the ARRA. Included in these plans is a document with a more specific outline on how the money will affect those looking to adopt health information technology through the incentive programs [PDF]. Also included in these plans are more details about the work the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) will be doing to encourage adoption and "meaningful use" of health information technology.
The incentive program's implementation plan includes an updated funding table [view table] where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates the total cost of the health IT programs to be $48.8 billion dollars over the next ten years. This is a significant increase compared to previous estimates. Their plans also state that CMS will be providing Eligible Professionals with information, so that they can decide whether to select an incentive under the Medicare or Medicaid program. This information should be available sometime in 2010. The plan also included a clearer outline of the Medicaid incentive program, stating that it will be begin in 2011 to assure consistency with Medicare. Finally the plan clearly stated that the maximum incentive under the Medicaid program in the first year is $21,250 and in each of the subsequent five years the max incentive is $8,500.
The ONC's Implementation Plan [PDF] also includes a clear outline for when the initial set of standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria will be released. The ONC plans to have the draft rules complete by the end of August so that they may complete the regulatory processes prior to the December 31, 2009 deadline. Another sought after piece of information is the definition of "meaningful use." Unfortunately no timeline is identified in the plan, however HHS is developing milestones for the project with planned delivery dates.
For more information and to read these documents in full please visit: http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/reports/plans/index.html
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
http://govhealthit.com/
May 15, 2009 Update
Although no official determination has been made, many organizations are now weighing-in on defining what will constitute "meaningful use" as noted in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Here are a few of the more recent articles:
The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) held a two day meeting April 28-29 on "meaningful use." This article hits the high points of their discussion and what could likely be included in a final ruling on what meaningful use is. Full notes from this meeting: http://www.ncvhs.hhs.gov/090428ag.htm
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
HIMSS recently published its definitions of 'meaningful use' and 'certified EHR technologies,' as outlined in the ARRA, in a letter to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) of Health IT and the Acting CMS Commissioner, within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
http://www.cmio.net/
A federally created definition of "meaningful use" of electronic medical records must focus on outcomes and not mandate specific functionalities, according to the College of Healthcare Management Executives in Ann Arbor, Mich.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
Stratis Health predicts the federal government will set standards for meaningful use of EHRs that align with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Analytics Stage 4 adoption.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/
The Markle Foundation released an outline of principles for determining meaningful use in electronic health records during a forum it hosted to discuss health information technology funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
http://e.ccialerts.com/
David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, announced earlier in May during the Health Information Technology Policy Committee meeting that a definition of "meaningful use" from the Office of the National Coordinator is expected to be released late this spring or in the early part of the summer.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/
May 8, 2009 Update
The Department of Health and Human Services today announced the appointment of three members to the Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Committee as well as members of the HIT Standards Committee. The two new federal advisory committees were established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The first meeting of the Health IT Policy Committee will be held on Monday, May 11, in Washington, D.C.
http://www.hhs.gov/news
April 30, 2009 Update
The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) held a hearing in Washington on how to define "meaningful use" of electronic health records. The committee heard testimony physician leaders, health care information technology experts and other industry stakeholders. NCVHS will now compile comments from the hearing and submit their recommendations to the Sectary of Health and Human Services for consideration.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com
April 29, 2009 Update
The U.S. Senate has approved the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She will be a major decision maker as the administration implements the health information technology provisions of the economic stimulus law. The department is developing rules on new HIPAA privacy and security requirements, distribution of the $2 billion in "jump start" funds, and implementation of the Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs, including defining "meaningful use" of electronic health records systems.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com
April 23, 2009 Update
President Obama has named Virginia Technology Secretary Aneesh P. Chopra as the nation's first chief technology officer. Chopra will promote technological innovations throughout the Federal government to enhance the efficiencies of government services.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
April 18, 2009 Update
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently published their guidance and methodologies to secure health information and prevent harm by rendering health information unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals. This guidance relates to the two breach notifications regulations to be release by the Federal Trade Commission and HHS. HHS is requesting public comment on this guidance to be submitted by May 21, 2009.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/
April 14, 2009 Update
Denni McColm, Chief Information Officer at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, MO (an LSS customer), recently participated in a panel discussion during the HIMSS 2009 Annual Conference & Exhibition in Chicago. McColm was joined by Tim Zoph, CIO at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and John Daniels, Vice President and CIO of Evolvent Technology. The panelists agreed that the economic downturn, coupled with the federal stimulus funds, will create opportunities in the market, especially in the creation of new business and product models to support ambulatory practices. McColm said the stimulus will help advance connectivity between hospitals and physician practices.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/
April 6, 2009 Update
Gene L. Dodaro, Acting Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), recently announced the appointment of 13 members to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, a new advisory body established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The committee will make recommendations on creating a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure, including standards for the exchange of patient medical information.
http://www.gao.gov/
April 2, 2009 Update
This week the Department of Health and Human Services released an additional $338 million, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to expand the nation’s community health centers. This money will be available to the centers through Increased Demand for Services (IDS) grants, which will be used over the next two years to create or retain approximately 6,400 health center jobs. These grants will also help provide care to an additional 2.1 million patients who are turning to the community health centers after losing there health insurance coverage.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/
March 20, 2009 Update
HHS announced that physician David Blumenthal will serve as national coordinator for health information technology. He replaces Robert Kolodner, who is also a physician. Blumenthal, who most recently has been director of the Institute for Health Policy at 907-bed Massachusetts General Hospital, was also a senior adviser to President Barack Obama's presidential campaign. As head of the Office of the National Coordinator, David Blumenthal will play a key role in determining how to spend $19 billion devoted to medical technology in the economic stimulus bill that became law last month.
http://www.businesswire.com
March 13, 2009 Update
This week several government organizations have announced the availability of grants funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The first grants announced are available for Community Health Centers, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to support renovations and repairs, investments in health information technology, and critically needed health care services. This grant will provide $155 million to 126 Community Health Centers across the country serving 750,000 Americans and creating an estimated 5,500 jobs. For more information about the Community Health Center grants visit http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/hrsa/healthcentergrants.html
The National Institute of Health has also announced the availability of $1.5 billion in grants funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These grants are designed to fund construction and improvement of research facilities ($1 billion), scientific research ($200 million), and the purchase of scientific equipment ($300 million). For more information about this grant and other grant opportunities through NIH visit http://grants.nih.gov/recovery/
March 2, 2009 Update
President Obama has appointed Kathleen Sebelius to head the Department of Health and Human Services and Nancy-Ann DeParle to head the White House Office on Health Reform. A two-term state insurance commissioner and two-term Democratic governor in a Republican state, Ms. Sebelius is known for reaching across the aisle. Other key posts, including Administrator for CMS, are expected to be filled shortly. The result should be more clarity on the stimulus package's health IT provisions, including a more explicit definition of "meaningful use" and a commitment, at least over the next couple of years, to the certification process through CCHIT.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com
