Edition Sixty-Two (1/26/11)

Health Data Exchange Still a Challenge, Blumenthal Says
Government Health IT, 1/21/11
ONC is heavily involved in ongoing work with vendors and standards organizations to enable the exchange of health information, something which remains a challenge, according to Dr. David Blumenthal.

FAH Cautions on Aggressive EHR Push
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 1/21/11
A call for federal officials to aggressively push accelerated adoption of EHRs could have unintended consequences and large costs for the nation's hospitals, according to a letter sent from the Federation of American Hospitals to Dr. David Blumenthal. The accelerated health I.T. push would represent a major shift in policy, which "has the potential to set the nation's health care system back," according to the FAH letter.

Physicians Wrestle with Technical Details of Meaningful Use
Government Health IT, 1/20/11
Health care providers have discovered identifying the technologies to perform some Meaningful Use measures is not as easy as federal rules might suggest. Providers have to wrestle with what supporting technologies are needed to become Meaningful Users of EHRs. They also need to determine what information tools in addition to EHRs should be certified, because they are involved in documenting Meaningful Use. 

Lessons from EHR Pros
Health Data Management, 1/20/11
Nearly 90% of U.S. hospitals will have to install or upgrade EHR systems during the next three years to become Meaningful Users. One company conducted interviews of 15 CIOs from delivery systems which have reached at least Stage 4 on the HIMSS Analytics' scale of EHR achievement, to learn their lessons. 

AHA Issues EHR Guide for Hospitals
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 1/20/11
The American Hospital Association has issued a guide intended to serve as a resource for organizations seeking to meet HHS' Meaningful Use criteria. The guide includes information on EHR certification, customization, hardware, licensing, maintenance, pricing, regulatory compliance, and training. 

CCHIT Launches Alternative EHR Certification 
InformationWeek, 1/20/11
CCHIT launched an alternative EHR certification program crafted specifically for hospitals which have uncertified legacy software, customized systems, or EHR systems developed in-house. The EHR Alternative Certification for Hospitals will offer specialized assessment tools, on-line learning, and preparation programs and support.

AHRQ Seeks to Identify EHR Barriers
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 1/18/11
HHS' Agency for Health Care Research and Quality will seek approval for a two-year project examining barriers to Meaningful Use for Medicaid providers. The project would help the government understand factors which hinder HIT adoption among Medicaid providers, thereby helping AHRQ develop support services.

Survey: More Hospitals, Physician Offices Move Toward EHRs
Kansas City Business Journal, 1/17/11
81% of U.S. hospitals responding to a survey by the American Hospital Association said they plan to meet federal guidelines in adopting EHRs. They also plan to take advantage of incentive payments to offset the cost of switching from paper-based record systems—about 65% said they would enroll in the incentive programs’ Stage 1 phases this year or next.

Urban Hospitals, Primary Care Docs Most Likely to Seek EHR Money
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 1/14/11
Large and urban hospitals and hospital systems are more likely than other facilities to plan on meeting Meaningful Use standards early to receive incentive payments for their use of EHR systems, according to survey data presented by Dr. David Blumenthal. The survey on EHR use, partially funded by the government, was conducted by the American Hospital Association.

ONC: 4 in 5 Hospitals Will Claim EHR Incentives
HealthLeaders, 1/14/11
Four-fifths of the nation's hospitals and 41% of office-based physicians plan to cash in on as much as $27 billion in federal incentives for adoption and Meaningful Use of EHR technology, according to survey data from ONC. 

ONC Will Focus on Interoperability in 2011
Government Health IT, 1/13/11
ONC will focus in 2011 on activities which will enable health care providers to perform complex exchanges of information and on the technical foundation to support secure sharing. ONC is considering a set of tasks it needs to undertake “in short order” to make it possible for stage 2 of Meaningful Use to have a more robust exchange of information.

Docs Talk Challenges of Meaningful Use
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 1/12/11
Physicians from group practices with extensive experience adopting and using EHR systems testified before a federally chartered advisory group. The elite EHR users—who self-defined their groups in terms of EHR implementation to be in the upper 25% of all EHR users nationwide—said meeting the Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria to receive federal EHR incentive payments presents multiple challenges to their practices.

Video: Dr. Blumenthal Discusses Registration for EHR Incentive Programs 
YouTube, 1/12/11
Dr. David Blumenthal talks about how the EHR incentive programs are aimed at accelerating the nation's adoption of HIT. He outlines how health care providers and hospitals can qualify for incentive payments from CMS through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs by demonstrating the Meaningful Use of EHRs. Dr. Blumenthal also discusses the federally supported technical assistance available to help eligible providers and hospitals adopt EHRs and achieve Meaningful Use.

Medical Images May Get a Role in Meaningful Use
Government Health IT, 1/12/11
Medical images should have a role in the next stage of Meaningful Use of EHRs because of the wide use of radiologic and other images in diagnosis and treatment in health care, according to health I.T. experts. Dr. David Blumenthal gave support to considering the concept at the advisory Health I.T. Standards Committee meeting, saying “the role of imaging as a Meaningful Use aspect raises a number of important and interesting questions which I think we will be looking at tackling.” 

Road to Meaningful Use Bumpy for Some
Healthcare IT News, 1/12/11
CIOs told a federal panel about the roadblocks they have faced on their way to achieving Meaningful Use of EHRs. Among those who testified before the Implementation Workgroup of the federal Health I.T. Standards Committee were five members of the CHIME.

Group Says Americans Want More Federal Money for Medical I.T.
National Journal, 1/12/11 
The Council for American Medical Innovation sponsored a poll which found 58% of respondents say the federal government should spend more money on medial innovation. Failure to spend more on medical technology and research will hamstring the country's future development and economic growth, said 72% of respondents.

ONC Will Share Proven EHR Methods of Extension Centers
Government Health IT, 1/11/11
ONC is developing an on-line, interactive dashboard which will continuously track the performance of regional health I.T. extension centers and allow for the timely sharing of lessons learned. A first-look “static” version of this progress summary should be available by the end of January, according to Mat Kendall, director of ONC’s Office of Provider Adoption and Support.

EHR Spending to Hit $3.8 Billion in 2015
InformationWeek, 1/11/11
An IDC Health Insights study predicts there will be explosive, double-digit growth in spending on ambulatory and inpatient EHR software between 2009 and 2015. The report, U.S. Electronic Health and Medical Records 2009-2015— Meaningful Use Spending Forecast and Analysis, looks at the critical years during which the federal government's incentive programs for the adoption of Meaningful Use of EHRs will be implemented.

A Prescription for Sustained EHR Use
H&HN, 1/10/11
A nearly two-year study of health care organizations shows why implementation of new technology often does not lead to true adoption. Interviews and surveys of health care leaders, conducted by The Breakaway Group, reveal the barriers which impede EHR adoption. They also provide insight into how to prepare hospital leaders for installing the EHR, how to develop role-specific simulator training programs, how to measure and monitor key indicators of adoption, and how to use metrics and on-line support communities to sustain EHR use.

FDA Eyes Regulation of Wireless Networks at Clinics, Hospitals
Computerworld, 1/10/11
As more hospitals and clinics plug patient monitoring equipment and other devices into traditional data networks, the closer the FDA comes to regulating the networks as medical devices. Currently, most hospitals and clinics manage medical devices on discrete networks to better ensure the safety and security of those systems. But there is a trend toward consolidation, particularly onto wireless networks, for easier management.

More Than 3,000 California Docs Sign Up for EHR Help
Healthcare IT News, 1/12/11
More than 3,000 primary care providers have enrolled in the California Health Information Partnership and Services Organization (CalHIPSO) since last June to receive help implementing EHRs. CalHIPSO is one of 62 Regional Extension Centers nationwide, founded last year with $31 million in funding from ARRA. CalHIPSO is the first Regional Extension Center in the country to sign up 3,000 providers and has consistently led the nation in provider enrollment.

New Hampshire e-Health Framework Approved
New Hampshire Business Review, 1/11/11
New Hampshire has taken one more step toward efforts to connect health care providers in cyberspace. The state Department of HHS has received approval from the federal government of its Health Information Exchange Strategic and Operational Plans for the New Hampshire Health Information Exchange Planning and Implementation Project, a massive information technology project creating an electronic network to exchange health care information among providers.

HHS Announces New Grants for Insurance Exchanges
The Hill, 1/20/11
HHS announced new grants to help states implement health insurance exchanges, a key provision of the reform law. Although more than half the states are challenging the reform law in federal courts, 48 states in September accepted a total of $49 million for researching and planning exchanges. Alaska and Minnesota were the only states to reject the grants.

Business Case for ACOs Weak
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 1/20/11
Health systems and physician groups which have made investments to improve health care quality and efficiency, have not seen an immediate economic case for the activities, which are at the center of a widely anticipated Medicare payment pilot included in the health reform law, according to a newly released review of seven organizations.

House Votes to Repeal Reform Law
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 1/19/11
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as the legislative body's new Republican majority kept its campaign pledge to seek to overturn the law. As expected, every single Republican voted in favor of the bill, which followed hours of debate on the House floor.

FAQ on ACOs: Accountable Care Organizations, Explained
Kaiser, 1/13/11
ACOs take up only seven pages of the massive new health law yet have become one of the most talked about provisions. This latest model for delivering services offers doctors and hospitals financial incentives to provide good quality care to Medicare beneficiaries while keeping down costs.

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