Edition Fourteen (5/05/09)

AMIA Comments on "Meaningful Use"
Health Data Management, 5/4/09
"Meaningful use" of electronic health records should go beyond the criteria necessary for certifying such systems as meeting specific functionality standards, according to the American Medical Informatics Association. "Any EHR used should be certified through a suitable process, but 'meaningful use' implies attention to how an EHR is implemented and used for patient care and health promotion," the association noted in comments to the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, an advisory body to the Department of Health and Human Services.

CHIME: Focus "Meaningful Use" on Outcomes
Health Data Management, 5/4/09
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. "The bottom line for these efforts is better health/better outcomes," the CIO association recommended in comments to the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, a federal advisory body. "Using an EMR and other I.T. tools to accomplish this goal is clearly about outcomes and less about the technology."

Accessing Health I.T. Funding Complex for Rural Facilities
Modern Healthcare, subscription needed 5/4/09
Soon after Congress allocated upward of $19 billion in health information technology funding as part of the economic recovery package, a commentary from the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative of 35 free-standing facilities said that the law would leave rural hospitals to make “the best of a bad situation.” That’s because, according to the report, the differences in Medicare incentives between prospective payment system hospitals and critical-access hospitals are “dramatic,” and the Congressional Budget Office estimates the incentives will result in only half of all critical-access hospitals reaching “meaningful user” status by 2019.

IBM Finances Federal I.T. Projects Related to Stimulus
Health Data Management, 5/4/09
IBM Corp. will make up to $2 billion available to technology projects related to federal information technology initiatives. Through its IBM Global Financing arm, the Armonk, N.Y.-based technology giant will allow clients to structure flexible payment options, deferred payment plans, lines of credit, and project financing packages.

ECRI Releases List of Key Health Care Technologies
Modern Healthcare, subscription needed 5/4/09
The ECRI Institute, a not-for-profit agency that studies and compares the efficacy of similar drugs and medical devices, has issued a list identifying the key health care technologies hospital officials should keep their eyes on over the next year. The Top 10 Hospital Technology Issues: C-Suite Watch List for 2009 and Beyond is intended to help hospital executives sort through the benefits and shortcomings of expensive, high-profile technologies and determine how best to allocate their capital budgets on the purchase of new equipment, ECRI institute officials said.

EHRs, Meaningful Use Get Spotlight This Week
HealthLeaders, 5/1/09
Hospitals and physicians looking to get a better understanding of what is meant by "meaningful use" of electronic health records—and how they could qualify for health information technology funds under the economic stimulus measure passed in March—got their wishes this week. Expanded definitions by an industry group, release of a new consensus framework report, and two days of testimony before a federal panel by nearly three dozen experts got the ball rolling.

Swine Flu Response Elevates Health I.T.
Federal Computer Week, 5/1/09
As Obama administration officials look to thwart a swine flu pandemic, the influx of political and public attention coming to disease tracking could help energize the administration's health information technology priorities, several experts say. Now, with swine flu making headlines worldwide and the White House seeking $1.5 billion in supplemental funds to fight it, some health policy experts are recommending fusing public health I.T. goals with the broader electronic health record agenda.

Stimulus Pushed For Standardized Electronic Records
Red Orbit, 5/1/09
The United States’ health czar has plans to revamp the nation’s health system and make the transition from paper to electronic health documents. Electronic records are touted for saving time and money by offering a standardized form of filing and offering a better approach to managing chronic conditions. Blumenthal is in charge of making sure that the $19 billion allotted to the health I.T. office by the new economic stimulus package goes into the most effective projects.

Strong Medicine: Can a $19 Billion Spoonful of Sugar Help Doctors Swallow the Cost of Going Digital?
CFO Magazine, 5/1/09
There is a ray of hope for CFOs who would like to upgrade the condition of corporate health care plans from "critical" to "stable." Boosted by a substantial injection of cash from the federal stimulus bill, electronic medical records may help relieve the pain of rising premiums by improving efficiencies in the medical system.

How Important Is It for Health Care Providers To Use Electronic Health Records?
iHealthbeat, 5/1/09
Seventy-five percent of adults believe it is very important or somewhat important for health care providers to use electronic health records, according to a recent survey from NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. Twelve percent of survey respondents said it was not too important for health care providers to use EHRs, while 10% said it was not at all important.

CDC, HIT Firms Working to Curb Public Health Crises
Modern Healthcare, subscription needed 5/1/09
Will health information technology tackle epidemics? I.T. vendors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working on it. At the HIMSS convention in Chicago, six health I.T. companies, working in collaboration with the CDC, demonstrated the potential for having public-health communications capabilities incorporated into their systems and into the proposed national health information network.

Attorney: Don't Wait for Stimulus Work
Health Data Management, 5/1/09
Under the economic stimulus law, hospital Medicare incentives start in October 2010, with physician incentives starting the following January. Attorney Steven Fox, partner in the Washington office of the law firm Post & Schell, sees hospitals facing tough choices between now and late 2010.

“Meaningful Use” Focus Proposed
Health Data Management, 4/30/09
The initial federal definition of “meaningful use” of electronic health records should focus on improving medication management and the coordination of care. That’s the recommendation of a new report endorsed by representatives of more than 60 organizations. In the weeks ahead, the Department of Health and Human Services will offer guidelines for how hospitals and group practices can demonstrate “meaningful use” of EHRs to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid financial incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. View the full report from the Markle Foundation.

The Dual Faces of Quality
HealthLeaders, 4/30/09
It's been a very busy week in Washington, D.C.—especially if you cover issues related to quality and health care. From the meeting rooms of the American Hospital Association's annual membership meeting to the floor of the U.S. Senate to a federal hearing on meaningful use and health information technology, the word has been there: quality.

Bill Would Tie Medicare Payment to Quality
Health Data Management, 4/29/09
Newly introduced legislation would transition Medicare reimbursement from paying hospitals for reporting quality measures to paying them based on their performance or level of improvement. The measures that would be covered under The Quality First Act include heart attacks, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical infections. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), sponsors the bill. The American Hospital Association has endorsed the bill, H.R. 1776.

Physicians Weigh In on Stimulus Terms
Health Data Management, 4/29/09
Physician executives offered a wide range of advice to the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics in a Washington hearing on how to define “meaningful use” of electronic health records. NCVHS is an advisory body to the Department of Health and Human Services. The committee is weighing options for the definition, and HHS officials will consider its recommendations.

AHIMA: Focus on Results
Health Data Management, 4/29/09
Regulators should focus on improvements in quality, cost, and performance when defining what constitutes “meaningful use” of electronic health records to qualify for federal financial incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, one association argues. In a statement presented at a hearing of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, Sandra Fuller, COO of the American Health Information Management Association, Chicago, stressed that “Meaningful use should, if feasible, focus on the use of the information, not the technology itself.”

Just Inside 100 days, Sebelius Completes the Cabinet
The Washington Post, 4/29/09
President Obama's Cabinet was finally filled after the Senate, on the eve of President Obama's 100th day in office, voted 65 to 31 to confirm Kathleen Sebelius to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Hours later, the former Kansas governor was sworn in in an Oval Office ceremony. Democrats had sought a quick vote on Sebelius as Congress moves ahead with health care reform this summer, but Republicans slowed her advancement.

Sebelius Faces Public Health Challenges
HealthLeaders, 4/29/09
Kathleen Sebelius, who was confirmed by the Senate in a 65-31 vote as secretary of Health and Human Services, was sworn in at the White House earlier today by President Barack Obama on the 100th day of his administration. The confirmation finally fills President Barack Obama's last cabinet post. It comes at a time when other health care issues, including health care reform, are dominating the headlines—seemingly foreshadowing the busy agenda Sebelius will encounter as she begins her new position.

HIT Policy, Standards Committees Official
Health Data Management, 4/29/09
In notices published on April 29 in the Federal Register, David Blumenthal, M.D., the national coordinator for health information technology, has established the HIT Policy Committee and the HIT Standards Committee. Both committees are mandated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The HIT Policy Committee will advise Blumenthal on a range of issues related to implementation of a national health information network. The HIT Standards Committee will advise Blumenthal on standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange and use of health information.

Making the Business Case for HIT
HealthLeaders, 4/28/09
Chief information officers are not always a member of the CEO's inner circle. In fact, only a quarter of CEOs listed a CIO as members of their senior executive team, according to the 2009 HealthLeaders Media Industry Survey. But the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 may have just elevated their position. The federal government's $36 billion incentive package to install electronic health records means that more CIOs will report directly to the CEO and help set the strategy of the organization.

EHR Implementations: Success Lies Beyond the Build
HealthLeaders, 4/28/09
When the uninitiated think of electronic health record implementations, they focus on build and rollout. Most likely, the implementation is considered an "I.T. project," and the communication machine starts rolling just before staff members are affected. However, the initiated know that EHR implementations—successful ones, that is—are process, workflow, and operational in nature. They are considered operational improvement projects with a healthy dose of change management, and communication begins when the decision to move to an EHR is made.

Obama Names Science and Tech Advisors
Health Data Management, 4/27/09
President Obama has named the 20 members of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, including several with strong health care ties. The council comprises leading scientists and engineers who will advise the President and Vice President on policy.

Google's Schmidt, Microsoft's Mundie to Advise Obama on Technology
The Washington Post, 4/27/09
Google CEO Eric Schmidt may have passed on the chance to be President Barack Obama's chief technology officer, but he has agreed to be part of the president's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Schmidt was among 20 people named to the council Monday, including Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie.



Washington State Passes Two Bills That Increase Infection Control, Safety Standards in Hospitals
Kaiser Network, 4/30/09
Washington state Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) signed into law two bills that aim to strengthen hospital infection control and patient-safety standards. One bill authorizes state health regulators to conduct unscheduled inspections of hospitals. In addition, hospitals by Jan. 1, 2010, must begin screening at-risk patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.

Rockefeller Backs Bill That Calls for Universal Records System
Charleston Daily Mail, 4/28/09
In rural Clay County, Dr. Sarah Chouinard is able to tap into an electronic program at her clinic to determine which diabetic patients haven't had a proper foot or eye exam. She then can reach out to those patients to draw them back to her practice, possibly preventing long-term diabetic complications and substantial health care costs. Yet Chouinard is among just 25 percent of physicians nationwide who utilize electronic health records, which make such proactive initiatives possible.

Hospitals' Program Lowers Potential Medication Errors
HealthLeaders, 4/29/09
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston have found that the use of a better integrated computer system and process redesign could reduce the number of potential medication errors present in the medication reconciliation process. The study, published in the April 27 Archives of Internal Medicine, took place during May and June 2006, and focused on using existing technology to compare patients' medication lists to prevent adverse events.

I.T. Influences Lower Adverse Drug Events: Study
Modern Healthcare, subscription needed 4/28/09
Electronic interventions can have an impact on adverse drug events and medication errors, according to results of a new study. Researchers publishing in the Archives of Internal Medicine found the risk of any event—including errors and potential and preventable adverse drug events—was 34% lower among outpatients who were given medications in special containers and greater pharmacist, physician, and nurse interactions. The containers enabled providers to electronically monitor whether patients were adhering to cardiovascular prescription orders.

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