Edition Sixty-Nine (5/16/11)

Meaningful Use Plays Role in Physician Jump in e-Prescribing
Healthcare IT News, 5/12/11
Federal incentives to support health I.T. have aided in the growth of the nation's use of e-prescription by 72 percent in 2010, according to a new report. The report measures the growth of e-prescribing from 2008—before the advent of federal incentives—through 2010 and includes new data which provides further detail on physician adoption of e-prescribing and EHRs.

Mostashari: No CIO Should Have to Choose Between ACO, Meaningful Use
Government Health IT, 5/11/11
The draft proposals for measures for Meaningful Use Stage 2 are taking definite shape. The panel has incorporated more emphasis on making the patient an active participant in health care and more HIE as central to a number of the objectives. An advisory panel presented its draft proposals for the next Stage of Meaningful Use to the Health I.T. Policy Committee at a recent meeting in a step towards establishing the near-term agenda.

CHIME Raises Concerns on ACO Data Sharing
HealthLeaders, 5/11/11
The ability of patients in ACOs to restrict access to their personal health information is one of several hurdles which could hinder the success of the new health care delivery models, according to CHIME. In a letter to Donald Berwick, MD, administrator of the CMS, CHIME called for a re-examination of several sections of the proposed rules which it said would create significant pressures on ACOs.

Is the ONC's Health I.T. Plan Realistic? Readers Are Divided
Government Health IT, 5/10/11
The ONC’s Federal Health I.T. Plan is unquestionably ambitious—and it ought to be. But is it realistic? The more pointed question just might be whether modernizing health care with a booster shot of electronic health information is technologically or culturally achievable within the timeframe called for in the plan—between now and 2015.

Balance of Better Care, Privacy in Federal ACO Proposal
iHealthBeat, 5/9/11
CMS, estimating 1.5 to four million Medicare beneficiaries will receive care from health care providers participating in accountable care organizations within the program's first three years, is proposing to provide ACOs with Medicare claims and other data under the Medicare Shared Savings Program, authorized under the Affordable Care Act.

Mostashari: 'Usability,' Better Decision-Making, Key EHR Success
Fierce Health IT, 5/9/11 
In a recent interview, National Coordinator of Health I.T. Farzad Mostashari, MD discussed how ONC is planning to work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop usability standards for EHRs, and whether that might lead to certification of EHRs for usability.

AMA's Program Helps Small Physician Practices Adopt EHRs
InformationWeek, 5/9/11
The American Medical Association has unveiled a series of six video tutorials providing step-by-step instructions to help physicians choose, purchase, and implement EHRs. The program was developed as part of the AMA's continuing medical education activities, targeting small physician practices which don't have EHR technology. 

Group: Boost Consumers' Health I.T. Role
Modern Healthcare, subscription required, 5/9/11
Patients need to play a greater role in the development of health I.T. standards to avoid a lack of public participation which could undermine the federal government's $19 billion initiative to spur the use of digital records in health care, according to the Consumer Partnership for eHealth. Without that greater involvement, ongoing health I.T. initiatives could falter.

CMS Pledges Future Reporting Via EHRs
Health Data Management, 5/5/11
CMS announced hospitals in the next few years should be able to submit patient quality data entirely through EHR systems. Currently, hospitals extract quality measure data from paper-based charts. 

Panel Weighs Delaying Stage 2 of Meaningful Use
Government Health IT, 5/4/11 
A Meaningful Use advisory panel suggests delaying Stage 2 by one year until 2014 as an option to allow vendors and health care providers more time to update and roll out more advanced technology. It is one of the approaches for dealing with the compressed timeline for establishing Stage 2 of Meaningful Use, but it would come at the expense of early adopters.

Personalized Treatment Protocols Can be Developed with EHR Data
Fierce Health IT, 5/3/11 
Individualized treatment guidelines can help doctors prevent more heart attacks and strokes than they can by using population-based protocols, according to a new study. Researchers found doctors can develop these guidelines for their patients by using computerized risk calculators integrated with their EHRs.

Rolling the Dice on Meaningful Use
Modern Healthcare, subscription required, 5/2/11
With Stage 1 of HITECH under way for hospitals since October 1, 2010 and for eligible physicians since January 1, providers are diligently working on their plans to become Meaningful Users of EHRs and apply for HIT incentive payments. It is logical to request payment as early as possible. EHR implementation is costly, the payment formulas are front-loaded, and some are concerned HITECH itself may be repealed in this era of federal budget deficits.

Meaningful Use Debate on Lab Reporting
InformationWeek, 5/2/11
Some members of the Meaningful Use Workgroup question the need for office labs to keep public health agencies in the loop on diseases and lab data. Looking to refine its Stage 2 recommendations before presenting them to the full HIT Policy Committee, the Meaningful Use Workgroup this week debated whether eligible providers should have to report appropriate lab values, conditions, or both to public health agencies.

Rule Streamlines Telemedicine Credentialing
Health Data Management, 5/2/11
The CMS released a final rule to streamline credentialing processes for physicians and other practitioners providing telemedicine services. The rule is intended to reduce burdens for small and critical access hospitals to participate in telemedicine programs larger hospitals offer. CMS previously has required small and critical access hospitals to grant practice privileges—after individualized consideration of qualifications—to the participating physicians providing the consultations from distant hospitals.

Most California Docs Using EHRs: Report
Modern Healthcare, subscription required, 5/10/11
55 percent of California primary-care physicians now use EHR systems, according to a new report from the California HealthCare Foundation.

State Expands Model on Health Care
Hawaii 24/7, 5/8/11
Hawaii officials announced plans to expand access to a new model of health care delivery which focuses on patient care and technology. The new model, referred to as “patient-centered health care homes” or “medical homes,” enhance access to physicians and improve coordination of services through technology, such as EHRs.

Delay of HIPAA Privacy, Security Rules Almost Over
Government Health IT, 5/10/11
The long-awaited final rule—which strengthens HIPAA privacy and security safeguards to better protect electronic health information—should be released by the end of the year, according to a senior health privacy official. The final omnibus rule takes effect as health care providers begin to exchange health information and more organizations are involved in helping to transmit sensitive data.

I.T. Can Ease Health Care Staff Shortage
InformationWeek, 5/9/11
EHRs and other I.T. systems go a long ways toward alleviating an expected shortage of qualified health care professionals and staff as health insurance reform takes hold, according to a new poll from the American Society for Quality. The survey of 475 professionals involved in health care quality revealed clinical and operational personnel now are on the same page as I.T. staff in their belief that I.T. can help improve quality in health care.

Study Outlines Docs' eRx Barriers
Modern Healthcare, subscription required, 5/5/11
Clunky data management tools and "the juice not being worth the squeeze" in obtaining information were cited as the two main barriers to the use of e-prescribing systems in a study.

Medicaid Meaningful Use LIVE in Indiana, Ohio
Health Data Management, 5/4/11
Indiana and Ohio launched their Medicaid EHR Meaningful Use incentive programs, the 14th and 15th states to do so, as rollout of the Medicaid program across the nation remains slow. Both states went LIVE on May 2, the first to launch since early April, and only two of four states which have gone LIVE since February 23. Seven states have issued incentive payments, an increase of one state since February 23.

Health Information Technology Can Create Significant Environmental Benefits
PRNewswire, 5/4/11
An analysis by Kaiser Permanente shows use of HIT can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce other important environmental savings. The study estimates EHRs could lower carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 1.7 million tons across the entire U.S. population.

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