Edition Fifty-Three (9/14/10)

CHIME Survey: Optimism on Meaningful Use Targets
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 9/10/10
Many health care CIOs are "cautiously optimistic" about their organizations' chances of meeting Meaningful Use targets and qualifying for federal subsidy payments for EHRs, according to a survey by CHIME. Of the respondents, 28% expect their organizations will qualify for stimulus funding in the first six months of the subsidy program's Stage 1 first payment year. 62% expect to qualify by Sept. 30, 2011, and just 10% believe their organizations won't qualify for stimulus payments until fiscal years 2013 or 2014.

HHS to Offer Almost $20 Million in EHR Tech Help
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 9/10/10
HHS announced nearly $20 million in technical support assistance to help critical access and rural hospital facilities make the switch from paper-based medical records to certified EHRs. The funding will help approximately 1,655 critical access and rural hospitals qualify for EHR incentive payments from Medicare and Medicaid.

Survey: Providers a Bit Slow to Sign up RECs
Government Health IT, 9/9/10
Primary care providers so far have been a bit slow to sign contracts for technical services from newly minted health I.T. RECs, according to a recent survey by the eHealth Initiative and MedPlus. In a early snapshot of progress being made by the RECs, 14 out of 46 centers responding to the survey reported they had signed contracts with local health care providers to supply services, although many had expressed interest.

Implementing EMRs Despite Reluctant Leadership
InformationWeek, 9/9/10
Hospitals must become Meaningful Users of EHRs, but not every hospital CEO is willing to step up and lead the charge. Transformative clinical I.T. implementations cannot be led by the CIO. The I.T. department must support the change, but it cannot force clinicians to do anything—the impetus must come from both the clinical leadership and the hospital administration. 

Health I.T. Bringing Slow Gains to Patient Care
InformationWeek, 9/8/10
As health delivery organizations grapple with incorporating their workflows into computerized systems, new research shows HIT, while making an impact on a variety of medical management interventions, is doing so less quickly than anticipated.

NIST Helps Industry Move Toward Nationwide, EHR Network
Urgent Communications, 9/7/10 
NIST published a set of approved procedures used to test I.T. systems working with EHRs, with an emphasis on building out a NHIN for better patient care.

How to Get Wired: The Basics of HIE
American Medical News, 9/6/10
Many physicians are working to adopt an EMR, but if they plan to use them to earn government financial incentive bonuses, they're going to need to make their EMRs talk to other HIT systems.

I.T. for Accountable Care Organizations
H&HN Magazine, 9/6/10
Recent federal legislation is encouraging the formation of accountable care organizations. To be effective, these ACOs must use sophisticated I.T. An increase in health care costs and the lack of a corresponding increase in quality has prompted the rise of new health care organizational models. These models, whose purpose is to significantly improve the coordination and efficiency of care delivery, have as their centerpiece the ACO.

With Beacons Lit, ONC Prepares Support Network
Government Health IT, 9/3/10
Even as ONC named Cincinnati and Detroit as its final two “Beacon” communities, it was already at work on measures designed to share the findings and successes of the health I.T. test centers among clinics and medical practices. These include a revised Web site where the 17 Beacon grant winners, newly chartered health I.T. RECs, and state-sponsored HIEs can share their experiences.

HHS Awards $17M for Treatment Outcomes Research
Government Health IT, 9/2/10
The government will distribute nearly $17 million for treatment outcomes research, which is supported by health I.T. and data systems. The research compares treatments and strategies to improve health outcomes for patients. The three sets of three-year funds will be made available under ARRA via the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

For Vets, Records at the Click of a Blue Button
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 9/1/10 
The VA, which has been a pacesetter in HIT for more than 30 years, is proving to be a role model once more. This time it is giving patients easier access to their own health information. The Markle Foundation's Connecting for Health program has released a policy paper co-signed by 46 organizations, including more than a dozen health I.T. companies, in support of the so-called “blue button” technology being developed by the VA in conjunction with the Medicare and Medicaid programs at the CMS.

EHR Revenue to Hit $3 Billion in 2013
InformationWeek, 8/31/10
A study by Frost & Sullivan predicts revenue for the U.S. ambulatory EHR market will double from $1.3 billion in 2009 to an estimated $2.6 billion in 2012. Further, by 2013, the market will reach its peak, posting revenue of $3 billion. However, by 2016 market saturation will have occurred and revenue is expected to fall to $1.4 billion. 

ONC Seeks Reusable Approach to Future NHIN Services
Government Health IT, 8/31/10
ONC is developing an “interoperability framework” designed to eliminate the need for technical planners to start from scratch in identifying standards and services for future uses of the NHIN. The upcoming start of the health I.T. incentive program has put pressure on ONC’s policymakers to come up with a streamlined approach to identifying specs and standards for new HIE features and services which might be created to help boost health I.T. adoption. 

HHS Selects e-Health Record Certification Groups
InformationWeek, 8/31/10
ONC selected CCHIT and Drummond Group to certify EHR products for eligibility in the federal government's Meaningful Use programs.

Reports Show State of EHR Market
Health Data Management, 8/31/10
According to HIMSS Analytics, 86 percent of hospitals are not in position to qualify for the first of three stages of EHR Meaningful Use criteria, which start in 2011. But 51 percent of hospitals are close to meeting the first criteria stage and receiving incentive payments, and another 17 percent are a year or two behind.

How to Build an Insurance Exchange
Government Health IT, 9/9/10
For Rick Howard, CIO of the Oregon Department of Human Services, the job of building a health insurance exchange—a state mandate tucked into the health reform law— means taking a leap into the I.T. unknown. Like other states, Oregon provides Medicaid services and subsidizes insurance premiums for low-income residents. But building and operating an electronic insurance exchange will require a feat of systems engineering and integration that has not been attempted before by most state I.T. and health program leaders. 

Registry Adds Value to Regional Data Exchange
Healthcare IT News, 9/3/10
CareSpark, a nonprofit RHIO serving Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, is proving the value of HIEs through several projects that rely on its provider registry. As a participant in the Social Security Administration (SSA) pilot project, CareSpark receives patient authorization requests from SSA and forwards the necessary provider records to SSA through secure messaging. This electronic process reduces the turnaround time for disability determination from weeks to hours. As a result, both patients and health care providers get paid more quickly.

Insurer to Help California Hospitals Buy I.T.
Health Data Management, 9/2/10
Health insurer UnitedHealth Group will purchase $10 million in bonds to assist critical access hospitals in California to enhance their I.T. capabilities. The company first will provide a $200,000 grant to the California State Rural Health Association to assess the I.T. needs at the state's 31 critical access hospitals.

Cincinnati, Detroit Named Beacon Communities
Health Data Management, 9/2/10
HHS named Cincinnati and Detroit as the final Beacon Communities to serve as pilot sites for comprehensive use of HIT. The HealthBridge HIE serving 16 counties in the greater Cincinnati region will receive $13.8 million over three years. The Southeastern Michigan Health Association will receive $16.2 million over three years for projects in Detroit and the suburbs of Hamtramck, Highland Park, Dearborn, and Dearborn Heights.

NHS I.T. Upgrade is Cut to Claw Back £700m for Patient Care
Mail Online, 9/10/10
The controversial I.T. upgrade of the NHS is being scaled back to save £700 million under plans announced by the government. The cut comes on top of £600 million of savings announced under Labour, meaning the overall cost for the National Programme for I.T. for England will drop from £12.7 billion to £11.4 billion.

HHS Launches Spanish Partner Site of HealthCare.gov
Healthcare IT News, 9/9/10
HHS unveiled CuidadodeSalud.gov, the first Web site of its kind in Spanish to connect consumers to new information and resources aimed at helping them access quality, affordable health care coverage. Consistent with the mandate in the Affordable Care Act, CuidadodeSalud.gov is the partner site of HealthCare.gov, and is the first Web site in Spanish to provide consumers with both public and private health coverage options tailored specifically for their needs.

Joint Commission to Accredit Medical Homes
Health Data Management, 9/8/10
The Joint Commission in 2011 will offer a "Primary Care Home" option to ambulatory organizations for accreditation of their medical home programs. Under the medical home model, primary care practices are designated patients' "medical home" to coordinate the continuum of care. The practices are redesigned to be more functional and workflow-friendly, and new processes are developed to focus on quality, safety, and alternative reimbursement methods. The care model also calls for extensive use of HIT, including EHRs, e-Prescribing, clinical decision support, secure messaging, and Web portal software.

AMIA Goes Global
Healthcare IT News, 9/3/10
AMIA has launched a nonprofit, wholly owned subsidiary called the Global Health Informatics Partnership (GHIP) to serve as an international center for collaborative initiatives on health informatics. GHIP (gee-hip) aims to build grassroots networks of health informatics advocates and professionals, which will result in strengthened health informatics capacity in low-resource settings, primarily in South America, Africa, and Asia.

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