Edition Thirty-Five (1/05/10)

Hospitals Not Ready for MU
Health Data Management, 1/04/10
A small survey of 58 hospitals of all sizes shows they are not ready for meaningful use of electronic health records requirements. Consulting and I.T. services firm Computer Sciences Corp. conducted the survey this past fall and released results on Jan. 4.

Meaningful Use I.T. Rules Get Mixed Reaction
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 1/04/10
Some of the earliest reactions by health care organizations to last week's release of nearly 700 pages of federal rules related to the health I.T provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 can be characterized as decidedly mixed.

Government EHR Incentive Program Starts to Take Shape
Bnet, 12/31/09
President Obama has been touting health I.T. as an essential element of health care reform since he entered office. Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that defines meaningful use, along with an interim final rule that proposes health IT standards and criteria for EHR certification.

Provider Groups: EHR Rule Misses Mark
Health Data Management, 1/04/09
The proposed rule defining meaningful use of electronic health records could actually make it more difficult for providers to adopt EHRs, according to early reaction from the Medical Group Management Association and the American Hospital Association.

More Grants for I.T. Training Programs
Health Data Management, 1/04/10
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has announced $38 million in stimulus-funded grants are available for development of health care information technology training programs at four-year colleges.

Standards and Certification Criteria to Support Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records
Wisconsin Technology Network News, 12/31/09
Guest columnist, Dr. David Blumenthal looks toward 2010, and shares his expertise on the methodology and federal committess involved with the adoption and meaningful use of information technology in health care.

Marathon of Meaningful Use, EHR Standards Just Beginning
HealthLeaders, 12/31/09
With the release yesterday of its "meaningful use" definition and standards, government agencies have laid the foundation for an "evolutionary process in achieving and maintaining the meaningful use of certified EHR technology," says Frank Ruelas, director of compliance and risk management at Maryvale Hospital and principal, HIPAA Boot Camp, in Casa Grande, AZ.

Meaningful Use Criteria Released
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 12/30/09
HHS issued two sets of much-anticipated regulations: EHR “meaningful use” criteria and the standards and certification criteria those EHRs must meet for their users to collect the money.

Six More States Awarded EMR Money
amednews.com, 12/28/09
CMS announced six additional states had received federal matching funds for EHR incentive programs. The six are the Medicaid programs for California ($2.48 million), Georgia ($3.17 million), Idaho ($142,000), Montana ($239,000), New York ($5.91 million) and Texas ($3.86 million).

Panel Meetings to be Public: Blumenthal
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 12/29/09
David Blumenthal said two federally chartered health I.T. advisory committees which report to him will hold their work-group meetings in public. Over the past month, an ONC advisory and a White House technology advisory group have held all or part of several work-group meetings on privacy and security behind closed doors.

Obstacles Remain for Meaningful Use of Health I.T.
HealthLeaders, 12/29/09
There are still huge barriers to the meaningful use of health I.T. relating to security, HIE, decision support, and the secondary use of data collected in EHRs. The government doesn't know how to surmount these obstacles, which is why HHS announced it's providing $60 million in grants funded through the HITECH Act for Strategic Health I.T. Advanced Research Projects.

NIST Seeks Firms to Analyze Health I.T. Standards
Government Health IT, 12/21/09
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking firms to analyze whether certain health I.T. standards are suitable for federal health information priorities, including meaningful use, the NHIN, and population health and public health.

Clearer Picture Emerges on Stimulus's I.T. Funding
iHealthBeat, 12/22/09
Over the past few weeks, ONC has released key updates about available funding to advance health I.T. adoption, including changes to an existing funding program and the announcement of a new initiative.

Medicare Floats Plan to Fund Electronic Health Records
mlive.com, 1/2/10
A regional database allowing Southwest Michigan health care providers to electronically access patient information is expected to be rolled out in mid 2010.

Stimulus Money to Help State with Medicaid Records
Ramona Sentinel, 12/24/09
California’s Medicaid program will receive $2.48 million from the federal stimulus program to implement ARRA’s EHR incentive program. California will use the federal money to determine the current status of HIT activities in the state.

DCH Launches Georgia Health-e Connect
The McDuffie Mirror, 12/24/09
The Georgia Department of Community Health's Office of Health Information Technology & Transparency is leading an initiative called Georgia Health-e Connect to develop and implement a statewide certified EHR and HIE in support of Georgia's 1.5 million Medicaid population and the more than 10,000 physicians who serve them.

Innovation Inspired by Economics: 2010 Health IT Forecast
iHealthbeat Perspectives, 1/04/10
Health IT is one of the fastest-growing business sectors, expected to grow by 11% annually through 2013, according to Scientia Advisors. That's a bullish expectation, especially in the context of continued financial challenges for U.S. health providers.

Federal Share of U.S. Health Spending Rises Faster Than Private
Business Week, 1/05/10
Federal spending on medical programs grew almost twice as fast as the total spent on health care in the U.S. in 2008, a pattern aided by Medicare subsidies to private insurers.

A Look at Health I.T. in 2009
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 12/29/09
Hands down, the biggest story of 2009 in the HIT world was the passage of ARRA. The act is a veritable Christmas tree of health care I.T. baubles, but the bright star at the top of the tree is the estimated $34 billion allocated to subsidies for the purchase of EHR systems by hospitals and office-based physicians.

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