Interoperability and EHR Initiative: Federal and State Government News Update

Edition Eighty-Two (01/23/12)

HITRUST Announces Framework Update, Vows Privacy Requirements This Year
Modern Healthcare, subscription required, 1/12/12
The Health Information Trust Alliance has released an updated version of its Common Security Framework, adding 12 new security measures and removing one.

Q&A: Farzad Mostashari on Meaningful Use, Privacy
HealthLeaders, 1/10/12
In an interview, Farzad Mostashari speaks about the challenges his office faces, the importance of patients being involved in their care, and how his office is working to protect patient medical records.

EHR Incentive Payments Total $2.5 Billion
Modern Healthcare, subscription required, 1/10/12
Total federal incentive payments for the use of EHRs have soared to just over $2.5 billion, according to the CMS.

Mostashari: Momentous Progress for HIT
Health Data Management, 1/9/12
In a new blog posting, Farzad Mostashari highlights 10 notable achievements in 2012, starting with launching of the Meaningful Use incentive programs and certification of more than 1,500 complete or modular EHR products.

HHS Launches Health I.T. Video Challenge
Healthcare Informatics, 1/9/12
ONC announced a nationwide, open call for entries in a “Healthy New Year Video Challenge,” looking for personal stories of patients and families using HIT to improve health.

AHIMA: 2012's Health I.T. Must-See List Revealed
CMIO, 1/5/12
Beginning in 2009 with ARRA and the decision to adopt ICD-10, federal efforts to encourage health I.T. implementation have formed a labyrinth of initiatives for health I.T. professionals to navigate, according to the American Health Information Management Association.

HHS Sets Standards for Electronic Funds Transfers
Modern Healthcare, subscription required, 1/5/12
HHS issued an interim final rule with new standards for electronic funds transfers that the department says will reduce provider paperwork and save billions in administrative costs.

EHNAC Finalizes 2012 Transactions Processing Accreditation Programs
Health Data Management, 1/4/12
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission, which certifies entities that process transactions or exchange health information for meeting best practices, finalized criteria for its 11 programs in 2012.

Nine Experts Weigh In on 2011 Health I.T. Progress, Hopes for 2012
iHealthBeat, 1/4/12
Farzad Mostashari and eight other health I.T. experts representing the provider, vendor, and patient advocate community discuss health I.T. progress and missed opportunities in 2011, and their hopes for 2012.

HIMSS on Why Public Health and HIE Need Your Participation
Government Health IT, 1/3/12
Two new initiatives are well underway as part of the Standards and Interoperability Framework project, an ONC-sponsored collaboration open to all focused on solving interoperability challenges critical to meeting Meaningful Use objectives.

Illinois and Iowa Start Building Statewide HIEs
Health Data Management, 1/6/12
Illinois and Iowa have recently selected vendors to build and operate their statewide health information exchanges, funded under the HITECH Act.

$2 Million in Reimbursements Awarded for EHRs
The Baltimore Sun, 1/5/12
Hospitals and other health care providers in Maryland are receiving a total of $2 million in federal money to reimburse them for investments they made in new EHR systems.

AHIMA Offering Online ICD-10 Training
CMIO, 1/11/12
The American Health Information Management Association is launching a range of online courses to help health I.T. professionals prepare for the ICD-10 implementation deadline of Oct. 1, 2013.

Google Helps Emergency Room Docs to Predict Flu Trends
Healthland, 1/11/12
A new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine finds that the Google Flu Trends website can help researchers predict when emergency departments will see a surge in influenza cases.

Health I.T. Leaders Launch eNurse Mentoring Program
InformationWeek, 1/10/12
HIMSS is kicking off a new mentoring program with a website where experts can answer nurses' I.T. career questions.

Electronic Health Records Improve Nursing
United Press International, 1/10/12
A new study published in the Journal of Nursing Administration finds U.S. nurses who used EHRs consistently saw improvements in patient care and outcomes.

U.S. Docs Rate I.T. Benefits Lower Than Docs Around the World
Healthcare IT News, 1/10/12
A survey finds 45 percent of U.S. doctors said health I.T. would improve diagnostic decisions, compared with the survey average of 61 percent.

Remote Patient Monitoring Shows Strong Growth
InformationWeek, 1/5/12
About 2.2 million patients worldwide were using remote medical monitoring services at the end of 2011, according to a report from Berg Insight.

Telehealth Market Projected to Hit Nearly $295M by 2015
Becker's Hospital Review, 1/5/12
Home healthcare and disease management for the remote monitoring market is projected to reach $295 million in 2015 from $127 million in 2010, according to a Frost & Sullivan report.

NCSL Ranks Healthcare Among State Legislators' Top 2012 Priorities
Government Health IT, 1/4/12
The National Conference of State Legislatures published its annual report of top priorities for the coming year, and healthcare and health I.T. issues were chief concerns for 2012.

AHA fears Tightening of Antitrust Restrictions Regarding ACOs
Modern Healthcare, subscription required, 1/3/12
Although observers praised federal officials for loosening the antitrust and abuse rules on ACOs, the American Hospital Association is protesting efforts by regulators to move back toward stricter enforcement over time.