Edition Thirty-Nine (3/1/10)

CHIME: Phase in Meaningful Use
Health Data Management, 2/26/10
The federal government should abandon its "all or nothing" approach to meeting requirements for meaningful use of EHRs and reward incremental progress toward adoption and use of the technology, according to a letter from CHIME.

‘NHIN Direct’ Launched for Simpler Data Exchange
Government Health IT, 2/25/10
ONC launched “NHIN Direct” as a simpler way for physicians and consumers to exchange health information than through implementation of the full-blown NHIN. NHIN Direct would use “lightweight” versions of the current standards and services of the NHIN to enable small providers to exchange information.

Should FDA Regulate Health I.T.?
Health Data Management, 2/25/10
Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who is investigating the safety of HIT, appears to be interested in exploring whether the FDA should regulate such products.

Health I.T. Industry Still Waiting for Guidance on EHR Certification
iHealthBeat, 2/25/10
As health care providers and vendors ramp up in an effort to meet the regulations to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments under the stimulus package, there is still one big missing puzzle piece—guidance on the EHR certification process.

HHS Panel Offers Flexibility in Certification Standards
Government Health IT, 2/24/10
The Health I.T. Standards Committee endorsed changes in the regulation governing standards for certified EHRs which bridges the gap between flexibility and technical specificity in the hope it will help drive adoption of EHRs.

HHS Awards $100M for Children's Health I.T., Quality Measures
Government Health IT, 2/24/10
HHS awarded $100 million in grants to 10 states to test provider performance measures, and to use pediatric EHRs and other HIT to promote quality improvements.

Feds Seek Input to Develop Privacy Guidance
Health Data Management, 2/24/10
HHS' Office for Civil Rights will host a workshop on to solicit input as it develops guidance for de-identification of protected health information. The Office for Civil Rights has enforcement jurisdiction over the HIPAA privacy and security rules.

Advisory Groups Set March Meetings
Health Data Management, 2/23/10
The HIT Policy Committee and HIT Standards Committee, advisory bodies to HHS, have posted their workgroup meeting schedules for March.

EMR Adoption: Starting to Evolve or Still Stuck in the Past?
HealthLeaders, 2/23/10
Despite ARRA's HITECH provision, which offers more than $30 billion in incentives, the basic questions about how EMRs will impact practices remain largely unanswered. Other concerns haven't gone away: loss of productivity during transition periods and reliable, easy data input.

Medical Paper Trail Takes Electronic Turn 
The New York Times, 2/23/10
The future holds potential for a major improvement which capitalizes on modern technology. It goes by different names depending on who maintains it—EHR, EMR, PHR—and its promise goes way beyond doctors’ having to rely on the incomplete or inaccurate memories of their patients.

Some Say Rules Could Put Stimulus Cash Out of Reach
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 2/22/10
One year ago, Congress moved to buoy an economy swamped in a grim recession with billions of dollars to fuel spending, create jobs, and shore up the nation's safety net. Now hospitals and doctors say key health provisions do not go far enough or risk shortchanging the sector of its share of the $787 billion stimulus package.

White House Calls for Government-wide HIT Task Force
Government Health IT, 2/22/10
The White House called for the creation of a government-wide task force to strengthen coordination of health I.T. among federal agencies which hold key roles in carrying out the administration’s plans for a digital health care system.

Criteria for Accrediting HIEs Released
Health Data Management, 2/22/10
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission has released for public review and comment much of the criteria for its upcoming HIE accreditation program.

New Obama Health Plan Has I.T. Angles
Health Data Management, 2/22/10
Obama has released a detailed summary of a new health care reform plan which includes several proposals which would use I.T. to reach specific goals. Many of the I.T. proposals target waste, fraud, and abuse in the industry.

‘Core Measures' at Center of Health I.T. Debate
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 2/19/10
The Health I.T. Policy Committee has asked the CMS to drop the three so-called “core measures” from its proposed rule on meaningful use.

VA Takes a Leap of Faith into Telehealth
Federal Computer Week, 2/17/10
The VA is jumping forward by proposing to double its telehealth investment over two years. If telehealth expands dramatically at the VA, it should happen within a broader context.

Federal Advisors: Change Meaningful Use Criteria
Health Data Management, 2/17/10
The HIT Policy Committee's meaningful use workgroup recommended a measure of flexibility as an alternative to the all or nothing nature of the proposed rule. Under the workgroup recommendations, eligible professionals and hospitals could defer compliance with up to six meaningful use criteria in specific priority areas.

Pritts Named First ONC Privacy Officer Under Stimulus Law
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 2/17/10
Joy Pritts was appointed to the newly created position of chief privacy officer, to advise ONC on privacy, security, and data stewardship of EHRs.

Guerra on Health Care: Stimulus Funds for All EMR Systems
InformationWeek, 2/16/10
The government set the bar defining the meaningful use of EHRs quite high, and the timelines for compliance are extremely tight, but there's one area where the government has pulled back to the detriment of the whole program: Hospital-based doctors aren't eligible for stimulus funds.

Health I.T.'s Three Big Issues: Money, Money, and Money
HealthLeaders, 2/16/10
From budgets to staffing to investment in new technologies, which will help organizations achieve meaningful use, health care I.T. leaders spoke out on how the changes will affect their organizations—and their organization's budget, in this year's HealthLeaders Media Industry Survey.

Defining Meaningful Use
H&HN, 2/16/10
As I.T. experts read through CMS' proposed definition for meaningful use, it became clear where the federal government was setting the bar and how far providers had to climb. This outline provides a broad overview of CMS' proposed rule.

HIPAA Compliance Questions to Ask as HITECH Date Nears
HealthLeaders, 2/15/10
As your organization works to comply with breach notification regulations and sets up a "harm threshold" risk analysis team, per HITECH, it should also go back to HIPAA security 101.

White House Highlights Health Care I.T. Investments, by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
The Government Monitor, 2/15/10
As part of ARRA, over $750 million in new grants to help doctors adopt EHRs will benefit both patients and doctors by cutting costs, eliminating paperwork, and helping doctors deliver high-quality, coordinated care.

California to Build HIE with Nearly $40 Million
Healthcare IT News, 2/26/10
Of the more than $100 million California will receive from ARRA, the California Health and Human Services Agency will use $38.8 million to build a statewide HIE.

Nebraska Expands Health Information Exchange
InformationWeek, 2/24/10
Nebraska is among states already making strides in expanding its capabilities for health care providers to exchange patient data through the Nebraska Health Information Initiative.

Oregon Receives $21 Million in Health Technology Grants
The Lund Report, 2/24/10
Oregon will jumpstart another key element of health care reform—increasing the use and effectiveness of EHR technologies—thanks to two federal grants to develop a system of statewide HIE.

Q&A: Maine HIE Works Through a Variety of Challenges
CMIO, 2/24/10
Maine currently has the largest operating statewide HIE in the country in relation to population. Devore Culver, Executive Director of Maine’s HealthInfoNet, recently spoke with CMIO about the progress HealthInfoNet has made. 

$100 Million for Pennsylvania Broadband Network
Philly.com, 2/23/10
A coalition of Pennsylvania health care groups, research organizations, and colleges has been awarded a federal grant of $99.6 million to develop a statewide fiber-optic network throughout the state.

EHR Assistance for Central Illinois Medical Practices
PRWeb, 2/19/10
Quality Quest for Health of Illinois has been designated as a HIT regional extension center satellite office for 38 counties in central Illinois in order to assist smaller primary care practices, federally qualified health centers, and critical access hospitals with the selection and implementation of certified EHRs.

Missouri Health I.T. Plan Gets Federal Approval
St. Louis Business Journal, 2/17/10
Missouri got a federal boost in its effort to improve HIT around the state with $13.8 million going to the Missouri Office of Health Information Technology.

DC Wins $5 Million for Health Care
Washington Business Journal, 2/17/10
D.C.'s Department of Health Care Finance won a $5 million in stimulus funds commitment from HHS to help the city establish a statewide HIE.

Virginia Gets Millions for Electronic Health Data
The Virginian-Pilot, 2/16/10
Virginia was awarded $11.6 million to improve HIE throughout the state. Another $12.4 million in federal funds will be used to help doctors across Virginia acquire and adopt EHRs in their practices.

Tennessee Receives $12M in Stimulus Money to Help Spur the Exchange of EHRs
WHNT News, 2/15/10
Governor Phil Bredesen has announced Tennessee will receive nearly $12 million to help health care providers use and exchange more electronic health information.

Ohio Partnership Gets $43M for Electronic Health Records
Dayton Business Journal, 2/15/10
The Ohio Health Information Partnership was awarded more than $43 million from ARRA to help make EHRs more widely available. The largest portion of the federal funding, $28.5 million, is designated to help with the creation of regional extension centers.

Patrick-Murray Administration Announces $25.6M in Federal Funding
CityBizList, 2/15/10
Massachusetts will receive a $15 million grant to support the implementation of EHRs and an additional $10.6 million grant to support the development of a secure network to support a statewide HIE.

DCH Continues Momentum in Advancing HIT Across Georgia 
WCTV, 2/15/10
In support for Georgia’s on-going effort to transform health care by expanding the use of EHRs and creating the infrastructure for HIE at the local, state, and national levels, HHS has awarded the Georgia Department of Community Health $13 million.

Information Exchanges Have Positive Effect: GAO
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 2/24/10
HIEs are helping providers better coordinate patient care and root out abuse, concludes a report by the Government Accountability Office.

EHR Adoption Rate in U.S. Physician Offices Increases 3.2% Since 2009
HealthImaging.com, 2/18/10
The EHR adoption rate in U.S. medical offices is 36.1 percent, a 3.2 percent increase since February 2009, according to a study.

One-on-One with Methodist Health CIO Pam McNutt
Health System CIO, 2/16/10
To learn more about her take on meaningful use, healthsystemCIO.com recently caught up with chair of CHIME’s Policy Steering Committee, Pamela McNutt, SVP & CIO of MEDITECH customer, Methodist Health System.

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