Edition Eight (3/24/09)

Economic Stimulus Channel Added
Health Data Management, 3/23/09
Health Data Management has added a Stimulus News channel on its home page to provide easy access to the latest news on the health care information technology aspects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The channel, which is frequently updated, already includes dozens of stories, include expert advice on how to prepare for the Medicare and Medicaid stimulus money provided in the Act.

Blumenthal Called Well-Prepared
Health Data Management, 3/23/09
David Blumenthal M.D., President Obama’s pick for National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, comes to the job with a wealth of preparation, says H. Stephen Lieber, president and CEO of HIMSS, Chicago.

Experts Say Blumenthal Right Choice for I.T. Office
Modern Healthcare, subscription needed 3/23/09
David Blumenthal, President Barack Obama’s choice to become the third national coordinator for health information technology at HHS, was lauded by industry insiders as a good choice. Blumenthal, an internist who is director and founder of the Institute for Health Policy at 907-bed Massachusetts General Hospital, part of Partners HealthCare System in Boston, was praised for his policy experience, though he has relatively less experience working directly with health care I.T.

Questions Surround Health I.T. Money
AP/Yahoo News, 3/23/09
The best-case scenario for the government's plans to spend $19 billion on computerized medical records is seamless communication among doctors and patients, and far fewer mistakes. And the worst-case: $19 billion goes down the drain. The medical industry is hoping for the first outcome, even while some fear the second, as the Health and Human Services Department tries to get hundreds of thousands of doctors to quit using paper files and join the digital age.

Blumenthal to Serve as National Health I.T. Coordinator
HHS.gov, 3/20/09
Physician, researcher, and health care policy wonk David Blumenthal was named as President Barack Obama’s choice to become the national coordinator for health information technology at HHS. Blumenthal, an internist who founded the Institute for Health Policy at 907-bed Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, in 1998, intimately knows the size and contours of the gaps in EHR adoption rates at U.S. hospitals and doctors’ offices.

e-Health Records Not Enough, Experts Say
PC World, 3/20/09
If the $19 billion for health I.T. in a recently passed U.S. economic stimulus package goes only to driving up adoption of electronic health records, the U.S. health care system will not improve, some medical experts said.

Social Security Goes Live with First Federal e-Health Information Exchange
Computerworld, 3/20/09
The Social Security Administration (SSA) said it has gone LIVE with a disability claims processing system that was designed to reduce the time millions of Americans spend each year waiting for benefits to be approved—and that could mark the start of the rollout of national health information network.

HHS Makes $268 Million in Recovery Act Funding Available to Support Hospitals
HHS.gov, 3/20/09
Building on President Barack Obama’s efforts to ensure access to health care for millions of uninsured Americans, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that states can access an additional $268 million authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help pay hospitals to treat their most vulnerable patients.

Would $17 Billion In Federal Funds For Digital Health Records Pay?
Investor's Business Daily, 3/20/09
President Obama and other proponents of improved medical information technology are betting that it will be a key part of the solution to the nation's health care crisis. In theory, better health I.T. could save tens of billions of dollars and thousands of lives. Obama is counting on those savings to help pay for ambitious health care programs.

Predictions Difficult in Rapidly Changing Health I.T. Market
iHealthBeat, 3/19/09
Some health I.T. experts predict $19 billion in federal stimulus money to jumpstart electronic record keeping in health care might not be enough to get the job done as quickly as the government wants. While there's certainly plenty of statistical evidence to back up that contention— including a new study from a private consulting firm—there also are I.T. experts who say things are changing too quickly in the marketplace and the political arena to put much stock in any predictions based on old news.

Senator Whitehouse: Let's Get to Work
Health Data Management, 3/19/09
Few would debate the effort to increase use of information technology in health care got a big lift with a $19.2 billion infusion in the economic stimulus law, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is coming to next month's HIMSS Conference and Exhibition in Chicago to ask attendees not to rest on their laurels, because there remain plenty of challenges ahead and he'll be looking for positive results.

Proposed Budget Provisions Seen as Threat to Small Rural Hospitals
Modern Healthcare, subscription needed 3/18/09
President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal 2010 contains a number of provisions that could adversely affect small rural hospitals, Edward Hannon, chief executive officer of 49-bed McDowell Hospital in Marion, N.C., testified before the House Small Business Committee. The budget blueprint included a long list of potential cost-saving measures that could be used to help finance a $634 billion health savings reserve fund.

Road to Electronic Health Records Needs Coordination
Inside Bay Area.com, 3/18/09
For decades, health care has lagged behind other industries in embracing information technology. Now, the Obama administration has earmarked $19 billion for health I.T. in the economic stimulus package, and is calling for widespread adoption of EHRs by 2014. While medical experts are encouraged by the stimulus money, they're also cautious: Creating effective, efficient electronic systems will require a coordinated effort in a fragmented health care industry.

On-line Records Get Patients Involved in Care
The Wall Street Journal, 3/18/09
Large managed care groups are increasingly using electronic medical record systems to help get patients to take better care of themselves. The trend, known as information therapy, involves delivering reliable health information directly to patients to help them manage their conditions and make treatment choices. Health plans also are offering online self-management programs and virtual coaching sessions for a wide range of health issues.

Ideas for Getting Stimulus Funds
Health Data Management, 3/18/09
A special educational session at next month's HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago will focus on interoperability issues and funding opportunities resulting from the new economic stimulus law. John Halamka, M.D., CIO of CareGroup Health System in Boston and chair of the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel, will give a national overview of interoperability issues. Laura Kolkman, president of Mosaica Partners LLC, a St. Petersburg, Fla.-based consulting firm, will talk about the money.

Web Seminars to Address Privacy
Health Data Management, 3/18/09
The Health Care Compliance Association will hold a two-part Web seminar (at a fee) on the health care security and privacy measures in the federal economic stimulus package. Part one of the Web conference, to be held at noon central on March 30, will offer an overview of how the The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 changes the HIPAA privacy and security rules. Part two, to be held at noon central April 9, will offer suggestions for how to prepare for the changes.

Experts Propose Network for Sharing Health Data on Medicaid/Medicare Patients
Government Health IT, 3/18/09
A group of health policy experts is calling on Congress and the Obama administration to support development of a rapid learning network that would share clinical information on Medicare and Medicaid patients in the hope of learning what medical treatments work best.

Officials: More Education Needed on Stimulus Law
Government Health IT, 3/17/09
What health care providers don’t know about the health information technology funding available under the financial stimulus law could hurt them financially, speakers at a Washington briefing said last week. At the same time, educating providers about all the health I.T. “carrots and sticks” in the law won’t be easy, they said.

Recovery Act is 'Game-Changing' for Health Care I.T., Says P4P Panel
Healthcare IT News, 3/17/09
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 may be the driver for connecting HIEs to P4P, said Janet Marchibroda, chief health care officer for IBM. Marchibroda spoke at the Fourth National Pay-for-Performance Summit in San Francisco. She was a member of a panel that discussed the role of health information exchanges in pay-for-performance programs.

e-Prescribing Savings Will Offset the $19 Billion Feds Will Spend for Health I.T.
Government Health IT, 3/16/09
The stimulus law’s incentives for providers to adopt health information technology will double the rate of e-Prescribing and result in a $22 billion reduction in drug and medical costs in the next decade, according to a study commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. If the study’s authors at consulting firm Visante are correct, the e-Prescribing savings alone will more than pay for the $19 billion in adoption incentives and other health I.T. promotion activities required under the stimulus law.

Practices Paperless Before 2012 Could Maximize Medicare Bonuses
American Medical News, 3/16/09
Physicians can earn tens of thousands in I.T. incentives, but they must act quickly to achieve the biggest benefit and avoid penalties. The recent economic stimulus package provides a significant investment in health information technology that could benefit many physicians. But the government is expecting doctors to do their part to implement health I.T. and is prepared to penalize those who don't.

Most Hospitals Somewhere Along Road to EMRs
American Medical News, 3/16/09
An analysis of hospital health I.T. systems found that not only are more hospitals implementing electronic medical record systems, compared with a year ago, but the systems are becoming more sophisticated. HIMSS Analytics, which rates hospital EMR systems on an eight-stage scale, announced in February that 42 hospitals are in the top two tiers of implementation, with 15 hospitals reaching the highest stage for the first time since the group started conducting the quarterly surveys in 2005.

Many Projects, Little Money
HealthLeaders, 3/12/09
As the economic crisis puts the squeeze on hospital budgets, CIOs are facing some difficult financial decisions as they plot their organizations' I.T. strategy. Since the economy began its downturn into what many consider the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, executives in hospitals of all sizes nationwide have had to make difficult decisions about what (and sometimes who) to cut in their efforts to remain financially viable.

Electronic Medical Records: Nebraska Envisions Statewide Network
TMCnet, 3/22/09
The Nebraska Health Information Initiative plans to seek federal stimulus funds to establish a statewide network for electronic medical records. Participating parties will explain the system, called the Nebraska Statewide Health Information Exchange, at a ceremony with Gov. Dave Heineman in Lincoln on April 2.

New Mexico Bill Recognizes EMRs
Health Data Management, 3/20/09
The New Mexico Legislature has approved legislation to recognize electronic medical records and signatures as legal medical records. Governor Bill Richardson (D) has indicated he will sign the bill. The legislation, SB 278, also expands privacy protections for electronic medical records. It limits disclosure of information without patient consent unless the disclosure is permitted by state or federal law, required for emergency treatment, or necessary for the operation of a record locator service and health information exchange.

Health I.T. Progress Mixed in New York: Reports
Modern Healthcare, subscription needed 3/18/09
Two reports released separately in New York state showed various degrees of progress in developing and using health information technology there. New York’s model for building a statewide health information network is working, while New York city hospitals are underreporting adverse events to the state health department, according to the reports released by the Health Information Technology Evaluation Collaborative, or HITEC, and the city comptroller, respectively.

Bill in Legislature Pushes to Put Hawaii Medical Records On-line
Honolulu Advertiser, 3/18/09
A system linking all hospital, patient, and physician records via an on-line database would cut medical costs in Hawaii and improve patient care by giving doctors immediate access to key information. That's the stance of several state lawmakers who hope to fund the database project with federal stimulus money.

Massachusetts Portrayed as Automation Leader
Health Data Management, 3/17/09
Thanks to incentives from payers and a major provider organization, plus a state mandate, hospitals, and physicians in Massachusetts use information technology more than those in other states, an analysis of two new surveys claims. CSC, a Falls Church, Va.-based consulting firm, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts last summer jointly conducted the surveys. One included 519 physicians while the other was completed by 27 executives representing 43 hospitals. The survey sponsors claim the percentage of hospitals with CPOE in Massachusetts is “nearly double the national average.”

NRHS Project Funded by Bill
The Norman Transcript, 3/17/09
When President Barack Obama signed a $410 billion spending bill into law last week, it was good news for Oklahoma and MEDITECH customer Norman Regional Health System. The law allows for $82 million in funds to cover 10 special Oklahoma projects. Norman Regional Health System is one of those projects named in the law, and is expected to receive $381,000. Dr. Brian Yeaman, director of physician informatics for Norman Regional Health System, said the patient benefits the most with what he calls a records database. The database can include patient records, allergies, medication lists, medical history, surgical history, and lab test results.

Doctors Reluctantly Embrace Technology
Orlando Business Journal, 3/17/09
More physicians are embracing technological advances, such as electronic medical records, but most still consider them clunky and unresponsive to their needs, according to a recent survey by the American College of Physician Executives. Some doctors embrace the new measures, but a much larger number viewed health care technology as frustrating and difficult to use.




Obama to Pursue Budget Goals on Hill
The Washington Post, 3/24/09
President Obama will go to Capitol Hill this week to try to persuade skeptical Senate Democrats to support the administration's first budget request after an analysis showed that the spending plan would drive the nation deeply into debt over the next decade. Obama will address Senate Democrats on Wednesday, when budget committees are scheduled to meet in the House and Senate to consider the $3.6 trillion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins in October.

I.T. Leaders Named to Comparative Effectiveness Panel
Modern Healthcare, subscription needed 3/20/09
HHS named the members of its new Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research, established to oversee and manage $1.1 billion in research funds allocated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The council was formed to make recommendations to the HHS secretary about different treatment options including medications and surgical procedures and aims to present the “best information” possible to doctors and patients as they make healthcare choices, said Carolyn Clancy, a physician who is director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Stimulus Funds will Boost Comparative Health Research
The Washington Post, 3/19/09
The Department of Health and Human Services unveiled details of a plan to invest more in comparative studies on the effectiveness of different medical treatments. HHS officials said it has established a 15-member council to oversee the use of some $1.1 billion set aside for "comparative-effectiveness" research under the recently passed, $787 billion economic-stimulus plan. Of the total, the Agency for Research and Quality, a research arm under HHS, will receive $300 million, and the National Institutes of Health and the Health and Human Services Department, $400 million each, the officials said.

Standards Groups Join Forces
Health Data Management, 3/18/09
Several health care data standards development organizations have formed the Standards Charter Organization to better collaborate their efforts and ease harmonization of the various standards. The organization results from a series of summits that the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs held with other standards organizations in 2008. In addition to NCPDP, charter members include Health Level Seven, Accredited Standards Committee X12, ASTM International, and Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium.

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