Edition Fifty-Four (9/28/10)

$100 Million Slated for Public Health Efforts
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 9/26/10
HHS is awarding nearly $100 million in Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act grants to support public health and prevention efforts in states and local communities. The funds will support a wide berth of public health initiatives, from tackling substance abuse and mental health issues, to tobacco-cessation hot lines, HIV testing, and obesity treatment and prevention, with some money thrown in to jumpstart HIT measures.

ONC Debuts EHR FAQ Site
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 9/24/10
ONC released a detailed set of answers to common questions about EHRs. In all, ONC published answers to 20 questions on the new regulations, which are based on queries from users in the field, mainly regarding the process of EHR certifying compliance. 

Dashboard Pinpoints State HIT Initiatives
Health Data Management, 9/24/10
HIMSS introduced a free dashboard application enabling all industry stakeholders to find and track state HIT initiatives. The HIMSS State HIT Dashboard includes a repository of state specific resources, contact information for RECs and HIEs, tracking of state legislation, links to HIMSS chapters, and contact information for HIMSS' Davies Award winners for exceptional use of EHRs.

Meaningful Use Final Rule to See 'Minor Revisions'
Healthcare IT News, 9/23/10
CMS plans to correct a few inconsistencies in the Meaningful Use final rule and will post on its Web site more detailed guidance for providers on how to meet quality measures required by the health I.T. incentive program. The minor revisions, including more detailed descriptions of each of the Meaningful Use objectives and measures, should help clarify issues and help the Health I.T. Policy Committee plan for recommendations for future stages.

Survey: Docs Show Little Concern for Meaningful Use Penalties
Healthcare IT News, 9/23/10
A recent survey finds physicians are not well-informed about financial penalties for complying with Meaningful Use—and they may have little effect on the decision to implement an EMR. While 85 percent of physicians were aware of the financial incentives for implementing the systems, more than 35 percent did not know they face government-assessed financial penalties for not complying beginning in January 2015.

Advisers Mull EHR Rules
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 9/23/10 
A group of federal policy advisers is already meeting to plan requirements for Stage 2, which is not due to start until Oct. 1, 2012, and Stage 3, which begins in late 2014. The federally chartered Health I.T. Policy Committee's work group on Meaningful Use met to discuss recommendations for more-stringent criteria which hospitals, physicians, and other "eligible providers" may eventually have to meet to qualify for future government EHR subsidies.

CCHIT Accepting Meaningful Use Certification Apps
Health Data Management, 9/21/10
CCHIT launched its program to certify EHRs as supporting Stage 1 Meaningful Use requirements under the HITECH Act. CCHIT is accepting applications and expects to announce the first group of certified products within weeks. CCHIT will offer certification of Complete EHRs, which support all Stage 1 criteria and EHR Modules, or niche applications, which meet specific criteria.

More U.S. Doctors Moving to e-Prescriptions
Reuters, 9/21/10
U.S. doctors are increasingly ditching pen and paper and sending prescriptions to pharmacies electronically, lured by up to $27 billion in government funds aimed at speeding the switch to EMRs. There are now 200,000 doctors who use e-Prescribing, or roughly one in three office-based doctors, compared to 156,000 at the end of last year, and 74,000 at the end of 2008.

Privacy Hindering EHR Progress, Say Researchers
Healthcare IT News, 9/21/10
Privacy concerns remain the key obstacle in the widespread adoption of EHRs in the U.S., according to researchers from the North Carolina State University. The paper, "Privacy and Security in the Implementation of Health Information Technology (EHRs): U.S. and EU Compared," outlines steps which could be taken to boost privacy and promote the use of EHRs.

GAO: Tighter HIPAA Safeguards Needed at HHS
HealthLeaders, 9/21/10
The Government Accountability Office released a report which says HHS, the enforcer of HIPAA privacy and security rules, has safeguards which do not always protect sensitive information it shares with contractors. The report—Contractor Integrity: Stronger Safeguards Needed for Contractor Access to Sensitive Information—cites patient health and medical information as one of the examples of "sensitive information."

CDC Awards $42.5M for Public Health System Improvements
Government Health IT, 9/21/10
The CDC awarded $42.5 million in grants to assist 94 projects in state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments across the nation improve the performance and quality of their health services. The funds aim to help public health departments establish performance management systems to evaluate their effectiveness and train public health staff and community leaders to make business decisions which improve efficiency.

ONC Names InfoGard as Third EHR Certifier
Government Health IT, 9/17/10
ONC named InfoGard Laboratories as the third organization to test and approve EHRs under ONC’s temporary certification program. InfoGard Labs tests and validates the security of I.T. products and networks for approval and use by the federal government and large financial institutions, including Visa International and MasterCard International. The company also offers independent third-party security testing services.

Regional Extension Centers—a Primer
Med Page Today, 9/17/10
Over the past year, states across the country have begun to develop RECs to help support the broad EHR initiative passed as part of ARRA. The evidence suggests adoption of EHRs by physicians and other health care providers is a critical first step in enhancing the quality and value of health care in the U.S.

HHS Awards $130 Million to Boost Health Professions Workforce 
HHS.gov, 9/17/10
Kathleen Sebelius announced $130.8 million in grants to strengthen and expand the health professions workforce. Six areas are targeted: primary care workforce training, oral health workforce training, equipment to enhance training across the health professions, loan repayments for health professionals, health careers opportunity programs for disadvantaged students, and patient navigator outreach and chronic disease prevention in health disparity populations. The grants include $88.7 million in funding from ARRA.

Fed Advisors Seek Comment on HIE Issues
Health Data Management, 9/16/10
The Health I.T. Policy Committee's workgroup on governance is seeking public comment as it develops recommendations on the scope and process of governance for the NHIN.

Survey: 86% of MDs Want Mobile EMR Access
Mobile Health News, 9/15/10
A new study found 83 percent of physicians surveyed are interested in prescribing medication via their mobile devices. 60 percent said they were interested in using mobile technology to communicate with their patients. 86 percent of physicians would like to leverage their mobile devices for accessing EMR information.

HHS Gives $20 Million for Rural EHRs
HealthLeaders, 9/14/10
Some 1,655 critical access and rural hospitals in 41 states, and the nationwide Indian Country will share $19.8 million in federal funds to help facilities convert from paper to EHR technology. Kathleen Sebelius said by making this transition, these small and rural facilities can better qualify for substantial EHR incentive payments from Medicare and Medicaid.

Taking the Lead: HHS Office Turns the Corner on Health I.T.
Federal Times, 9/13/10
When Dr. David Blumenthal of HHS took over the government's effort about a year and a half ago to create an elaborate, nationwide, digital infrastructure for the health care industry, he didn't have much to start with. His office had a modest staff of 33 and an oversized mission: Lead the creation of a nationwide, interoperable, private, and secure electronic HCIS. But Blumenthal had two things working in his favor: a $2 billion budget and the strong backing of the Obama administration.

This Doctor's Task: Get Hospitals to Go Digital
Federal Times, 9/13/10
Federal Times recently interviewed David Blumenthal, about the progress of the incentive program for health care providers who make Meaningful Use of EHRs and take steps toward staffing regional extension centers to train providers as they set up electronic systems.

Meaningful Use: A Patient Perspective
MD News, 9/13/10
As health care providers prepare to meet Meaningful Use guidelines defined for EHR adoption, health care consumers seek providers who approach Meaningful Use from the patient perspective. While CMS may not reimburse physicians and hospitals at an enhanced level if they directly involve their patients through self-serve or on-line solutions, many forward-thinking health care providers are implementing technologies which directly engage patients in their own care and treatment.

Twelve NYC Health Centers Participate in Medical Home/Meaningful Use Project
Healthcare IT News, 9/20/10
A two-year initiative launched by the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC) and the Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS) aims at helping New York City's community health centers meet Meaningful Use and medical home standards for care. The initiative, called the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH)/Meaningful Use of HIT Learning Collaborative, is being supported with $525,000 in total grant funding from The Altman Foundation, the New York Community Trust, and the RCHN Community Health Foundation.

West Virginia Medicaid Office Launches e-Prescriptions Web Site
The Charleston Gazette, 9/17/10
The West Virginia Medicaid office launched its new e-Prescribing Web site, designed to streamline communication between physicians, pharmacies, and insurance providers. The state Medicaid office launched WVeScript.com after nearly five years of work.

Connecticut Mandates Fast Breach Notification
Health Data Management, 9/15/10
A recent directive from the Connecticut Insurance Department requires all regulated entities in the state to notify the department of "any information security incident" within five calendar days of the incident being identified. The bulletin says the department intends to play an active role in resolution of data breaches in Connecticut.

Physicians Foundation Awards 15 Organizations $2M for I.T. Projects
Healthcare IT News, 9/14/10
The Physicians Foundation awarded 15 individual grants in 13 states totaling nearly $2 million for numerous health I.T. projects supporting high quality patient care. The Foundation has made HIT a specific focus, because it wants to ensure the move to digital records and the use of other technologies is made in a constructive, positive fashion—specifically, one which preserves and supports the doctor-patient relationship.

CMS Funds Four More States’ Medicaid EHR Plans
Government Health IT, 9/13/10
CMS has given $6.9 million in federal matching funds to four states to underwrite their efforts to administer the federal health I.T. incentive plan among Medicaid providers in their states. North Dakota, Hawaii, Ohio, and Massachusetts were the latest group of states to receive the CMS funding after submitting strategic plans for supporting adoption of EHRs among Medicaid providers in their states.

Sharing Medical Records Saves Lives
Concord Monitor, 9/13/10
New Hampshire health care providers are ahead of the curve when it comes to switching from paper medical records to electronic record keeping. Most medical offices and testing labs have made the switch. Health care providers swivel from patient to computer to check their medical history and enter new information. But though the information could be sent to a secure site available to all health care providers with a single click, the potentially life-saving records are not routinely shared among health care workers in different systems, or with the hospital across town.

N.Y. Awards $109 Million in I.T. Grants
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 9/12/10
New York awarded a combined $109 million in HIT grants to promote medical homes to 11 hospitals, HIEs, and other health care organizations. The grants will focus on coordination of mental health, long-term care, and home health care.

FTC Supports Breach Notification Bill
HealthLeaders, 9/24/10
The FTC has approved a data breach bill requiring entities holding consumers' sensitive information to create a robust data compliance protection plan. The intention of the plan is to enforce strict breach notification requirements. The FTC submitted testimony for a Senate hearing on the bill and said it "strongly supports" the bill.

Mobile Health Forecasts are Promising, But Who Will Buy?
iHealthbeat, 9/23/10
By asserting 40% of U.S. adults would be willing to pay for mobile health applications, valuing the market at $7.7 billion, PricewaterhouseCoopers has opened up a dialogue on Twitter, in blogs, and even in the mainstream press on whether consumers would really open up their wallets and spend money on personal HIT.

5 Ways to Avoid CPOE Pitfalls
HealthLeaders, 9/21/10 
An increasing number of organizations are implementing CPOE systems in order to help physicians make decisions based on evidenced-based best practices. There are a number of benefits to such systems, from streamlined ordering of clinical tests, labs, and medications, allergy and drug interaction alerts, and an end to the errors caused by physicians' notoriously poor handwriting.

NQF Endorses Outcomes Measures
Health Data Management, 9/20/10
The National Quality Forum endorsed eight outcomes measures covering pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions, as well as treatment delivered in the intensive care unit. The forum sets national priorities and goals for performance improvement, endorses quality reporting standards, and conducts educational programs. 

How to Adopt EMRs Without Losing Physician Productivity
Becker's ASC Review, 9/17/10
If you think your clinic or surgery center is feeling productivity pressure now, what's coming won't bring much good news. There will be millions more patients, and relatively few more doctors. According to HHS, the U.S. population will grow 14 percent between 2005 and 2020, while the elderly population is projected to increase by 50 percent. Yet the supply of physicians in clinical practice is projected to grow by only about half the rate, and at only 3 percent for surgical specialists. 

VA Announces Newest City for Info-Sharing Project
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 9/16/10
The VA announced the launch of its latest pilot project—this one in the Pacific Northwest—to promote HIE between its VistA system, military, and private-sector health care providers. The pilot will link the Spokane Veterans Administration Medical Center, Fairchild Air Force Base, and the Inland Northwest Health Services, a RHIO.

Strategies Toward Simpler, Safer CPOEs
HealthLeaders, 9/15/10
On its face, CPOE is a no-brainer. Make it easier for physicians to order clinical tests, labs, and medications. Alert them to allergies and possible drug interactions. Eliminate paper and the errors caused by poor handwriting and transcription errors. Avoid duplicate tests and procedures. Improve communication and coordination among caregivers. It all adds up to safer, simpler, more effective, and less expensive health care.

AHIMA: Tighten 'Minimum Necessary'
Health Data Management, 9/13/10
The "minimum necessary" standard for the use and disclosure of protected health information should more clearly detail the health care provider's stewardship role in determining what is the minimum necessary, according to the American Health Information Management Association.

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