Edition Thirty-Four (12/23/09)

Standard Transactions Still in Senate Bill
Health Data Management, 12/22/09
The Senate health reform bill positioned for a final vote retains language to significantly tighten the HIPAA transaction standards and other administrative simplification provisions. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, H.R. 3590 as amended, would mandate use of "operating rules" which payer advocacy organization CAQH has championed to standardize the HIPAA standards.

President's I.T. Council Meets behind Closed Doors
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 12/21/09
The Obama administration held another closed-door meeting to discuss national health I.T. policy. This time, it was a daylong meeting of a branch of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, or PCAST. PCAST is organized under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, or FACA, which generally calls for its meetings to be held in public.

HHS Offers $60M Grants for Strategic Health I.T. Projects
HealthLeaders, 12/21/09
HHS is providing $60 million in grants for researchers to develop Strategic Health I.T. Advanced Research Projects to target breakthrough advances, and overcome barriers to the adoption and meaningful use of health I.T. The SHARP program will attempt to find breakthrough solutions and innovations, which will eliminate barriers to adoption and increase the meaningful use of health I.T. to improve the health and care of all Americans, according to David Blumenthal.

New Technology a 'Push' Toward EHR Future
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 12/18/09
There is a push going on for push messaging, a likely first step in rolling out a proposed NHIN in time for health care organizations to use EHR systems in a "meaningful manner" and qualify for federal EHR subsidy payments under ARRA.

CMS Issues e-Script Incentive Guidance
Health Data Management, 12/17/09
CMS has posted on its Web site a number of guidance documents about the Medicare e-Prescribing incentive program for 2010. The guidance documents provide information on measure specifications for claims or registry-based reporting, changes from the 2009 incentive program including new group practice reporting options, and principals for reporting the e-Prescribing measure on claims.

What Makes HIEs Viable?
Health Data Management, 12/17/09
Results from a national survey of RHIOs show simplicity and early funding commitments from participants improve viability of the initiatives. Researchers from Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Boston Veterans Affairs Hospital surveyed all known RHIOs in the U.S. in mid-2008. They examined two main outcome measures: whether the RHIO was operational, and the percent of operating costs covered by revenue from participants.

HHS to Build Universal Claims Database for Health Research
Government Health IT, 12/17/09
HHS plans to build a universal database of claims records from all health care payor organizations in an effort to strengthen its analysis of health care trends and treatment outcomes. HHS said the database – which could be expanded to include other types of health records – would broaden the data field against which to conduct comparative effectiveness research.

NHIN Needs a Better Provider Directory, Workgroup Says
Federal Computer Week, 12/16/09
The next major component needed for the federal government-sponsored NHIN is a directory of up-to-date e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers for providers of medical data into the system, members of an advisory workgroup said. Creating and maintaining such a directory is a core need for the NHIN, according to Farzad Mostashari, senior adviser to ONC.

I.T. Training Program Gains Steam
Health Data Management, 12/16/09
ONC has released a revised Funding Opportunity Announcement for $10 million covering up to five grants to develop the curriculum for HIT training programs at community colleges. The Curriculum Development Centers Program is part of an initiative to increase the health I.T. workforce by 50,000, funded by ARRA.

Policy Group Meets, "Meaningful Use" Goes Undefined
Modern Healthcare, subscription required, 12/16/09
At one time it was said the federal definition and criteria for the "meaningful use" of EHR systems would be released by mid-December, but the deadline has passed. David Blumenthal said his office needed more time to digest other workgroup recommendations, including a possible federal pre-emption of state lab laws, which might have legal implications.

HHS Advised on Measuring Quality
Health Data Management, 12/15/09
The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, an advisory body to HHS, has made several recommendations to facilitate meaningful measurement of care quality using EHRs. A core purpose of the HITECH Act is to accelerate adoption and meaningful use of EHRs to measure and improve health care processes and outcomes, NCVHS noted in a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

'Beacon' Communities Must Show HIT Bona Fides
Government Health IT, 12/14/09
Communities which vie for grants to become health I.T. "beacons" under a federal program must show a good portion of their local providers already embrace EHRs and electronic health information sharing. To become a "beacon" community, applicants must have an established track record of using health I.T. to improve health care in at least one category—cost efficiency, quality of care, or population health.

Stimulus Funds to Pay for EHRs at Federal Centers
Federal Computer Week, 12/14/09
Obama is distributing $88 million in economic stimulus law funding to federally supported health centers to pay for new EHRs and other HIT systems. The $88 million will go to Health Center Controlled Networks, which are electronic networks established by three or more health centers to share core business functions. About 53 such networks now exist.

Improving Health I.T. Infrastructure for Better Care
H&HN, 12/14/09
Despite widespread agreement about the necessity of EHRs, health care organizations have been slow to put EHRs to use, especially in ambulatory settings. In a national survey of 725 federally funded community health centers, only 26 percent had either full or partial EHR capacity; an additional 13 percent had the minimum set of functions.

AHRQ Awards AHIMA Foundation Grant for I.T. Summit
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 12/12/09
AHRQ awarded a $48,000 research development conference grant to the AHIMA Foundation to hold a summit on HIT and rural settings. The summit aims to discuss the economic and strategic impact of health I.T. on various quality-improvement initiatives, current challenges and research in quality efforts, and create a research agenda to focus on gaps in current studies.

AHA, Others Weigh in on Incentive Definitions
AHA News, 12/11/09
In a letter to the HHS, the AHA and four other national hospital associations outlined their concerns with the department's pending statutory or expected definitions of a "hospital" and "hospital-based physician"—definitions will play important roles in determining eligibility for incentive payments for the meaningful use of EHR.

ONC Advisors Add Privacy/Security Group
Health Data Management, 12/11/09
ONC has announced members of a new privacy and security workgroup within the HIT Policy Committee. The HIT Standards Committee has had a privacy and security workgroup, and National Coordinator David Blumenthal suggested the policy committee do the same.

Feds Launch Internet Health Care Initiatives
InformationWeek, 12/10/09
HHS launched three Internet initiatives designed to promote the sharing of research information, improve collaboration, and encourage swine flu prevention. The programs are an implementation of Obama's principles for promoting open government through transparency, participation, and collaboration, said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Doctors with an EHR are More Likely to Report Adverse Events
Healthcare IT News, 12/9/09
Physicians are more likely to report drug safety information when using an EHR system, according to a recent survey. Half of all respondents and 60 percent of fully-functional EHR users reported they would be more likely to submit information about adverse events using an EHR system.

HHS Gets Advice on Incentive Definitions
Health Data Management, 12/7/09
More than 40 hospitals and delivery systems are giving advice to federal officials as they finalize proposed rules to implement the meaningful use provisions of ARRA. The organizations, working through AHA, have sent a letter to three top policymakers outlining concerns with statutory or expected definitions for "hospital" and "hospital-based physician."

Government Won't Always Rule HIT: Blumenthal to NCQA
Modern Healthcare, subscription required 12/7/09
Private industry, not the federal government, will eventually drive health I.T. initiatives, said David Blumenthal at a policy conference sponsored by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. A recent study of physician practices showed 20% were using EHRs in 2008. Of those users, 90% said they were satisfied with the technology and could point to quality improvements as a result of using EHRs.

Federal Advisory Group Seeks Members
Health Data Management, 12/4/09
The National eHealth Collaborative, an industry advisory panel to ONC, is seeking nominations for four open seats on its board of directors. Collaborative members will elect the new board members in late January.



More States Get Incentive Planning Funds
Health Data Management, 12/10/09
Six additional states and the U.S. Virgin Islands will receive matching federal planning funds under ARRA to implement Medicaid incentive payments for meaningful use of EHRs. Iowa was the first state to qualify and will receive approximately $1.6 million. The new awardees are California ($2.48 million), Georgia ($3.17 million), Idaho ($142,000), Montana ($239,000), New York ($5.91 million), Texas ($3.86 million) and Virgin Islands ($232,000).

Report Says New Strategies Could Save West Virginia Health Care System Over $1B by 2014
Chicago Tribune, 12/7/09
West Virginia's health care system could save over $1.1 billion by going digital and centralizing patient care, according to a report. If EMRs are adopted statewide in the next four years, the report estimates a savings of more than $317 million, including $85 million for private insurers and $84 million for policyholders.

New Mexico Awaits Decision on Extension Centers
Government Health IT, 12/7/09
The New Mexico Health Information Collaborative will find out whether it will be one of the first-round picks to become a federal Health I.T. Regional Extension Center. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson recently designated NMHIC as the state's official health information exchange network, which received a matching grant from AHRQ in 2004 for $1.5 million over three years to support HIE.

State Digitizing Medical Records
Missourinet, 12/7/09
Missouri has launched an effort to implement EHRs—a move the Department of Social Services will make the medical industry more efficient for consumers and physicians. Missouri is asking the federal government for more than $13 million to implement a statewide system for EHRs. Health care professionals from around Missouri are participating in the Missouri Office of Health Information Technology, which will be part of the Department of Social Services.


Top 10 Issues Facing Health Care in 2010
HealthLeaders, 12/18/09
A report from PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute, entitled "Squeezing the Juice Out of Health Care," lists 10 issues of concern for health providers, including insurers, hospitals, physicians, pharmaceutical and life-sciences companies, and even community groups and municipalities.

Providers Look to I.T. to Counter Physician Shortage
Healthcare IT News, 12/16/09
With the physician shortage growing, health care providers are looking to health I.T. to deliver time savings and improved efficiencies, according to a survey. The survey noted 82 percent of respondents who have EMRs, implemented the technology to improve their patient care. Saving time and improving efficiency was a factor for 83 percent of the respondents.

Doctors with an EHR are More Likely to Report Adverse Events
Healthcare IT News, 12/9/09
Physicians are more likely to report drug safety information when using an EHR system, according to a recent survey. 60 percent of fully functional EHR users reported they would be much more likely to submit information about adverse events using an EHR system. Nearly 60 percent of physicians who responded to the survey said adverse event reporting through an EHR system would improve patient care.

Archives