Author: Kathie McDonald-McClure

HHS Releases Final Rule on “Meaningful Use” of Electronic Health Records

Kathie McDonald-McClure EHR Certification Standards, Electronic Health Records, Health care reform, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Hospital EHR Stimulus, Meaningful Use, Physician EMR Stimulus, Privacy & Security , , , , , , , , , ,

Update: On December 29, 2010, HHS published in the Federal Register a “Correcting Amendment” to its Final Rule on Meaningful Use, which can be viewed here.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wasted no time in putting the brand new CMS Director to work on July 13, 2010, in announcing the release of two rules under the Health Information Technology for Clinical and Economic Health Act (HITECH), including the Final Rule on Meaningful Use and the Final Rule on Initial Set of EHR Standards and Certification Criteria. Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, FRCP, was sworn in as Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday afternoon, July 12, 2010, and by the next morning was primed to discuss the important role of health information technology (HIT) in America. In addition to Dr. Berwick’s participation at the press briefing, other participants included David Blumenthal, MD, the Chief Coordinator for the HHS Office of National Coordinator of HIT (ONC), Regina Benjamin, MD, U.S. Surgeon General, and Regina Holiday, an individual who shared a personal experience involving access to health information and how such access impacts the care of patients. 

Quick Reference: The CMS Fact Sheet on both Final Rules is available here. 

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HHS and ONC Announce Briefing on Meaningful Use Rule

Kathie McDonald-McClure Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Meaningful Use , , ,

UPDATE: Watch the LIVE webcast here.

According to HealthcareIT News, federal officials have announced that, on Tuesday morning, July 13, 2010, at 10:00 am EST, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and the Office of National Coordinator (ONC) will release the final rule on making a “meaningful use” of electronic health records under the HITECH Act.

HHS Office of Civil Rights updates HIPAA Breach Website

Kathie McDonald-McClure Electronic Health Records, Federal Law Resources, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Privacy & Security , , , , , ,

As indicated in a July 8, 2010 press briefing, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the United States Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has updated its HIPAA breach notification webpage.  This is the webpage where OCR is posting breaches of unsecured Protected Health Information (PHI) affecting 500 or more individuals.  The format includes brief summaries of the incidents reported to the HHS Secretary that OCR has investigated and closed.  The format also allows users to search and sort the posted breaches by entity, state, date, number of individuals affected, type of breach, and location of breached information.  There are currently 107 breach notifications posted, all occurring since September 9, 2009.  The breaches reported thus far indicate that theft ranks #1 as the type of activity leading to a breach. A quick run-down of the stats reflect the following:

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HHS announces proposed rulemaking to “significantly” modify HIPAA

Kathie McDonald-McClure Electronic Health Records, Federal Law Resources, Health care reform, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Meaningful Use, Privacy & Security , , , , , , ,
On Thursday, July 8, 2010, the United States Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) held a press briefing to announce “significant modifications” through proposed rulemaking to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) pursuant to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH). The proposed modifications also seek to strengthen the privacy of health information and help Americans understand their rights and resources available to safeguard their personal health information. As part of the latter effort, Sebelius announced the launch of another new website “where Americans can read about all HHS’ efforts to protect privacy in the exchange of electronic health information and that will give Americans the tools needed to embrace technology to take control over their health information.” The website will be available at www.hhs.gov/healthprivacy.
 

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Learn about regulatory requirements to qualify for HITECH incentives

Kathie McDonald-McClure EHR Certification Standards, Electronic Health Records, Eligible Professional Incentives, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Meaningful Use, Physician EMR Stimulus , , , , ,

On Thursday, July 29, 2010, physicians, physician practice managers, and others interested in learning more about the regulations governing incentives under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH Act) are invited to a free education session (by Kathie McDonald-McClure) and networking event hosted by MedX12.

Date: July 29, 2010.  Time: 6:00 pm (EST).

Place: Suburban Plaza 3, 4121 Dutchman’s Lane, Louisville, KY.

Call for a reservation due to limited seating:  502-339-7175 ext 225

For more information, click here: MedX12 EHR Brochure.

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