By 2014, hospitals and physicians whom Medicare reimburses for services and items will need to have adopted an electronic health record (EHR) according to rules promulgated under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) or risk reductions in their Medicare reimbursement. On December 30, 2009, the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), released their respective proposed rules for qualifying for EHR stimulus funds under HITECH: The “meaningful use” and “certified” EHR standards.
Author: Kathie McDonald-McClure
Use of electronic communications with patients
The Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and its HIT Policy Committee worked hard throughout the summer to develop a framework for the “meaningful use” standards required to qualify for electronic health record (EHR) adoption stimulus funds available under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act). When I saw the survey that HIMSS released today regarding the use of social networking tools to communicate with patients, it reminded me of the “meaningful use” standard that centers on “engaging patients and families.” The stated goal of this standard is to “Provide patients and families with timely access to data, knowledge, and tools to make informed decisions and to manage their health.” Although it’s doubtful today that social networking tools would be accepted as meeting this goal for purposes of the EHR stimulus funds, it did get me to thinking about the use of technology to literally communicate with patients and, in particular, the studies that have been done in regard to using technology, such as e-mail and texting, to communicate with patients.
HHS Office of National Coordinator Announces Reorganization
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a Notice in the Federal Register, December 1, 2009, Volume 229, No. 74, that it has reorganized the HHS Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The stated purpose of the reorganization was “to more effectively meet the mission outlined by The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).” The new structure establishes the following five offices that all report to the National Coordinator of the ONC:
- Office of Economic Modeling and Analysis;
- Office of the Chief Scientist;
- Office of the Deputy National Coordinator for Programs & Policy;
- Office of the Deputy National Coordinator for Operations; and
- Office of the Chief Privacy Officer.
The immediate “Office of the National Coordinator,” which also reports to the ONC National Coordinator, constitutes a sixth component.
Notably, implementing the Office of Chief Privacy Officer is a new role for the ONC. The primary responsibilities of the Officer of Chief Privacy Officer are twofold: “(1) advising the National Coordinator on privacy, security, and data stewardship of electronic health information and (2) coordinating the [ONC’s] efforts with similar privacy officers in other Federal agencies, State and regional agencies, and foreign countries with regard to the privacy, security, and data stewardship of electronic, individually identifiable health information.” The Chief Privacy Officer will primarily advise the National Coordinator, but also may report to other individuals as necessary.
HHS launches new Health IT blog
On Monday, November 23, 2009, Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under the Department of Health & Human Services, announced the launch of the Health IT Buzz blog. The blog is envisioned as a way to reach out to the healthcare IT community and public at large in order to create an open dialogue about the wishes and concerns of the many constituencies that the Office of National Coordinator serves. The blog will address the wide range of topics impacting the “secure and seamless exchange of electronic health information” across the United States and will include discussions about the “meaningful use” rulemaking and incentives for adopting electronic health records. We’ve added the Health IT Buzz to our blogroll.
Iowa is first state to receive HITECH stimulus funds
As first reported by the American Bar Association’s Focus on E-Health and Privacy section, CMS announced on November 23, 2009, that Iowa’s Medicaid program is the first state to receive federal matching funds for planning activities necessary to implement the electronic health records (EHR) incentive program established by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) under the ARRA of 2009. Iowa will receive approximately $1.16 million in federal matching funds. CMS Director, Cindy Mann, noted that although Iowa is the first to receive the federal matching funds, a number of other states have submitted EHR incentive program implementation plans as well.
To read more about HITECH state stimulus funding, see the article posted to this blog on September 10, 2009, here.
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