On May 18, 2009, the National Committee on Health & Vital Statistics (NCHVS) issued a 32-page report on the public hearing that the NCHVS held on April 28-29, 2009, to solicit testimony to help define and clarify the the term “meaningful use” under the ARRA. The report digests the testimony and organizes it into five categories of questions for the Office of National Coordinator (ONC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The categories are: 1) Vision of Health and Health Care Transformed; 2) Meaningful Use Capacity; 3) Path to Meaningful Use; 4) Certification and Meaningful Use: EHR Product Certification; and 5) Measuring Meaningful Use. Appendix B of the Reports lists the 100+ participants who provided oral and written testimony for the hearing. To read the report click here.
Author: Kathie McDonald-McClure
Looking for proposals for the definition of “meaningful use”?
Providers who wish to receive incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and more specifically, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH Act), for the adoption and implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) must meet specific requirements, one of which is to demonstrate that the provider is making a “meaningful use” of the EHR. The HITECH Act vests authority in the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to further define “meaningful use.” HHS does not intend to come up with this definition in a vacuum and has solicited input. Such input poured in on April 28 & 29, 2009, when the HHS National Commmitee on Vital and Health Statistics held public hearings to discuss “meaningful use.”
In a HealthLeaders Media article on May 5, 2009, the author, Carrie Vaughn, prepared a summary and provided links to the several associations and industry groups who weighed in on the definition of “meaningful use.” Among the organizations who submitted proposals were CHIME, AHIMA, AMIA, ANI, HIMSS, and The Markle Foundation. Vaughn observed that the proposals seemed to agree that “meaningful use” should focus on “desired outcome, which is improving quality of care, reducing costs, and making care delivery more efficient, not the technology itself.” Another common thread among the proposals was to implement the standards using an “incremental approach” that can become more stringent with time. To read the article, click here.
How will HITECH’s new privacy & security rules impact your business?
Learn more by attending the Kentucky Chamber’s event, “Understanding the ARRA” on June 2, 2009 at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa in Lexington, KY. Carole Christian of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP, will discuss HIPAA privacy and security changes brought about by provisions under the ARRA and specifically HITECH. Her discussion will include a review of the new regime for business associates, data breach notification rules, other HIPAA changes, and Medicaid electronic health records. Other speakers will include Mary Lassiter, Kentucky’s State Budget Director, who will discuss the money flowing to Kentucky’s state government. For more information and registration information, click here:
http://www.kychamber.com/docs/seminarsevents/ARRA-brochure-web.pdf.
Welcome to my new blog!
Welcome to my new “HITECH” blog. This blog will track key developments at the federal and state (Kentucky) levels under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) related to that part of ARRA titled, “Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act” (HITECH). My primary interest in HITECH concerns the stimulus for the adoption and implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) by physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers and suppliers, as well as Health Information Exchanges (HIEs), Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) and others. The scope of this blog also will encompasses the privacy and security requirements and developments under HITECH and HIPAA.
With healthcare reform also on the horizon, the boundaries of what we are going to see and experience in health IT may be, well, simply . . . limitless! I equate what we’re about to experience over the next few years in health IT to <em>a roller coaster ride inside a time machine</em>. So hang on to your hat! It may be a bit bumpy!
wyatthitechlaw.com 