HIT Policy Committee Workgroup Releases Second Draft of “Meaningful Use”

July 15, 2009December 18, 2009 Kathie McDonald-McClure Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Meaningful Use EHR, Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology, HIT, HITECH Act, Meaningful Use, ONC

On Thursday, July 16, 2009, the HIT Policy Committee presented its revised recommendation on the “meaningful use” definition. At the end of this meeting, the HIT Policy Committee forwarded its recommendation on the “meaningful use” definition to the Office of National Coordinator per the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH Act”). The revised meaningful use matrix, 2011 Draft Quality Measures and other materials presented or discussed during the MU meeting on July 16, 2009 are available on the HIT Policy Committee webpage.

CMS Website on ARRA’s Health Information Technology Includes Fact Sheet with FAQs

June 26, 2009September 15, 2009 Kathie McDonald-McClure Electronic Health Records, Eligible Professional Incentives, Federal Law Resources, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Hospital EHR Stimulus, Privacy & Security eligible professional incentives for electronic medical records, Federal Law Resources, Health Information Technology, HIT, HITECH Act, hospital incentives for EHRs

On June 16, 2009, on the same date the ONC HIT Policy Committee released the first draft of “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHRs), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the CMS Health Information Technology Website to address health information technology (Health IT or HIT) under the ARRA’s Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act). The CMS HIT website focuses on the following three areas of ARRA Health IT:

Health IT incentives and support for adoption
Establishment of Health IT standards and infrastructure
Privacy and security pertaining to Health IT

These are the three main areas pertaining to Health IT in which CMS will be involved under the HITECH Act.

Comment period on first draft of “meaningful use” closes Friday, June 26, 2009

June 24, 2009June 26, 2009 Kathie McDonald-McClure Electronic Health Records, Health care reform, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Meaningful Use Health Information Technology, HIT, HITECH Act, HITECH implementation, Meaningful Use, meaningful use of certified EHR, ONCHIT

As I previously reported in my June 17, 2009 post, the Meaningful Use Workgroup of the Office of National Coordinator’s HIT Policy Committee presented its initial draft of “meaningful use” at the Committee’s June 16, 2009 HIT Policy Committee meeting. The complete Meaningful Use Matrix setting out the objectives and measures for 2011, 2013 and 2015, can be reviewed on the HIT Policy Committee webpage. To submit comments on the draft, go to the HIT Policy Committee homepage and click on the Meaningful Use Comment Instructions in the box in the top right-hand corner of the page. Public comments are due by June 26, 2009.

Looking for proposals for the definition of “meaningful use”?

June 2, 2009June 22, 2009 Kathie McDonald-McClure Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Meaningful Use Health Information Technology, HIT, HITECH Act, HITECH implementation, meaningful use of certified EHR, ONC

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.