From the Office of National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC HIT):
“On June 18, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology issued its temporary certification program final rule, which establishes a way for organizations to become authorized by the National Coordinator to test and certify electronic health record technology.”
To read more information and to read the rule, click here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
wyatthitechlaw.com 