Category Archives: Digital Physicians

Colleen Woods Asks “Where are the NJ Healthcare Innovators?!!”

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From: Colleen Woods, NJ Health IT Coordinator
To: New Jersey Healthcare Innovators,
NJ Health IT Community
Re: Calling for Innovations for Supplemental ONC Funding
Date: Dec 21, 2010
High PriorityMost of you are aware that the Office of the National Coordinator issued a supplemental funding opportunity to the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program.  As required, on December 10th,2010,  I responded that New Jersey would apply for the supplemental funding, knowing that we have many exciting projects in place that could be advanced with just a bit of additional funds.

There are five challenge “themes” that the feds view as potential barriers to full national health information exchange. They are seeking innovative ideas/solutions from those of you who know healthcare delivery the best.  The themes are:
  • Achieving Health Goals through Health Information Exchange
  • Improving Long Term and Post Acute Care Transitions
  • Consumer Mediated Information Exchange
  • Enabling Advance Query for Patient Care
  • Fostering Distributed Population-Level Analytics

For more information please see a PDF of the  ONC’s funding announcement: http://goo.gl/oGc7Q

Or to see all the funding documents, go to Grants.gov:http://goo.gl/0dk3i

I know there are a lot of good ideas and projects already underway that would qualify for this funding opportunity. (Jeff, Becky, Jim, Tom, Dave, Tom, Linda, Lou, Judy, Neal, Al, Bob et al…..) , but the award requires a quick response.  Applications need to be sent to by the NJ State Coordinator’s Office ONC by January 5th, 2011. I would proud to submit any ideas you have that would meet the ONC challenge.  Please feel free to call me to discuss.

My best wishes to you and your families for a Happy Holiday Season!

Colleen

Colleen Woods
NJ Health IT Coordinator
Governor’s Office
(609)777-2609
colleen.woods@gov.state.nj.us

Synopsis of the Supplemental State HIE Challenge Program
“This funding announcement for the Health Information Exchange Challenge Program encourages breakthrough progress for nationwide health information exchange in five challenge areas identified as key needs since Federal and State governments began implementation of the HITECH Act. The awards will fund the development of technology and approaches that will be developed in pilot sites and then shared, reused, and leveraged by other states and communities to increase nationwide interoperability. The five themes include: 1. Achieving health goals through health information exchange 2. Improving long-term and post-acute care transitions 3. Giving patients access to their own health information 4. Developing tools and approaches to search for and share granular patient data (such as specific lab results for a given time period) 5. Fostering strategies for population-level analysis Awards will range between $1 million and $2 million each, and will be in the form of supplemental funding to State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreements, which have provided approximately half a billion dollars to states and State designated entities to enable health information exchange. Funding for this initiative is approximately $16 million which ONC anticipates will support 10 awards.”
–Synopsis from grants.gov

New EHR FAQs Added to ONC/CMS sites on eRx, Clinical Info Exchange

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CMS and ONC both Add to FAQs related to Health Information Exchange on 12/12/2010
Link to PDF of ONC’s 22 Regulations FAQs. Note FAQ #21 not yet posted.
The following FAQs were excerpted on 12/18/2010.

ONC Question [12-10-022-1]:
Does the certification criterion pertaining to electronic prescribing, which references certain content exchange standards (i.e., NCPDP SCRIPT 8.1 and NCPDP SCRIPT 10.6), require that a Complete EHR or EHR Module be capable of electronically exchanging information with only external recipients (i.e., recipients that are not part of that legal entity) according to the appropriate standard (and implementation specifications) or does it apply more broadly?

Answer:
For the certification criterion pertaining to electronic prescribing (45 CFR 170.304(b)), which references those two content exchange standards adopted at 45 CFR 170.205(b) and the vocabulary standard 170.207(d) (i.e., any source vocabulary that is included in RxNorm), a Complete EHR or EHR Module must be certified as being capable of electronically generating and transmitting prescriptions and prescription-related information to external recipients in accordance with the appropriate adopted standard(s) (and implementation specifications). These standards were adopted for the purpose of enabling a user of Certified EHR Technology to “exchange” electronically certain health information, as indicated in the first sentence of the regulatory section and the section title, and as alluded to in various other parts of the Standards and Certification Criteria Interim Final and Final Rules.

We intended the capability required by this certification criterion and the referenced standards and implementation specifications to apply to the electronic exchange of prescription information between different legal entities (e.g., from an eligible professional’s Certified EHR Technology to a pharmacy that is not part of the eligible professional’s legal entity), to complement how CMS has generally described “exchange” in the context of meaningful use as information “sent between different legal entities with distinct certified EHR technology or other system that can accept the information….” (75 FR 44361-62). In the Standards and Certification Criteria Interim Final Rule and in the Standards and Certification Criteria final rule, we discussed current Medicare Part D electronic prescribing regulatory requirements for using NCPDP SCRIPT 8.1, and the anticipated use of NCPDP SCRIPT 10.6. (75 FR 2031-32, 75 FR 44625-26). In both rules, we also had explained that the purpose of the adopted standards and certification criteria was not to specify how or when Certified EHR Technology must be used, but only what capabilities Certified EHR Technology must include. (75 FR 2022-23, 75 FR 44592-93). We sought to align the adopted standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria with certain already established regulatory requirements to ensure that Certified EHR Technology would provide a base-level of capabilities to assist users in meeting those other regulatory requirements. (See, for example, 75 FR 44591, and 75 FR 44598.) Then, when discussing electronic prescribing, we referred to the adopted NCPDP SCRIPT standard as a standard required under the Medicare Part D e-prescribing regulations when “an entity sends prescriptions outside the entity (for example, from an HMO to a non-HMO pharmacy)….” (75 FR 2031-32, 75 FR 44592). Consequently, with respect to the capability a Complete EHR or EHR Module must demonstrate in order to be certified to the certification criterion adopted at 170.304(b), a Complete EHR or EHR Module must be capable of electronically transmitting prescriptions and prescription-related information to external recipients according to NCPDP SCRIPT 8.1 or 10.6 in addition to the adopted vocabulary standard for medications at 45 CFR 170.207(d).

This approach is consistent with a principle we established in the Standards and Certification Criteria Interim Final Rule where we sought to ensure that eligible health care providers seeking to meaningfully use Certified EHR Technology and engaging in electronic exchange would be able to do so in a manner that would be compliant with other applicable law. Thus, with respect to electronic prescribing, we adopted NCPDP SCRIPT 8.1 and 10.6 to ensure that when an eligible professional electronically transmits a prescription or prescription-related information for Medicare Part D covered drugs for Medicare Part D eligible individuals to, for example, a pharmacy that is not part of the legal entity of the eligible professional, the eligible professional would be able to do so using Certified EHR Technology and also comply with the Medicare Part D e-prescribing rules.

See CMS FAQ 10284 [ or immediately below] for information about how these transmissions should be counted.

CMS Question 10284 FAQ on EHR Incentive Program
For the meaningful use objective of “generate and transmit prescriptions electronically (eRx)” for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, how should the numerator and denominator be calculated? Should electronic prescriptions fulfilled by an internal pharmacy be included in the numerator?
Published 12/17/2010 11:34 AM   |    Updated 12/17/2010 11:41 AM   |    Answer ID 10284

ANSWER
The denominator for this objective consists of the number of prescriptions written for drugs requiring a prescription in order to be dispensed, other than controlled substances, during the EHR reporting period. The numerator consists of the number of prescriptions in the denominator generated and transmitted electronically using certified EHR technology. In order to meet the measure of this objective, 40 percent of all permissible prescriptions written by the EP must be generated and transmitted electronically according to the applicable certification criteria and associated standards adopted for certified EHR technology as specified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).

ONC has released an FAQ stating that “with respect to the capability a Complete EHR or EHR Module must demonstrate in order to be certified to the certification criterion adopted at 170.304(b), a Complete EHR or EHR Module must be capable of electronically transmitting prescriptions to external recipients according to NCPDP SCRIPT 8.1 or 10.6 in addition to the adopted vocabulary standard for medications (45 CFR 170.207(d)).”  Given such FAQ, prescriptions transmitted electronically within an organization (the same legal entity) would not need to use these NCPDP standards. However, an EP’s EHR must meet all applicable certification criteria and be certified as having the capability of meeting the external transmission requirements of §170.304(b).  In addition, the EHR that is used to transmit prescriptions within the organization would need to be Certified EHR Technology.

The EP would include in the numerator and denominator both types of electronic transmissions (those within and outside the organization) for the measure of this objective. We further clarify that for purposes of counting prescriptions “generated and transmitted electronically,” we consider the generation and transmission of prescriptions to occur constructively if the prescriber and dispenser are the same person and/or are accessing the same record in an integrated EHR to creating an order in a system that is electronically transmitted to an internal pharmacy.

For more information about the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, please visit http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms.

ONC Question [12-10-023-1]:
Could an interface that transmits lab results in HL7 message format between a hospital laboratory system and a physician’s EHR (presuming that the transmissions were occurring between two different legal entities) satisfy the certification criteria related to the exchange of key clinical information in 45 CFR 170.304(i) and 45 CFR 170.306(f)? If not, please specify the required data types and exchange characteristics that must be part of the required clinical information exchange.

Answer:
As implied in the question, for certification a Complete EHR or an EHR Module must have the capability to electronically receive and display, and transmit certain key clinical information in accordance with one of two separate certification criteria (45 CFR 170.304(i) or 45 CFR 170.306(f)), depending on the setting for which the EHR technology is designed (ambulatory or inpatient, respectively). Generally speaking, these certification criteria require two types of information exchange capabilities – the capability to:

  1. Electronically receive and display a patient’s summary record, from other providers and organizations including, at a minimum, diagnostic tests results, problem list, medication list, and medication allergy list in accordance with the continuity of care document (CCD) standard (and the HITSP/C321 implementation specifications) or the continuity of care record (CCR) standard and that upon receipt of a patient summary record formatted according to the alternative standard, display it in human readable format.
  2. Electronically transmit a patient summary record to other providers and organizations including, at a minimum, diagnostic test results, problem list, medication list, and medication allergy list using the CCD standard (and the HITSP/C32 implementation specifications) or the CCR standard while also representing specific named data elements (problems, laboratory test results, and medications) according to adopted standards.

Note: The above uses language from 45 CFR 170.304(i). The certification criterion adopted at 45 CFR 170.306(f) also includes “procedures” as a required, standardized data element within these exchange capabilities.

Therefore, an interface that transmits lab results in HL7 message format between a hospital laboratory system and a physician’s EHR (where the transmission is occurring between two different legal entities) would not qualify as an exchange of key clinical information that complies with the requirements of either of these two certification criteria. The interface would not satisfy the required capabilities included within the adopted certification criteria, and more specifically, the ability to transmit a patient summary record in accordance with the CCD standard (and the HITSP/C32 implementation specifications) or the CCR standard.

1HITSP Summary Documents Using HL7 Continuity of Care Document (CCD)

‘Health IT: Making Health Care Better’: Commentary on America’s Health Rankings Site

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‘Health IT: Making Health Care Better’ by Sachin Jain
On the Web site dedicated for 20 years to using data to promote better health in the United States, Sachin H. Jain, MD, MBA, wrote a commentary on the role of the national HITECH initiative to collect and exchange health information for better patient care.  Titled  “Health IT: Making Health Care Better,” Jain’s commentary appears on the 21st Edition of America’s Health Rankings®: A Call to Action for Individuals and Their Communities. Jain is special assistant to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

Jain discusses using electronic health records to improve patient quality management, encourage better clincal decisions, providing health information where and when it is needed, and getting information from here to there.

To read Jain’s commentary, click here.

ONC’s Kendall blogs about ‘Regional Extension Centers Supporting EHR Adoption’

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Regional Extension Centers Supporting EHR Adoption
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010 | Posted by: Mat Kendall Director Office of Provider Adoption Support on ONC Health IT Buzz blog and republished here by e-Healthcare Marketing.

The Regional Extension Centers (RECs) located across the country play a critical role in advancing the use of health information technology (health IT). They are charged with guiding some 100,000 health care providers in their efforts to establish and meaningfully use electronic health records in their practices. They offer a variety of services including outreach and education, and on-the-ground assistance.

With a total of 62 RECs, we are in every area of the U.S. to assist health care providers in their transition to electronic health records. To ensure that these critical partners have the knowledge and tools they need to assist their area’s health care providers, leaders from ONC’s Office of Provider Adoption Support  spend a good deal of time on the road meeting with REC staff members.

So far we’ve held workshops and seminars on topics like meaningful use, privacy and security, vendor selection, and workforce development.  We’ve had the chance to participate in events where leaders from different RECs come together to network and share best practices.  And we’ve learned about new ways we can support our RECs in their mission to help health care providers adopt electronic health records.

We are now implementing several new initiatives as a result of what we’ve learned from our REC partners:

  • An interactive online community that houses a wealth of tools and resources for RECs to obtain strategic health IT support and exchange ideas
  • An Outreach, Education, and Marketing Guide to assist RECs in their outreach efforts
  • A Meaningful Use Vanguard (MUV) cohort to showcase and reward health care providers who are true health IT ambassadors
  • Outreach campaigns to assist RECs in their recruitment of participating health care providers
  • Partnering with EHR vendors to identify best practices for working together to meet the needs of providers

These initiatives are only the beginning.

Our RECs are in the field, actively recruiting and signing on providers to their services. To date, our RECs have enrolled over 28,000 providers and for the last 12 weeks, the RECs across the country have enrolled on average over 1,000 providers a week.   Some RECs, such as Mississippi and Maine have enrolled over 60% of their overall primary care provider target.  Others, such as Colorado, the California Health Information Partnership Service Organization, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New York City Washington/Idaho RECs have enrolled over 1,000 providers in the last few weeks.

We are looking forward to hearing more about the RECs and their accomplishments at the 2010 ONC Update Meeting, December 14-15, in Washington D.C. This meeting will be a great opportunity to continue our dialogue with the RECs and learn about other ways we can support them. We want to ensure that the RECs are fully equipped to help our nation’s health care providers become meaningful users of electronic health records.

To find out more about the REC program in general, visit healthit.hhs.gov/REC.
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To post comments directly on ONC Health IT Buzz blog post, please click here.

Meaningful Use Vanguard Program
To see an example at a state REC level of the Meaningful Use Vanguard Program launched November 15, 2010, see the “The West Virginia Regional HIT Extension Center (WVRHITEC) [which] has established a new physician-to-physician outreach and education program designed to assist and help foster more widespread adoption and use of electronic health record systems in West Virginia.” Click here.

Blumenthal Letter #21: 2010 ONC Update [and Welcome to 2010 ONC Conference]

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2010 ONC Update
Dr. David BlumenthalA Message from Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information TechnologyDecember 10, 2010
Accessed from ONC site 12/13/2010.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and other HHS agencies are dedicated to improving the nation’s health care through health information technology (health IT).

Since the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was signed into law in February 2009, we have established a number of initiatives that will help make it possible for providers to achieve meaningful use and for Americans to benefit from electronic health records as part of a modernized, interconnected, and vastly improved system of care delivery.

This year alone, we have established a number of important policies and programs to help lay the foundation for providers to begin their journey toward meaningful use. These include: 

It’s been a busy year for health IT at HHS.

We are looking forward to discussing more about all of our HITECH initiatives to date, as well as our future activities, at the upcoming 2010 ONC Update Meeting on December 14 and 15.

Over the course of this two-day meeting, we are offering a number of sessions that will give participants a better understanding of the HITECH regulations and the role that HITECH plays in health system change and health care reform. Some session topics include:

  • HITECH programs that support providers in achieving meaningful use
  • How HITECH initiatives will promote consumer empowerment and public engagement
  • Privacy and security policies

Our panelists and invited speakers include HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and leaders from CDC, CMS, OCR, ONC and organizations who have a stake in our work. We are excited about the opportunity to share information and ideas.

The plenary sessions at this meeting will be streamed through a live webcast. Details about the webcast are available on the ONC website: http://healthit.hhs.gov/ONCMeeting2010.

Thank you in advance for joining us at the 2010 ONC Update Meeting and for supporting our vision of a higher quality, safer, and more efficient health care system enabled by health information technology.

Sincerely,
David Blumenthal, MD, MPP
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) encourages you to share this information as we work together to enhance the quality, safety and value of care and the health of all Americans through the use of electronic health records and health information technology.

For more information and to receive regular updates from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, please subscribe to  ONC’s Health IT News list.

Beacon Community Videos: ‘Improving Health Through Health Information Technology’ Posted on ONC site

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‘Improving Health Through Health Information Technology’
Video, description and Web site of each Beacon Community Program Awardee by the Office of the National Coordinator(ONC)  for Health IT’ was posted on ONC’s site on December 8.

“The Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program provides funding to 17 selected communities throughout the United States that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. The Beacon Program will support these communities to build and strengthen their health information technology (health IT) infrastructure and exchange capabilities to improve care coordination, increase the quality of care, and slow the growth of health care spending.”

Beacon Community Program

Beacon Community Program

These are excerpts accessed on December 9, 2010:

The 17 Beacon Communities will focus on specific and measurable improvement goals in the three vital areas for health systems improvement: quality, cost-efficiency, and population health, to demonstrate the ability of health IT to transform local health care systems. The goals vary according to the needs and priorities of each community. For instance, some communities will focus in the care for chronic conditions such as asthma, heart failure, and diabetes to illustrate how costs can be reduced and patient care improved through the collection, analysis, and sharing of clinical data.

Beacon Communities

Listed below are the 17 Beacon Communities, their awards, and snapshot of their goals. To view further information about a specific Beacon Community, click the name of the community.

Beacon Community

Award Amount

Goal
Bangor Beacon Community, Brewer, ME $12,749,740 Improve the health of patients with diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, and asthma by enhancing care management; improving access to, and use of, adult immunization data; preventing unnecessary ED visits and re-admissions to hospitals; and facilitating access to patient records using health information technology.
Beacon Community of the Inland Northwest, Spokane, WA $15,702,479 Increase care coordination for patients with diabetes in rural areas and expand the existing health information exchange to provide a higher level of connectivity throughout the region.
Central Indiana Beacon Community, Indianapolis, IN $16,008,431 Expand the country’s largest Health Information Exchange to new community providers in order to improve cholesterol and blood sugar control for diabetic patients and reduce preventable re-admissions through telemonitoring of high risk chronic disease patients after hospital discharge.
Colorado Beacon Community, Grand Junction, CO $11,878,279 Demonstrate how costs can be reduced and patient care improved, through the collection, analysis, and sharing of clinical data, and the redesign of primary care practices and clinics.
Crescent City Beacon Community, New Orleans, LA $13,525,434 Reduce racial health disparities and improve control of diabetes and smoking cessation rates by linking technically isolated health systems, providers, and hospitals; and empower patients by increasing their access to Personal Health Records.
Delta BLUES Beacon Community, Stoneville, MS $14,666,156 Improve access to care for diabetic patients through the meaningful use of electronic health records and health information exchange by primary care providers in the Mississippi Delta, and increase the efficiency of health care in the area by reducing excess health care costs for patients with diabetes through the use of electronic health record.
Greater Cincinnati Beacon Community, Cincinnati, OH $13,775,630 Develop new quality improvement and care coordination initiatives focusing on patients with pediatric asthma, adult diabetes, and encouraging smoking cessation, and provide better clinical information and IT “decision support” tools to physicians, health systems, federally qualified health centers, and critical access hospitals.
Greater Tulsa Health Access Network Beacon Community, Tulsa, OK $12,043,948 Leverage broad community partnerships with hospitals, providers, payers, and government agencies to expand a community-wide care coordination system, which will increase appropriate referrals for cancer screenings, decrease unnecessary specialist visits and (with telemedicine) increase access to care for patients with diabetes.
Hawaii County Beacon Community, Hilo, HI $16,091,390 Improve the health of the Hawaii Island residents through implementation of a series of healthcare system improvements and interventions across independent hospitals, physicians and physician groups. Engaging patients in their own healthcare is also a primary focus.
Keystone Beacon Community, Danville, PA $16,069,110 Establish community-wide care coordination through the expanded availability and use of health information technology for both clinicians and patients in a five-county area to enhance care for patients with pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure.
Rhode Island Beacon Community, Providence, RI $15,914,787 Improve the management of care through several health information technology initiatives to support Rhode Island’s transition to the Patient Centered Medical Home model, which create systems to measure and report processes and outcomes that drive improved quality, reduce health care costs, and improve health outcomes.
San Diego Beacon Community, San Diego, CA $15,275,115 Expand electronic health information exchange to enable providers to improve medical care decisions and overall care quality, to empower patients to engage in their own health management, and to reduce unnecessary and redundant testing.
Southeast Michigan Beacon Community, Detroit, MI $16,224,370 Make long-term, sustainable improvements in the quality and efficiency of diabetes care through leveraging existing and new technologies across health care settings, and providing practical support to help clinicians, nurses, and other health professionals make the best use of electronic health data.
Southeastern Minnesota Beacon Community, Rochester, MN $12,284,770 Enhance patient care management, reduce costs associated with hospitalization and emergency services for patients with diabetes and childhood asthma, and reduce health disparities for underserved populations and rural communities.
Southern Piedmont Beacon Community, Concord, NC $15,907,622 Increase use health information technology, including health information exchange among providers and increased patient access to health records to improve coordination of care, encourage patient involvement in their own medical care, and improve health outcomes while controlling cost.
Utah Beacon Community, Salt Lake City, UT $15,790,181 Improve the management and coordination of care for patients with diabetes and other life-threatening conditions, decrease unnecessary costs in the health care system, and improve public health.
Western New York Beacon Community, Buffalo, NY $16,092,485 Expand the Western New York network, close gaps in service, and improve health outcomes for patients with diabetes.

ONC 2010 Update Webcast: Dec 14-15, 2010

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Save the Date: ONC 2010 Update Webcast
December 14-15, 2010
Received via email from Office of National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT on 12/8/2010:
To participate in the Webcast, click here. No pre-registration required.

Please join the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) for a live webcast of plenary sessions as part of the 2010 ONC Update on December 14-15, 2010.

Ten sessions, offered over the two-day period, will provide an overview of programs brought about by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act to help participants gain a better understanding of how these programs will address barriers and support providers in achieving meaningful use.

The sessions will also provide an overview of ONC’s vision and strategy for improving health and health care through information technology and will offer a detailed look at key elements of ONC and related HHS programs, including:

• Overview of HITECH programs designed to support providers in achieving meaningful use, including the extension center program and ONC’s many workforce development programs

• Update on privacy regulations and activities in the Office of the Chief Privacy Officer

• Overview of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs

• Strategies for getting to health information exchange

• Promoting patient-centered care delivery by empowering consumers and engaging the public

• Strategies for improving care and population health

• Encouraging innovation, rapid learning and technological advancement

Speakers include:

• Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary

• David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, ONC

• Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy, ONC

• Joy Pritts, JD, HHS Chief Privacy Officer, ONC

• Don Berwick, MD, Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

• Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Todd Park, Chief Technology Officer, HHS

• Other Health IT leaders and professionals

An agenda of the meeting is available at http://healthit.hhs.gov/ONCMeeting2010 [or see below].

To participate in the Webcast, click here. No pre-registration required.

2010 ONC Update – Meeting Agenda

December 14 – 15, 2010
Available via Live Webcast [Details to come]

Information on how to participate in the webcast will be posted on the agenda before the meeting.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

8:30 – 9:00 am Opening Remarks
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Introduction by David Blumenthal, MD, MPP
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), HHS

9:00 – 9:45 am
An Overview of ONC’s Vision and the Role of Health IT and HITECH in Health System Change and Health Care Reform
David Blumenthal, MD, MPP
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, ONC

Donald Berwick, MD
Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS

9:45 – 10:15 am
An Overview of ONC’s Strategy and Programs
Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy, ONC

10:15 – 11:00 am
Break

11:00 – 12:15 pm
Update on Privacy Regulations and Activities in the Office of the Chief Privacy Officer
Joy Pritts, JD, HHS Chief Privacy Officer, ONC

12:15 – 12:30 pm
Break

12:30 – 2:00 pm
Getting to Health Information Exchange
Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy, ONC
Doug Fridsma, MD, PhD, Director, Office of Standards and Interoperability, ONC
Claudia Williams, Acting Director, State Health Information Exchange Program, ONC

2:00 – 2:15 pm
Break

2:15 – 3:30 pm
An Overview of HITECH Programs Supporting Providers in Achieving Meaningful Use

Moderator:
Mat Kendall, Director, Office of Provider Adoption and Support, ONC

Panelists:
Paul Kleeberg, MD, Clinical Director, REACH
Robyn Leone, Regional Extension Center Director, Colorado Regional Health Information Organization
Norma Morganti, Executive Director, Midwest Community College Health IT Consortium, led by Cuyahoga Community College
Rick Shoup, Director, Massachusetts eHealth Institute

3:30 – 3:45 pm
Break

3:45 – 5:00 pm
An Overview of Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs

Moderator:
Michelle Mills, CMS

Panelists:
Robert Anthony, CMS
Elizabeth Holland, CMS
Jessica Kahn, CMS

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

9:30 – 10:45 am
Promoting Patient-Centered Care Delivery by Empowering Consumers, Engaging the Public

Moderator:
Joshua Seidman, PhD, Director, Meaningful Use, ONC

Panelists:
Christine Bechtel, Vice President, National Partnership for Women and Families
Silas Buchanan, Director of E-Health Initiatives, The Cave Institute
Tom Sellers, MPA, President and Chief Executive Officer, 11-Year Cancer Survivor, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship

10:45 – 1:00 pm
Break

1:00 – 1:45 pm
The Role of HITECH in Supporting Public Health Goals
Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS

2:00 – 3:15 pm
Encouraging Innovation: Rapid Learning and Technological Advancement
Todd Park, Chief Technology Officer, HHS

3:15 – 3:30 pm
Break|

3:30 – 4:00 pm
Closing Remarks
Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy, ONC

ONC Fact Sheet: Electronic Health Records: Advancing America’s Health Care

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ONC Fact Sheet: Electronic Health Records: Advancing America’s Health Care
Published by ONC on 12/3/2010.

The nation is entering a new era of health care where providers can use electronic health records to improve patients’ health and the way health care is delivered in this country.

Why Electronic Health Records?
Electronic health records make it possible for health care providers to better manage your care through secure use and sharing of health information.

Most health care providers still use paper charts for their patients’ medical records. New government programs are helping health care providers across the country make the switch to electronic health records.

With the help of electronic health records, your health care providers will have:

  • Accurate and complete information about your health. That way they can give you the best possible care, whether during a routine visit or a medical emergency.
  • The ability to better coordinate the care they give to you and your family. This is especially important if you or a loved one has a serious medical condition.
  • A way to securely share information with you electronically. This means you can more fully take part in decisions about your health and the health of your family.
  • Information to help diagnose your health problems sooner, reduce medical errors, and provide safer care at lower costs.

Use of electronic health records can also:

  • Expand your access to affordable care
  • Make our health care system more efficient
  • Build a healthier future for our nation

About the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 
To support the use of electronic health records, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides resources to:

  • Help health care providers across the country use electronic health records to increase quality, safety, and efficiency of health care.
  • Train thousands of people for careers in health information technology who will help health care providers implement electronic health records.
  • Assist states in creating health information exchanges for the secure and efficient exchange of patients’ electronic health records among health care providers.

These resources give Americans the tools they need to transform the nation’s health care system.

For More Information About:
How health IT is improving health care, visit healthit.hhs.gov

Download Electronic Health Records: Advancing America’s Health Care [PDF - 371 KB]

ONC Fact Sheet: Using Electronic Health Records to Improve Health Care in Your Practice and Community

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ONC Fact Sheet: Using Electronic Health Records to Improve Health Care in Your Practice and Community
Published by ONC on 12/3/2010.

Many health care providers already know that electronic health records (EHRs) can help them provide higher quality and safer care for their patients. Some health care providers now use EHRs to reduce paperwork and increase efficiencies. Other benefits such as improving care coordination will come with expanded health information exchange.

There are resources available to you NOW that can help you make the transition to electronic health records and securely exchange health information with other health care providers and facilities.

Health IT implementation takes know-how and money. The HITECH Act provides these through: 

  • Technical assistance and other helpful resources administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
  • Financial incentive programs and technical support administered by CMS 
Where are these resources for health IT coming from?
The nation has embarked upon an unprecedented effort to transform the flow of information in health care in order to improve the quality and efficiency of care. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), or “Recovery Act,” contains the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or the “HITECH Act,” which establishes programs to accelerate the adoption and use of electronic health records and other types of health IT. The HITECH Act provides over $20 billion to promote the use of health IT among health care providers nationwide and to train thousands of people for careers related to health IT.  

 

 

Know-how: Nationwide, Community-based Health IT Support for Health Care Providers  

The HITECH Act has set up 62 Regional Extension Centers (RECs) to help more than 100,000 primary care providers nationwide implement and meaningfully use EHRs and engage in health information exchange over the next two years. Primary care providers do not have to become technology experts to achieve meaningful use of EHRs; RECs will provide them with on-the-ground assistance. The RECs and several other programs will combine to build a foundation for every American to benefit from an EHR. Soon there will be a REC for nearly every community in the nation. To find the REC serving your area, please visit healthit.hhs.gov/programs/REC.  

Your state has also established a health information exchange (HIE) organization, through the State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program, to develop and advance methods for information sharing across states. This will help ensure that health care providers and hospitals meet national standards and meaningful use requirements.  To find the HIE organization in your state, please visit healthit.hhs.gov/programs/stateHIE. 

Additionally, 70 community colleges across the nation will begin training health IT professionals to fill the expanding need for a skilled workforce to help health care providers implement EHRs. To learn more, visit healthit.hhs.gov/communitycollege  

Each CMS Regional Office has established HITECH/EHR Incentive Program points of contact who receive and respond to inquiries on the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, including general, technical and complex questions from the public. In addition, CMS regional staff support and conduct local outreach and education, including building and supporting local partnerships and delivering outreach messages through CMS HITECH regional teams. 

Money: Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs  

The HITECH Act established programs under Medicare and Medicaid to provide incentive payments for the “meaningful use” of certified EHR technology. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals as they demonstrate adoption, implementation, upgrading or meaningful use of certified EHR technology. The programs begin in 2011. These incentive programs are designed to support providers in this period of health IT transition and instill the use of EHRs in meaningful ways to help our nation to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of patient health care.   

For More Information About:

 HITECH programs administered by ONC, visit healthit.hhs.gov/programs

Download Using Electronic Health Records to Improve Health Care in Your Practice and Community [PDF - 579 KB]

ONC Fact Sheet: Beacon Community Program

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ONC Fact Sheet: Get the Facts on Beacon Community Program
Published on ONC site 12/3/2010.

Improving the nation’s health care through health information technology (health IT) is a major initiative for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and other HHS agencies are working together to assist health care providers with the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records.

ONC’s Beacon Community Program will help guide the way to a transformed health care system. The program will fund more than a dozen demonstration communities that have already made inroads into the adoption of health information technology (health IT), including electronic health records and health information exchange. Beacon Communities will advance new, innovative ways to improve care coordination, improve the quality of care, and slow the growth of health care spending.

About the Beacon Communities
The goal of the Beacon Community Program is simple: to show how health IT tools and resources can contribute to communities’ efforts to  make breakthrough advancements in health care quality, safety, efficiency, and in public health at the community level and to demonstrate that these gains are sustainable and replicable.

In May 2010, ONC awarded 15 grants totaling $220 million to communities across the country that are leading the way in health IT. Two additional grants totaling $30 million were awarded in September 2010. Communities will use funding to:

  • Build and strengthen their health IT infrastructure and exchange capabilities
  • Demonstrate how meaningful use of electronic health records and health IT can lead to  improvements in health care quality, reductions in unnecessary costs, and gains in public health
  • Provide support and guidance to other communities for achieving meaningful use and measurable health care improvements and cost savings

Communities will work with other Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act programs, including the Regional Extension Center Program and State Health Information Exchange Program, to:

  • Develop and disseminate best practices for adopting and using health IT to improve quality and cost outcomes
  • Foster national goals for widespread meaningful use of health IT

The Beacon Community Program will also support the development of secure nationwide health information exchange strategies to improve the health care of all Americans.

The HITECH Act establishes programs to accelerate the meaningful use of health IT. The aim is to improve both the health of Americans and the performance of our nation’s health care system.

For More Information About:

Download Get the Facts about Beacon Community Program [PDF - 270 KB]