NY Times/CBS Interviews David Blumenthal, Nat’l Coordinator for Health IT

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Mike Squires

David Pogue of NYTimes and CBS shares interview with
David Blumenthal, Nat’l Coordinator for Health IT
In September 2009 reporter David Pogue did a piece on CBS News Sunday Morning program on Electronic Health Records. On October 15, 2009, on the New York Times, Pogue shares the interview he conducted with National Coordinator of Health IT David Blumenthal in preparation for that CBS News segement. Blumenthal spoke about the usage of electronic health records in other countries: Danes–virtually 100% of physicians use EHRS; Britain–100%; Australia–100%; Sweden–100%; Norway–100%. “In many, many other Western countries, the electronic record is virtually ubiquitous.” A study Blumenthal did last year “found (in the US) that about 17 percent of physicians in 2008 had adopted an electronic health record, and about ten percent of hospitals.”

CBS News Sunday Morning Video Segment (Sept 13, 2009)
Transcript of Video Segment
New York Times Pogue Interviews Blumenthal

Blumenthal: Standards development key to healthcare reform; Oct 14 HIT Standards Cmte

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Mike Squires

Blumenthal tells Oct 14, 2009 HIT Standards Committee:
Standards development key to healthcare reform
Diana Manos of Healthcare IT News reported on October 14, 2009, that David Blumenthal, MD, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology told the HIT Policy Committee ‘Congress may not know it or realize it, but you all are very much at the center’ of making health reform happen, he told members of the HIT Standards Committee.”

Chopra seeks outside advice on health IT standards
Mary Mosquera of Government Health IT reported on October 14, 2009, “Aneesh Chopra, the White House’s chief technology officer and chairman of the panel’s newly formed standards implementation group, said he wants to mine the lessons of other industries in using information handling standards successfully and then apply them broadly to healthcare.” Chopra plans to get public feedback using a two-week online forum on standards usage, and said there would be a hearing on Oct 29, 2009 to share best practices on implementing standards.

Halamka reports on HIT Standards Committee Oct 14 meeting
In an “Adoption and Implementation” post on Life as a Healthcare CIO blog (October 13, 2009) prior to the meeting, John Halamka wrote “To me, the work ahead is continued evolution of the work we’ve done to ensure adoption of the standards is widespread and implementation is accelerated.” Halamka describes the upcoming stages of health data exchange from 2011 to 2015, and what will be required.

In his October 14, 2009 post “The October HIT Standards Committee Meeting,” Halamka recounted David Blumenthal’s comments, who “emphasized that we need to expand the scope of our NHIN (Nationwide Healthcare Information Network) thinking to include consumer health information platforms in addition to the provider and government organizations that have been the focus to date.” The post describes the various workgroup reports, notes that testimony from security experts would be the focus of the November 19, 2009 HIT Standards Committee meeting, and describes the need for the HIT Standards and Policy Committees to work together on privacy and security issues and the assumptions on health information exchange.

HIT Standards Committee — October 14, 2009
Key Documents

Agenda [DOC]

Clinical Operations Workgroup Update [PPT]

Clinical Quality Workgroup Update [PPT]

Privacy & Security Workgroup Update [PPT]

Standards Implementation Guidance: Infrastructure Certification Standards [XLS]

Implementation Workgroup – Charter, Membership and Framework [PPT]

HIT Policy Committee’s Privacy Hearing Meeting Update [PPT]

HITSP eTown Hall Meeting on Consumer Preferences Tues, Oct 13

Posted on October 11, 2009 by Mike Squires

HITSP eTown Hall Meeting on
Consumer Preferences Oct 13, 2009
Per HITSP Announcement: “HITSP will be hosting an eTown Hall Meeting for all interested HITSP Members to review the Draft Consumer Preferences Requirements Document recently released by ONC. Due date for public comments is October 16, 2009. The purpose of this eTown Hall is to present an overview of the draft Requirements Document and elicit discussion and comments. The HITSP Consumer Preferences Tiger Team will then consolidate comments and submit them to ONC by the deadline.”
Webinar: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Time: 11:00am to 1:00pm ET
HITSP Webinar page
eTown Hall Info and Registration (pdf)
Space is limited. Preregistration is required. Space is limited.

Overview and details of ONC Consumer Preferences Requirements Document to be reviewed, discussion held, and HITSP process explained for this document. Participants requested to review document ahead of Town Hall.
Document Page: http://healthit.hhs.gov/consumerpreferences
Document (pdf)

Presenters and Facilitators
Mureen Allen, MD
        Co-Chair of the HITSP Consumer Preferences Tiger Team
Walter G. Suarez, MD
        Co-Chair of the HITSP Consumer Preferences Tiger Team
Johnathan Coleman
        HITSP Consumer Preferences Tiger Team Facilitator
Elliot Sloane
        HITSP Consumer Preferences Tiger Team Facilitator

For outline of Consumer Preferences Document and related stories see previous post on e-Healthcare Marketing.

ONC releases patient data ‘preferences’ draft, Comments due Oct 16, 2009

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Mike Squires

ONC releases patient data ‘preferences’ draft:
Public Comment is due Friday, Oct 16, 2009
Joseph Conn, HITS staff writer for Modern Healthcare, broke the story on ONC’s draft document on consumer preferences for personal data included in electronic health records for information exchange on October 7, 2009. Public comment is due Friday, October 16, 2009. As Conn reports “HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released for public comment a 42-page draft document intended to ultimately guide and perhaps even control healthcare organizations in how patients’ can express their “preferences” on the use of their medical records and healthcare data.” Conn provides context for the draft.

The draft says “This Requirement Document is focused on information needed to facilitate the electronic exchange of consumer preferences regarding the use and management of their associated needs.”

This document is made up of nine sections including scenarios and process diagrams.
Excerpted from draft:
Section 1.0, Preface, includes a Requirements Document Review Guidance, that indicates who the end users of this document are intended to be and what sections may be most relevant to these various end users. Additionally, this section outlines the amended approach utilized to develop the Requirements Document, describes the sections of the document and denotes any significant changes from previous Use Cases.

Section 2.0, Introduction and Scope, describes the background, progress to date, the request being made to HITSP and the scope of that request.

Section 3.0, Stakeholders, lists the individual stakeholders and organizations that participate in the activities described in this Requirements Document.

Section 4.0, Issues and Policy Implications, describes issues, obstacles and policy considerations and/or implications related to accommodating and supporting consumer preferences.

Section 5.0, Perspectives & Scenarios, describes the perspectives/roles of the stakeholders participating in the events and actions of the underlying scenarios that are supported by the process diagrams and information exchanges described in later sections.

Section 6.0, Process Diagrams, depicts the business processes surrounding consumer preferences that may or may not involve health information exchange; the process diagrams are described in the Events and Actions component of this section.

Section 7.0 Information Exchanges; depicts the focused information exchanges that standards development organizations should address.

Section 8.0, Functional Needs, describes the combination of end-user needs and system behaviors that support interoperability and information exchange.

Section 9.0, Data Set Considerations, provides a comprehensive (though not exhaustive) framework that can be used to support standards development and to accommodate the major types of consumer preferences.

Appendix A, Glossary, provides contextual descriptions of key concepts and terms introduced in this Requirements Document.

ONC’s Consumer Preferences Requirements Document Page
Consumer Preferences Draft Requirements Document (pdf)
Feedback Instructions

The draft and public feedback is being managed by ONC’s Requirements Documents Team.

For information on HITSP eTown Hall Webinar about Document on October 13, 2009, see later post on e-Healthcare Marketing.

Data in EMRs to be Health Industry’s Most Valuable Asset: PriceWaterhouseCoopers Study

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Mike Squires

EMR Data–Health Industry’s Most Valuable Asset: PwC Study
“Transforming healthcare through secondary use of health data”
In a report issued on October 1, 2009 by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 3/4 of healthcare executives surveyed “agree that the secondary use of this information (from electronic medical records) will be their organization’s greatest asset over the next five years. The data that could be mined from the health system can improve patient care, predict public health trends and reduce healthcare costs, but PricewaterhouseCoopers finds lack of standards, privacy concerns and technology limitations are holding back progress.”

“PricewaterhouseCoopers calls for public-private collaboration and a role for government in creating incentives for the private sector to collect, share and use health data; to establish standards; and to redefine technical architecture to allow interoperability.”

This report is based on a round-table discussion PwC held with IT and strategy leaders from payer, provider, and pharmaceutical companies, and a related national survey conducted in the spring of 2009.

Five case studies for using secondary health data are highlighted:
1. Integrated, member focused healthcare: Aetna
2. Evidence-based, quality improvement program: American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA)
3. Promoting healthcare research: Geisinger Health System
4. Post-market surveillance of drugs: Partners HealthCare
5. An integrated health record: WellPoint

PwC Press Release
PwC Report Web Page
PwC Report (pdf) : “Transforming healthcare through secondary use of health data”

Work Begins on National E-Health Record Network

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Mike Squires

AP: Work Begins on National E-Health Record Network
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — (Sept 30, 2009) “Doctor’s offices and hospitals have slowly started the difficult switch from outmoded paper records to sophisticated electronic systems in a bid to improve care and cut costs.” David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Care IT reiterates federal commitment to innovation in private industry ”fully expect(ing) there will be a lot of different solutions to the exchange problem.” While this is not real news inside the industry, this is an initial stage of a concerted communications initiative to get the word out to the public.

HIT Policy Committee Meeting–Sept 18, 2009

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Mike Squires

HIT Policy Committee Meeting–Sept 18, 2009
Time: 8:30am to 3pm EST
See Web and audio connections below.
Html version of timed agenda: e-Healthcare Marketing.
Excerpted from HIT Policy Committee Meeting Page.
All documents are PDF files unless otherwise noted: additional documents may be added on official Web page as time get closer to meeting.

Agenda
–Call to Order
Judy Sparrow, Office of the National Coordinator for HIT
–Opening Remarks

David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health IT
–Review of Agenda
Paul Tang, Vice Chair of the Committee

–Review of Privacy and Security Policy and Issues
Jodi Daniel, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT

–Patient Choice, Control, and Segmentation of Health Information
Deborah Peel, Patients Privacy Rights
Deborah Peel, document 2

John Rother, American Association of Retired Persons

Marc Overhage, Regenstrief Institute

Susannah Fox, Pew Internet & American Life Project

–Use, Disclosure, Secondary Uses, Data Stewardship

Eileen Twiggs, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

John Houston, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

          James Golden, Minnesota Department of Health
–Models for Data Storage & Exchange, Aggregate Data, De-identification/Re-identification
          Claudia Williams, Markle Foundation
          Philip Marshall, WebMD
          Ken Buetow, National Cancer Institute, NIH, HHS
–Transparency, Audit, Accountability
          Robert Gellman, Consultant
          Robin Omata, Kaiser Permanente
–Comments on Constructing Provably Appropriate Technology
            Latanya Sweeney, Carnegie Mellon University

Note about this meeting:  Protecting health data through comprehensive privacy policies and security functions are foundational requirements for appropriate management and exchange of individuals’ health data. It constitutes one of the five categories of criteria in the meaningful use criteria matrix. The HIT Policy Committee is holding an initial informational public hearing on September 18, 2009, as input to further deliberations regarding recommendations for 2013 and 2015 meaningful use criteria. Initially, the Committee is seeking testimony in four broad categories: 1) individual choice/control, data segmentation; 2) use, disclosure, secondary use, data stewardship; 3) aggregate data use, de-identification/re-identification, models for data storage; and 4) transparency, accountability, audit.
To Participate in Meeting

To connect by Web go to ONC’s Health IT Policy Committee Meetings: How to Participate
Note: Connection will start 10 minutes prior to meeting. Room on Web is limited.
Audio: US toll free: 1-877-705-6006
International Direct: 1-201-689-8557
Confirmation Code: HIT Committee Meeting

Blumenthal calls for more study on uses of HIT

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Mike Squires

AHRQ Conference:
Blumenthal calls for more study on uses of Health IT
Mary Mosquera of Government Health IT reported on September 14, 2009 from the Annual Conference of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), just outside Washington, DC, that National Coordinator for Health IT, David Blumenthal, “anticipates an enormous amount of research will be needed to determine the effectiveness of health information technology at the same time as it is widely deployed under the stimulus.” Blumenthal said that while research on EHR usage has been done in individual hospital and practice settings, a great deal of research will need to be conducted in many different settings across a large spectrum to ensure the most effective use of the technology. AHRQ issues grants to conduct research in Health IT, and AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy said new research would look into its impact.

AHRQ: Consumers don’t understand Health IT
Mary Mosquera of Government Health IT further reported September 14, 2009, on AHRQ research among consumer focus that “Although healthcare is a very important issue to most people, ‘the specific issue of health IT is not because they do not perceive a strong connection between health IT and healthcare quality.’” Focus group members were very concerned about privacy issues involving Health IT. Public education could help mitigate these concerns according to the report.

AHRQ Report: Report on Engaging Consumers in Health IT Development (pdf)

Children’s, Primary Care Ped Practice to push clinical information into patients’ PCHRs

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Mike Squires

Hospital Ambulatory and Primary Care Physician Practice to Push EHR data to single PCHR system
A September 14, 2009 press release from Children’s Hospital and eClinicalWorks announced a collaboration which they state will be “the first instance in which two separate health care provider organizations, Children’s Hospital Boston and the Pediatric Physicians’ Organization at Children’s(PPOC) , will feed a single PCHR (personally controlled health record) from their different electronic medical record (EMR) systems – giving patients a more complete, comprehensive view of their medical information.” They anticipate the new system to be implemented by early 2010.

Kyle Hardy of Healthcare IT News reported on September 14, 2009 that Daniel Nigrin, MD, chief information officer at Children’s, said “This will exemplify a revolutionary new model for health information exchange and present combined health data to patients in a way that is easily accessible and manageable.”

Privacy & Security Focus in Upcoming HIT Committee Meetings

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Mike Squires

Privacy and Security Focus for Sept 15 and 18, 2009
HIT Standards and Policy Committee Meetings
HIT Standards Committee Agenda — Sept 15, 2009 (pdf)
Meeting site See meeting agenda in html below.
See earlier e-Healthcare Marketing post to learn about feedback process for Standards Committee recommendations.

HIT Policy Committee Agenda–Sept 18, 2009 (pdf)
Meeting site See meeting agenda in html below.
Excerpted from Policy Committee site: “Note about this meeting:
Protecting health data through comprehensive privacy policies and security functions are foundational requirements for appropriate management and exchange of individuals’ health data. It constitutes one of the five categories of criteria in the meaningful use criteria matrix. The HIT Policy Committee is holding an initial informational public hearing on September 18, 2009, as input to further deliberations regarding recommendations for 2013 and 2015 meaningful use criteria. Initially, the Committee is seeking testimony in four broad categories: 1) individual choice/control, data segmentation; 2) use, disclosure, secondary use, data stewardship; 3) aggregate data use, de-identification/re-identification, models for data storage; and 4) transparency, accountability, audit.”

HIT Standards Committee Agenda (as of Sept. 10, 2009)
September 15, 2009
9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Eastern)
Omni Shoreham Hotel
2500 Calvert Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008
For presentations, handouts, Web/audio go to Sept 15 post on e-Healthcare Marketing.
For roundup of reporting from the meeting, check link to later post on e-Healthcare Marketing.
9:00 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
           Judy Sparrow, Office of the National Coordinator
9:05 a.m. Overview of Meeting
          Jonathan Perlin, Chair
         John Halamka, Vice Chair
9:15 a.m. Meaningful Use Quality Measure Grid Update
         Janet Corrigan, Chair, Clinical Quality Workgroup
         Floyd Eisenberg, Clinical Quality Workgroup
9:45 a.m. Report from Privacy & Security Workgroup: Implementation Specifications Recommendations
         Dixie Baker, Chair, Privacy & Security Workgroup
         Steve Findlay, Co-Chair, Privacy & Security Workgroup
10:45 a.m. Discussion on Standards Implementation Specifications
        Jamie Ferguson, Chair, Clinical Operations Workgroup
        John Halamka, Co-Chair, Clinical Operations Workgroup
        Lee Jones, HITSP Program Manager
            –Identifying Implementation Specifications & Gaps
            –Maturity Taxonomy – process
            –Issues regarding adoption of standards; incentives
12:00 p.m. BREAK
12:30 p.m. Next Steps – Upcoming HIT Standards Committee Agendas
1:30 p.m. Public Comment
2:30 p.m. Adjourn

HIT Policy Committee Agenda (as of Sept. 10, 2009)
September 18, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. [Eastern]
Omni Shoreham Hotel
2500 Calvert Street, NW, Washington, DC

8:30 a.m. CALL TO ORDER – Judy Sparrow
          Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
8:35 a.m. Opening Remarks – David Blumenthal, MD, MPP
           National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
8:40 a.m. Review of the Agenda – Paul Tang, Vice Chair of the Committee
8:45 a.m. Review of Privacy and Security Policy and Issues
           Jodi Daniel, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
9:15 a.m. Patient Choice, Control, and Segmentation of Health Information
           Deborah Peel, Patients Privacy Rights
           John Rother, American Association of Retired Persons
           Marc Overhage, Regenstrief Institute
           Susannah Fox, Pew Internet & American Life Project
10:45 a.m. BREAK
11:00 a.m. Use, Disclosure, Secondary Uses, Data Stewardship
           Eileen Twiggs, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
           John Houston, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
           Martin LaVenture, Minnesota Department of Health
12:00 p.m. BREAK
12:30 p.m. Models for Data Storage & Exchange, Aggregate Data, De-identification/Re-identification
           Claudia Williams, Markle Foundation
           Phil Marshall, WebMD [invited]
           Ken Buetow, National Cancer Institute/NIH/HHS
1:30 p.m. Transparency, Audit, Accountability
           Robert Gellman, Consultant
           Robin Omata, Kaiser Permanente
2:15 p.m. Comments on Constructing Provably Appropriate Technology
        Latanya Sweeney, Carnegie Mellon University
2:45 p.m. Public Comment
3:00 p.m. Adjourn

e-Healthcare Marketing

Health Information Exchange, Electronic Health Records and Personal Health Records

Category Archives: Patients