Category Archives: Standards

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

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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]
  • Implementation Workgroup – Charter, Membership and Framework [PPT]
  • HIT Policy Committee’s Privacy Hearing Meeting Update [PPT]

    • Blumenthal: ‘Meaningful’ Progress Toward Electronic Health Information Exchange

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    Blumenthal Letter #3: “Meaningful” Progress
    Toward Electronic Health Information Exchange
    A Message from Dr. David Blumenthal,
    National Coordinator for Health IT 
    Sent October 1, 2009:

    Dr. David Blumenthal

    Dr. David Blumenthal

    I recently reported on our announcement of State Health Information Technology Grants and grants to establish Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers, as authorized under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act).

    Today I want to discuss the important term “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHRs) – both as a concept that underlies the movement toward an electronic health care environment and as a practical set of standards that will be issued as a proposed regulation by the end of 2009.

    The HITECH Act provisions of the Recovery Act create a truly historic opportunity to transform our health system through unprecedented investments in the development of a nationwide electronic health information system.  This system will ultimately help facilitate, inform, measure, and sustain improvements in the quality, efficiency, and safety of health care available to every American.  Simply put, health professionals will be able to give better care, and their patients’ experience of care will improve, leading to better health outcomes overall.

    As many of you are aware, the HITECH Act provides incentive payments to doctors and hospitals that adopt and meaningfully use health information technology.  Eligible physicians, including those in solo or small practices, can receive up to $44,000 over five years under Medicare or $63,750 over six years under Medicaid for being meaningful users of certified electronic health records.  Hospitals that become meaningful EHR users could receive up to four years of financial incentive payments under Medicare beginning in 2011, and up to six years of incentive payments under Medicaid beginning in October 2010.

    The HITECH Act’s financial incentives demonstrate Congress’ and the Administration’s commitment to help those who want to improve their care delivery, and will serve as a catalyst to accelerate and smooth the path to HIT adoption by more individual providers and organizations.  The dollars are tangible evidence of a national determination to bring health care into the 21st century.

    The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is charged with coordinating nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information. ONC is working with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), through an open and transparent process, on efforts to officially designate what constitutes “meaningful use.”

    ONC has already engaged in a broad range of efforts to support the development of a formal definition of meaningful use.  The HITECH Act designated a federal advisory committee, the HIT Policy Committee, with broad representation from major health care constituencies, to provide recommendations to ONC on meaningful use.  The HIT Policy Committee has provided two sets of recommendations, informed by input from a variety of stakeholders.  ONC and CMS have also conducted a series of listening sessions to solicit feedback from more than 200 representatives of various constituent groups and an open comment period where over 800 public comments were submitted and reviewed.  The second set of recommendations on meaningful use was issued at a July 16 HIT Policy Committee meeting and details can be found at healthit.hhs.gov/policycommittee.

    CMS is expected to publish a formal definition of meaningful use, for the purposes of receiving the Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments, by December 31, 2009. At that time, the public will be able to comment on the definition, and such comments will be considered in reaching any final definition of the term. 

    By focusing on “meaningful use,” we recognize that better health care does not come solely from the adoption of technology itself, but through the exchange and use of health information to best inform clinical decisions at the point of care.  Meaningful use of EHRs, we anticipate, will also enable providers to reduce the amount of time spent on duplicative paperwork and gain more time to spend with their patients throughout the day.  It will lead us toward improvements and sustainability of our health care system that can only be attained with the help of a reliable and secure nationwide electronic health information system.

    The concept of meaningful use is simple and inspiring, but we recognize that it becomes significantly more complex at a policy and regulatory level.  As a result, we expect that any formal definition of “meaningful use” must include specific activities health care providers need to undertake to qualify for incentives from the federal government. 

    Ultimately, we believe “meaningful use” should embody the goals of a transformed health system.  Meaningful use, in the long-term, is when EHRs are used by health care providers to improve patient care, safety, and quality.

    What’s next? 

    As stated above, the next step in our process is a notice of proposed rulemaking in late 2009 with a public comment period in early 2010.  As this process unfolds, we will continue to talk and share experiences about transitioning to EHRs, and to help deepen understanding among physicians and hospitals about the use of EHRs.  We will also present programs designed to help smooth the transition process, and identify activities physicians and hospitals can engage in now to promote adoption of EHRs.  As efforts advance, we will turn our attention to other necessary supporting programs, some of which you will hear more about in the coming weeks, including defining what constitutes a “certified” EHR, which is one of the requirements to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentives.

    In the meantime, what can providers do to move toward becoming “meaningful users” – even in the absence of a formal definition?  Naturally, while understanding that the final definition will be adopted through a formal rulemaking process, it will be helpful to be as familiar as possible with the discussion of meaningful use criteria to date.  (You will find that information posted at healthit.hhs.gov/meaningfuluse.) 

    Armed with an understanding of the discussion of meaningful use as it unfolds, providers can begin to consider how their own practices or organizations might be reshaped to enhance the efficiency and quality of care through the use of an electronic health record system.  Be assured you will not be alone as you seek to adopt an EHR system.  Through our recently announced collaborative HITECH grants programs and others to be initiated later this year, we will continue to support providers in moving forward.  Additional details about the grants are also available in my previous update and at healthit.hhs.gov/HITECHgrants.

    To some providers, particularly small or already stretched physician practices or small, rural hospitals, the path toward meaningful use may still seem arduous.  To others, who would just prefer to stick with the “status quo,” it may seem like an unwanted intrusion.  We believe that the time has come for coordinated action.  The price of inaction – in adverse events, lost patient lives, delayed or improper treatments, unnecessary procedures, excessive costs, and so on – is just too high, and will only get worse. 

    There is much at stake and much to do.  We must relieve the crushing burden of health care costs in this country by improving efficiency, and assuring the highest level of patient care and safety regardless of geography or demographics.  By using current technologies in a meaningful way, as well as technology to be developed in the future, we will take great strides toward solving some of the most vexing problems facing our health care system and creating a new platform for innovative solutions to health care.

    I look forward to providing periodic updates, and to continued interactions with all the communities that have so much to gain from this profound transformation.

    Sincerely,

    David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P.
    National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 

    This letter is part of a series of ongoing updates from the 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 our Health IT News list.

    If you have difficulty viewing this message, please view it online.  To ensure that you receive future correspondence, please add this email address to your list of secure addresses.

    Link to ONC site and Dr. Blumenthal’s Three Letters from August 19, 20 and October 1, 2009.

    HIT Standards Committee’s Recommendations Letter to Office of National Coordinator for Health IT

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    HIT Standards Committee’s “Letter of Transmittal” Recommendations to Office of National Coordinator for Health IT
    from August 2009 Meeting
    Standards Transmittal Letters site
    “The HIT Standards Committee, a federal advisory committee, provides recommendations on HIT standards issues to the National Coordinator for his consideration. Therefore, a formal transmittal letter must transmit the recommendations from the Standards Committee to the National Coordinator in his role as an HHS official. Once the FACA has been satisfied (i.e., a transmittal letter sent from the Standards Committee’s Chair to the National Coordinator in his governmental role), the National Coordinator can then determine the disposition of the recommendations.”

    August 20, 2009 Standards Committee Meeting Transmittal Letter
    with attachments linked below
    PDF version         HTML Excerpted from ONC site pasted below:

    David Blumenthal, MD, MPP
    National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Office
    Department of Health and Human Services Room
    Washington, DC

    Dear Dr. Blumenthal:

    The Health IT Standards Committee (the Committee) is charged with making recommendations to the National Coordinator on standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange and use of health information, and with respect to certain topics, in accordance with policies developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Therefore, the Committee is submitting to you recommendations that we finalized at our August 20, 2009, Committee meeting. At that meeting the Committee heard presentations and received advice on a variety of topics from three of its Workgroups, the Clinical Quality Workgroup, the Clinical Operations Workgroup, and the Privacy and Security Workgroup. After considerable discussion of the presentations and the Workgroups’ input, the Committee agreed upon several recommendations, as described below.

    The Clinical Quality Workgroup’s presentation pertained to the appropriate standardized performance measures that correspond to the HIT Policy Committee’s 2011 Meaningful Use Measures. The Clinical Quality Workgroup presented 30 quality performance measures and the data types required for each, of which they identified the National Quality Forum (NQF)-endorsed measures which can either be retooled for use in an Electronic Health Record (EHR) or will require attestation for the foreseeable future. As noted on the attached Meaningful Use Measure Data Element Grid, specific content and vocabulary standards were selected on all but six data elements.

    The Committee discussed the Workgroup’s advice and reached several important decisions regarding the appropriate quality measures for the 2011 Meaningful Use Measures, and voted to accept the Meaningful Use Measure Data Element Grid as recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Based in part on the Workgroup’s input, the Committee is submitting to you for your consideration the following:

    RECOMMENDATIONS

    We are submitting to you as our Recommendations the attached “HIT Standards Committee Meaningful Use Measure Data Element Grid” for your consideration and possible consideration by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as standards and certification criteria are developed.

    The second set of recommendations originated from the Standard Committee’s Clinical Operations Workgroup (Operations WG). As background, during the July 21, 2009, Standards Committee meeting, the Operations WG presented descriptions, documentation, and initial recommendations on standards for 2011 Meaningful Use, which were accepted by the Committee. Then, during the August 20, 2009, Committee meeting, the recommendations on standards for 2011 Meaningful Use were accepted as outlined in the July 21st meeting, and an additional recommendation on quality measure reporting was added to round out the standards to support 2011 Meaningful Use criteria.

    After lengthy discussion, the Committee decided on the content and vocabulary standards supporting Meaningful Use for 2011 as well as a gradual transition plan to 2013 per the attached “Summary of Clinical Operations Workgroup Recommendations.” The recommendations include messaging formats and all the vocabularies necessary for semantic interoperability, and the Committee is submitting them to you as our recommendations.

    RECOMMENDATIONS

    We are submitting to you as our Recommendations the attached “Summary of Clinical Operations Workgroup Recommendations: for Definitive 2011 and 2013 Implementation” for your consideration and possible consideration by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as standards and certification criteria are developed.

    The third set of recommendations originated from the Standard Committee’s Privacy and Security Workgroup (P&S WG). The P&S WG recommended authentication, authorization, auditing and secure data transmission standards for consideration by the Committee. The Meaningful Use measures recommended by the P&S WG include: measures representing value that EHR adoption can contribute to an enterprise’s HIPAA compliance; measures representing changes in approach to HIPAA compliance resulting from EHR adoption; and measures that can be objectively assessed by HHS.

    After discussion, the Committee decided on all of the privacy and security standards applicable to Meaningful Use of an EHR per the “Privacy and Security Standards Applicable to ARRA Requirements.” The Committee is submitting them to you as our recommendations.

    RECOMMENDATIONS

    We are submitted to you as our Recommendations the attached “Privacy and Security Standards Applicable to ARRA Requirements” for your consideration and possible consideration by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as standards and certification criteria are developed.

    We fully appreciate your Office’s and the Department’s leadership role and efforts to advance widespread adoption of interoperable health information technology in the United States.

    Sincerely,

    Jonathan Perlin
    Chair, Health IT Standards Committee

    Attachments (3):
    “HIT Standards Committee Meaningful Use Measure Data Element Grid” (pdf)
    “Summary of Clinical Operations Workgroup Recommendations” (pdf)
    “Privacy and Security Standards Applicable to ARRA Requirements”(pdf)

    See HIT Policy Committee’s Formal Recommendations on e-Healthcare Marketing.

    Physicians & Hospitals: To wait or not to wait for ‘Meaningful Use?’

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    ‘MEANINGFUL USE’
    Halamka Advises No Waiting for Physicians & Hospitals
    John Halamka is knee-deep in the issues of Electronic Health Records from his CIO jobs and his national committee roles, and it’s worth paying close attention to what he says and blogs. In his September 21, 2009 post on his Life as  Healthcare CIO blog, Halamka clearly states “Meaningful Use is complete for 2011 and you’ll find the finished matrix online.” (See below.) Halamka then outlines the three stages coming in 2009, and concludes that you should buy a EHR or hosted solution with qualifications he futher outlines.

    Final Meaningful Use Objectives and Measures 2011-2013-2015
    Matrix–August 2009         (pdf)
    from Health IT Policy Committee Recommendations to National Coordinator of Defining Meaningful Use

    While ONC site labels above Augsut 2009 matrix as “final meaningful use objectives and measures” for three years, only the 2011 recommendations to the ONC are complete, and they are subject to additional approval process by ONC, HHS, and CMS. It’s likely that only inability of CMS to process some of the measures in a timely basis could impact implementation in 2011 or first year of implementation by physician or hospital. The Policy Committee still needs to finalize the 2013 and 2015 criteria in this matrix before they make a final recommendation for those years.

    ONC Meaningful Use Overview
    ONC Meaningful Use Documents Page
              Documents from ONC, CMS, HIT Policy and Standards Committees, and National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS).

    Health Data Week in Washington, DC including Privacy, Security, and HIEs

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    HIEs offer to lighten the meaningful use load
    Government Health IT’s Mary Mosquera reporting September 18, 2009     on AHRQ’s Annual Conference that “    Health information exchanges (HIE) could help ease the burden of healthcare providers by carrying out some the reporting and technical requirements for ‘meaningful use’ of health IT, according to executives of several state exchanges.”  Mosquera quotes Gina Perez, executive director of the Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN); and Marc Overhage, senior scientist at the Regenstrief Institute and chief executive officer of the Indiana Health Information Exchange.

    Policy Committee Holds Hearing on Health IT Privacy, Security
    iHealthBeat does a roundup story on the HIT Policy Committee meeting held September 18, 2009 with articles from Healthcare IT News and Modern Healthcare.
    Here’s e-Healthcare Marketing blog’s post connecting to the Sept 18, 2009 HIT Policy Committee testimony captured in documents from ONC site.

    Policy Committee: Privacy experts face off over patient control, policy safeguards
    Mary Mosquera of Government Health IT reported further September 18, 2009,     on privacy discussion and viewpoints expressed by Deborah Peel, founder and chair of the Patients Privacy Rights group, and Deven McGraw, director of health privacy at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Peel focused on the need for specific patient consent for each health information request transaction, while Degraw focused on the need for rules guiding the transfer of personal health information from one site to another. The article points out their common ground as well.

    Standards Panel OKs Guidance on Privacy, Security of EHRs
    iHealth Beat does a story roundup of articles from HIT StandardsCommittee held September 15, 2009 with articles from HealthData Management, Modern Healthcare, Government Health IT, Healthcare IT News, and AHA News.
    Here’s e-Healthcare Marketing blog’s roundup of articles on the Sept 15, 2009 HIT Standards Panel, which adds a summary of an article by John Halamka, to the mix of some of the articles above.
    Plus e-Healthcare Marketing link to the presentations and updates of Standards Committee.

    Standards Panel Roundup: Okays Privacy/Security Details; Ready for Next Steps

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    HIT Standards Committee takes leap  forward; on to next steps
    Report roundup of Sept 15, 2009 meeting
    Halamka details:”The Latest Deliverables from the HIT Standards Committee”
    Updated matrix of 29 measures from Quality Committee, pivotal discussion about quality measurement reporting among five types of stakeholders with five types of data exchange , security recommendations, summary of clinical operations recommendations for meaningful use, and an overview of implementation guidance from HITSP, as reported by Committee vice-chair John Halamka in Life as a Healthcare CIO on September 15, 2009.

    Federal panel okays EHR security, privacy standards
    Mary Mosquera, Government Health IT, reported that “The Health IT Standards Committee endorsed a set of security and privacy standards for electronic health record systems that it said would get progressively tougher without holding back wider health information sharing.” Mosquera also reported that Aneesh Chopra, Federal CTO, has been named chair of the new Adoption and Implementation workgroup, and would like to establish a baseline measure of current adoption.

    Advisory Panel OKs Privacy Standards
    Joseph Goedert of HealthData Management reports “The recommendations will help ONC     and other officials of the Department of Health and Human Services as they develop rules to define meaningful use of EHRs and implement Medicaid and Medicaid incentive programs under the stimulus law.”

    Standards panel gets into nitty-gritty of quality reporting
    Bernie Monegain of Healthcare IT News reported ”The heads of the federal Health IT Standards Committee, Jonathan Perlin and John Halamka, moved the panel at its meeting this morning to the next phase of work – guidance for implementation.”

    For the agenda, presentations, and matrixes presented in the Sept 15, 2009 Standards Meeting, see previous e-Healthcare Marketing post.

    HIT Standards Committee Meeting–Sept 15, 2009

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    HIT Standards Committee Meeting–Sept 15, 2009
    Time: 9am to 3pm EST
    See Web and audio connections below. For html version of agenda on e-Healthcare Marketing.
    Excerpted from HIT Standards Committee Meeting Page.

  • Agenda (PDF)
  • Meaningful Use Quality Measure Grid Update [PPT]
  • Report from Privacy & Security Workgroup: Implementation Specifications Recommendations [PPT]
  • Discussion on Standards Implementation Specifications (Clinical Operations Workgroup) [PPT]

    • To connect by Web go to ONC’s Health IT Standards 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

    Diana Manos in Healthcare IT News gave brief preview: “Federal committees to continue work on meaningful use.”
    John Halamka shares five lessons on security for healthcare information exchange.

    Halamka: Security for Healthcare Information Exchange

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    Halamka shares five lessons for Healthcare Information Exchange
    John Halamka, vice-chair of the Health IT Standards Committee, in his Life as a Healthcare CIO blog, on September 14, 2009 shares his five top lessons garnered from participating in the committee’s Privacy and Security Workgroup meetings. This should provide a framework for looking at the September 15 Standards Committee meeting.

    See earlier e-Healthcare Marketing post for agenda of Standards Commitee meeting on September 15, 2009.

    Privacy & Security Focus in Upcoming HIT Committee Meetings

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    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

    HIT Standards Committee Announces Feedback Process for Recommendations

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    HIT Standards Committee Recommendations Public Input Process
    The Office of National Coordinator sent this email message on September 9, 2009:
    As part of the ARRA, ONC is required to publicize the HIT Standards Committee recommendations in the Federal Register and also provide for public input. Below is information on the public input process.

    HIT Standards Committee Recommendations    :  During the August 20, 2009, meeting, the Committee’s recommendations focused on the following areas: Clinical Quality, Clinical Operations, and Privacy and Security.  All recommendations may be found at http://HealthIT.hhs.gov/standardscommittee.  In addition, specific URLs for each recommendation have been listed below. 

    I. Clinical Quality
    A. Background
    The Clinical Quality recommendations pertain to the appropriate standardized performance measures that correspond to the HIT Policy Committee’s 2011 Meaningful Use Measures. The recommendations include 30 quality performance measures and the data types required for each, of which National Quality Forum (NQF)-endorsed measures can either be retooled for use in an Electronic Health Record (EHR) or will require attestation for the foreseeable future.
    B. Recommendations:
    Quality and Operations Workgroup–Selected Measures (24 page pdf)

    II. Clinical Operations:
    A. Background
    The Clinical Operations recommendations focus on standards for 2011 Meaningful Use, including quality data reporting, messaging formats, and all the vocabularies necessary for semantic interoperability.

    B.  Recommendations:
    Clinical Operations Workgroup Recommendations (one oversize pdf)

    III. Privacy and Security:
    A. Background
    The Privacy and Security recommendations focus on authentication, authorization, auditing and secure data transmission standards as well as Meaningful Use measures related to HIPAA compliance.

    B. Recommendations:
    Privacy and Security Standards Applicable ARRA Requirements (5 page pdf)

    Procedure: Individuals wishing to make comments on the Committee’s August 20, 2009, recommendations may present oral comments at the Committee’s next meeting on September 15, 2009, from approximately 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m./Eastern Time, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008.  Comments will be limited to two (2) minutes per person.  A separate notice announcing this meeting has been published in the Federal Register and provides additional information.

    HIT Policy Committee Meetings Site