03/16/2010
On the final day of a public comment period, the American Medical Association, the Medical Group Management Association and other physician groups submitted comments calling for CMS to scale back the "meaningful use" requirements. Modern Healthcare et al.
03/16/2010
In its latest grant announcement, HHS identified 16 states and state-designated entities that will receive funds for health information exchange activities. With the new awards, all U.S. states and eligible territories will have received health data exchange funds from the 2009 federal economic stimulus package. Healthcare IT News et al.
03/15/2010
The Health IT Policy Committee's adoption and certification work group recently called for officials to establish a national database of safety hazards related to health IT system malfunctions. A patient safety organization would oversee the database and create safety reports to guide health care providers and policymakers. Government Health IT, Federal Computer Week.
03/15/2010
Officials at the Drummond Group said the organization plans to seek the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's seal of approval to test and certify electronic health record systems under the requirements of the 2009 federal economic stimulus package. Healthcare IT News.
03/15/2010
The Certification Commission for Health IT sent comments calling for federal officials to refine the required standards for electronic health record certification. Meanwhile, eHealth Initiative and Premier submitted comments on CMS' proposed "meaningful use" rule. Modern Healthcare et al.
03/12/2010
A Senate jobs bill passed this week includes a provision that would make it easier for certain hospital-based physicians to qualify for federal incentive payments for the "meaningful use" of electronic health records. Currently, the 2009 federal economic stimulus package excludes all hospital-based physicians from the EHR incentive program. Health Data Management et al.
03/11/2010
The Health IT Policy Committee's strategic planning work group recently discussed how to strengthen health IT privacy while also promoting research. Members suggested allowing consumers to decide how to share their health data. InformationWeek, Federal Computer Week.
03/11/2010
On Thursday, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT published in the Federal Register a proposed rule creating a temporary and a permanent program to approve entities to certify electronic health records. The public will have 30 days to comment on the temporary program and 60 days to comment on the permanent one. Healthcare IT News, Health Data Management.
03/10/2010
During a work group meeting yesterday, federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra said officials are looking to the public and private sectors for examples of effective use of health IT that could encourage further adoption. Government Health IT, Modern Healthcare.
03/10/2010
In its formal comment letter to CMS, the American Hospital Association recommended incorporating greater flexibility into federal requirements for the "meaningful use" of electronic health records. AHA warned that health care providers looking to adopt EHRs might be discouraged by the "all-or-nothing" approach and strict timeframes of the regulations. Modern Healthcare et al.
03/09/2010
The National eHealth Collaborative recently launched a no-cost Webinar series called "NHIN University" to educate stakeholders about the Nationwide Health Information Network. ONC officials will offer presentations for the series. Healthcare IT News, Health Data Management.
03/08/2010
A recent Medical Group Management Association survey found that more than two-thirds of physicians believe their productivity will decrease as they strive to meet the "meaningful use" requirements for health IT. Many respondents said they expect to encounter difficulty providing patients with electronic copies of their health records within a certain time frame. Modern Healthcare et al.
03/08/2010
Consumer Partnership for eHealth recently published consumer and employer responses to 10 common concerns about the "meaningful use" rules. Consumers generally said they do not expect the criteria to be out of reach for health care providers. Healthcare IT News.
03/03/2010
During the HIMSS 2010 conference yesterday, National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal announced that ONC has released a notice for proposed rulemaking on electronic health record certification. Also at the conference, the Federal Health Architecture showcased interoperability projects, and several EHR vendors unveiled new applications. Health Data Management et al.
03/01/2010
ONC is making available open source software that will allow physicians to create quality reports and analysis on patient health care. The software's quality measure reporting is in line with federal requirements on "meaningful use" of health IT. Government Health IT.