December 21, 2012 SUBSCRIBE MEMBERSHIP HIMSS PUBLIC POLICY Special Note: The HIMSS Health IT Policy Update will not publish Friday, December 28th. Look for the next issue on Friday, January 4th. Happy Holidays! Welcome to HIMSS' Health IT Policy Update, bringing you the latest news on legislative and regulatory activities related to health IT from HIMSS' Government Relations office. We welcome your feedback, and if you're reading this complimentary newsletter online or receiving it as a forward, please subscribe! Federal Affairs HIT Standards Committee Holds Final Meeting for 2012 The Health IT Standards Committee held its December meeting this week. During the virtual meeting, members were given updates and recommendations from various committee workgroups and task forces, including Implementation, Privacy & Security, and Vocabulary. ONC also provided an update on S&I initiatives, and laid out a timeline for the Committee's Request for Comment on Stage 3. Click the link above for details. ONC Releases 2014 Edition Test Methods for EHR Certification The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has approved and released the 2014 Edition Test Method for Electronic Health Record Certification, after a series of public commen "waves." These "waves" of draft test procedures were released in a several part series from September to November, and solicited public comment on all components. The 2014 Testing and Certification webpage is now available, and is organized by certification criterion number. Click the link to learn more. Public Policy Event Calendar Health IT Policy Committee Meetings Health IT Standards Committee Meetings HIMSS Chapter Events HIMSS Webinar: Strategies for Engaging Patients January 9, 2013 HRSA Webinar: Upgrading and Optimizing an Electronic Health Record System for Safety Net Providers January 18, 2013 2013 Connectathon January 28 February 2, 2013 HIMSS Meaningful Use Regional Dinner Event Dallas February 5, 2013 HIMSS13 Conference & Exhibition New Orleans March 3 7, 2013 National Health IT Week 2013 September 16 20, 2013 ONC Announces Activities to Support Nationwide Health Information Exchange The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released a Health IT Buzz Blog this week on activities ONC will be supporting to move Nationwide Health Information Exchange forward. The announcement highlighted five areas ONC will be supporting to balance publicly discussed interest in ONC Guidance on the Nationwide Health Information Network and public comments from ONC's Summer 2012 request for information that a prescriptive NwHIN Governance
structure would slow "trusted information exchange" activities that are already occurring around the country. Click the link above for details. Military Health System Announces Quadruple Aim Innovation Challenge Earlier this year, Dr. Jonathan Woodson, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, released the Military Health System Innovation Plan, which gives an overview of the military's plan to incorporate innovation in three areas: Human Capital Activation, Knowledge Transfer, and System Performance to support the Department's Quadruple Aim of Readiness, Population Health, Experience of Care, and Per Capita Cost. In an attempt to capitalize on innovation that is occurring on a daily basis at military hospitals and clinics across the DoD, earlier this week the MHS launched the MHS Quadruple Aim Innovation Challenge, which invites active duty military to offer innovations that could be tested for impact and scalability to support the Quadruple Aim. Submissions will be accepted through January 14, 2013, with four winners receiving an invitation to present at the Military Health System Conference in February 2013. The finalists will then be invited to present their proposals to the Senior Military Medical Advisory Committee in early spring. Click the link to learn more. FCC Creates Healthcare Connect Fund Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it is reforming its universal service program by creating the Healthcare Connect Fund. This reform is a result of FCC's evaluation of its Rural Healthcare Pilot Program. The fund was created to expand broadband access to healthcare providers in hard to reach areas by creating and leveraging regional broadband networks. Click the link to learn more about FCC's goals for the Healthcare Connect Fund, and to access a HIMSS fact sheet on FCC's evaluation of the Rural Healthcare Pilot Program. FCC Releases Smartphone Security Checker The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the release of q "free, easy to use online tool that creates a 10-step smartphone action plan to help consumers protect their mobile devices from smartphone related cybersecurity threats." The tool comes at a time when smartphone ownership has reached 50 percent in the US; 20 percent of those owners have been victims of cybercrime. Creation of the tool was a public private collaboration that included multiple government agencies and private sector partners. Click the link to access the new tool. Renew Your HIMSS Membership? Ensure the continuation of your HIMSS member benefits, login to the Member Center to renew your membership today. If you need a paper invoice, request one via e-mail to the Member Services department. You can also renew by phone at 312-664-4467 (option 8, then 2). Networking LinkedIn Discussions Participating in these discussions is easy. Simply become a member of our HIMSS Linkedin Group, which is free and open for anyone to join. Connect with HIMSS Expand your network by connecting to HIMSS on these social media sites: PCORI Awards First Comparative Effectiveness Research Grants The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has approved 25 awards, totaling $40.7 million over three years, to fund patient centered comparative clinical effectiveness research projects under the first four areas of its National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda. Click the link to learn more. NCVHS Submits Letter to HHS on a Stewardship Framework for the Use of Community Health Data The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) recently submitted a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services addressing data stewardship in the context of communities using data to advance health. The letter, which is a follow on to NCVHS's 2011 Report, The Community as a Learning System: Using Local Data to Improve Local Health, identifies eight elements of a framework to guide community health data stewardship, and includes four recommendations as to how HHS could initially facilitate effective data stewardship at the community level while preserving local autonomy and creativity in the use of health related information. Click the link for more. CMS Releases Report on Fraud Prevention System The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has sent a report to
Congress detailing the first year of implementation of the Fraud Prevent System (FPS), as mandated by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. The HHS Office of the Inspector General also released its final report on the same topic, providing a review of and recommendations on improving the FPS. Those recommendations were incorporated CMS' report to Congress. Click the link to learn more. NEW! Rely on the ICD 10 PlayBook for Compliance Guidance Rely on the ICD 10 PlayBook for critical information useful to hospitals, ambulatory centers, practitioners and their staff in making the transition to ICD 10. While the deadline for compliance has been extended to Oct. 1, 2014, begin implementation and testing now to be ready for this deadline. Visit the ICD 10 PlayBook for valuable tools and resources with updated information added on an ongoing basis. Released and Anticipated Regulations for 2012 Several Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) have been released and more are anticipated to come from CMS and ONC in coming months. This chart outlines the regulations, the agency from which they will be administered, and the date for which public comments are due to the government. Also included is the anticipated timeframe for release of final rules. For more information, please send a message to policy@himss.org. Congressional Affairs House Considers Bill to Remove Social Security Numbers from Medicare Cards This week, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote the Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act (H.R. 1509), first introduced by Rep. Sam Johnson (R TX) in April 2011. In his remarks this week for the record, Rep. Johnson explained, "the Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2012 requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Security, to take action to ensure Social Security numbers no longer are used on Medicare cards....[and] the bill directs GAO to conduct a study to determine whether the Medicare program should use smart card technology...to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare program." Click the link to access the full bill and Rep. Johnson's remarks. New GAO Report Analyzes Providers Awarded Medicaid Incentive Payments The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report highlighting the number and characteristics of providers awarded incentive payments as a part of the Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) program for 2011. The report analyzed over 1,964 hospitals and 45,962 professionals who were awarded $2.7 billion in Medicaid EHR incentive payments in an effort to make meaningful use of electronic health data, and includes tables, charts and maps displaying selected characteristics of hospitals and providers awarded EHR incentives. Click the link for highlights and to access the full GAO report. House Deficit Reduction Plan does not include a Doc Fix H.R. 6684, which Speaker John Boehner withdrew on Thursday night, is the most recent Republican-backed attempt in the U.S. House of Representatives to head off sequestration budget cuts for 2013. The bill includes stricter eligibility standards for Medicaid, CHIP and the Child Tax Credit, and repealing the Social Services Block Grant, among other things. The bill attempts to save $109 billion in the current Fiscal Year 2013. While it would prevent the automatic sequestration cuts put in place by the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011, automatic cuts to non defense programs like Medicare, NIH research, and student loans would remain in place. H.R. 6684 has been criticized for not also addressing the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate
looming crisis. Without the "doc fix," doctors would see a 27 percent cut in reimbursements take effect January 2013, or $39 million each day. Click the link to access the bill text. Congress Urges More Guidance on Health Insurance Exchanges Congress and the media have focused much attention on those states that have declined or yet to commit to establishing Health Insurance Exchanges (HIX) under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009 (ACA). However, concern has also been expressed about the lack of guidance from the administration on how those HIXs are to operate. During a December 13, 2012 House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing titled, "State of Uncertainty: Implementation of PPACA's Exchanges and Medicaid Expansion," acting subcommittee chairman Rep. Michael Burgess, MD (R TX) questioned witnesses about the lack of HIX guidance as required by the ACA. Click the link to learn more about the status of HIXs. State Affairs States Move Forward to Implement Health Care Law & Build Health Insurance Marketplaces On December 20, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the first conditional approval of a State Partnership Exchange in Delaware, while Minnesota and Rhode Island are conditionally approved to operate State based health insurance marketplaces. Last week HHS issued conditional approvals for Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Oregon, and Washington to operate State based Exchanges. The conditional approval provided to Delaware today is the first of its kind and shows the vast progress Delaware has made ahead of the Feb. 15, 2013 deadline to apply to operate a State Partnership Exchange. Please click the link above to read the full press release. Utah's Exchange is Seen as the Next Hurdle from the ACA Utah Governor Gary Herbert has sent a proposal to HHS that offers a glimpse of how Utah believes it would meet requirements of the Patient Protection and Accountable Care Act (ACA). Utah had a state run health insurance exchange established before the ACA was enacted, and now faces the compliance hurdle created by the ACA's passage. Both Governor Herbert and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services want to continue running Utah's exchange but worry compliance issues will see the state ceding control to the federal government. So Utah has become a test of how much flexibility the Obama administration is willing to give to states. To read the full proposal, please click the link above. HIMSS News NEW! Take the HIMSS Clinical Informatics Survey HIMSS is conducting research to better understand how health IT affects communication between clinicians. Initial results will be presented at the HIMSS13 in New Orleans and made available on the HIMSS Clinical Informatics website. The survey will close mid January. Visit the link above to participate in this 10 minute study. Save the Date: HIMSS Annual Call for Committee Volunteers Opens Jan. 2 On Jan.2, 2013, HIMSS opens its annual call for volunteers to serve on a committee for the 2014 15 fiscal years. Service on a HIMSS Committee focused on specific settings and constituencies within health IT and key industry topics, is an excellent opportunity for professional development, networking and active engagement. An electronic application, available at
the link above, will be open from Jan. 2, 2013, through March 1, 2013. Committee participation is open to all Individual and Corporate HIMSS Members who are not serving in other leadership positions within the Society and have maintained membership for at least the past 12 consecutive months. Members with questions regarding serving on a committee may contact Joan Flagg. Make CPHIMS the Healthcare IT Credential of Choice The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Credentials Forum would like to know more about the employee credentials that are in demand by business, affecting hiring and career advancement decisions. HIMSS members and their employers are asked to go to the Credentials Forum to vote for the CPHIMS credential as a credential to look for on an applicant's resume or for employee advancement. Click the link above to learn how to vote. Unique Views' on Health IT Views from the Top sessions at HIMSS13 bring together nationally recognized speakers to discuss the industry's hottest issues. Click the link above to learn more about these dynamic sessions, which occur Monday, March 4 through Wednesday, March 6. IHE NA Connectathon Conference Agenda Now Available Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) USA announced that the IHE Connectathon Conference 2013, Jan. 30, has posted its agenda online. The conference is the cornerstone of the annual interoperability testing event the North American (NA) Connectathon. This conference will explore and discuss the many ways that technology and IHE is enabling the achievement and sustainability of the meaningful use of healthcare information technology. Admission is $195 per person. Learn more about the exciting educational sessions and CE credits on IHE USA's website. Health IT Policy Update is a weekly online newsletter published by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Copyright 2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission. Contact HIMSS Publications at 33 West Monroe Street, Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 60603 5616; nvitucci@himss.org HIMSS Office of Government Relations David W. Roberts, MPA, FHIMSS Vice President, Government Relations droberts@himss.org, 703 562 8811 http://www.himss.org/policy Follow Dave Roberts on Twitter @drobertshimss For information on Health IT Policy Update Elinore Boeke Sr. Manager, Public Policy Communications, HIMSS eboeke@himss.org, 703 562 8817 Advertising inquiries Randy Knotts randy.knotts@medtechmedia.com The inclusion of an organization name, product or service in this publication should not be construed as a HIMSS endorsement of such organization, product or service, nor is the failure to include an organization name, product or service to be construed as disapproval. You have received this email because you are opted-in to receive the Health IT Policy Update enewsletter. Want to control your email from HIMSS?
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