Skip Top Navigation
HIMSS Top Line
Top Line: $19.2b for Health IT in Economic Stimulus
2/17/2009 - Today President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, H.R. 1. The legislation provides $19.2 billion for health IT to help stimulate the economy, increase investment in health IT, build a strong IT infrastructure for healthcare, and expand job growth.Top Line: House Takes First Step Toward Historic HIT Federal Funding
1/29/2009 - Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives took the first step towards opening up the financial pipeline by passing economic stimulus legislation. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, totaling $819 billion, passed with a party-line vote of 244-188.Top Line: Economic Stimulus Bills Propose $20 Billion For Health It; Legislation To Be Considered By Congress
1/19/2009 - Over the past two weeks, Members of Congress introduced six separate pieces of legislation with impact on health information technology (IT).Top Line: Federal Policy Activities Highlight National Health IT Week
6/20/2008 - As is often the case, developments in the long-term effort to transform healthcare through the appropriate use of IT and management systems come in waves.Top Line: Future of AHIC and HITSP Actions Lead Week's HIT Activities
1/28/2008 - Healthcare IT public policy initiatives took a big step forward in Washington, DC, this week with the announcements of the American Health Information Community (AHIC) successor and HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt’s recognition of the first set of HITSP interoperability specifications.Top Line Report: HHS Takes Major Healthcare IT Steps This Week
11/1/2007 - Both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, have taken action on healthcare information technology this week.Top Line Report: HHS Significantly Expands NHIN
6/12/2007 - Tuesday's release of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Trial Implementations by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services marks a significant expansion for the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN).Top Line: Transformational Healthcare Bill Closer to Becoming Law
8/3/2006 - The ongoing transformation of healthcare using information technology took another giant step forward on July 27 with the passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of H.R. 4157, the Health Information Technology (HIT) Act of 2006. If passed, this legislation could have profound effects on the healthcare industry.Top Line: Pivotal Week for Health Information Technology & Management Systems
10/10/2005 - The ongoing transformation of healthcare using information technology took another giant step forward this past week (of Oct. 2) with a number of key activities pivotal for HIMSS members and industry stakeholders to both understand and engage in.Top Line: Government Leaders Announce Dramatic Developments at HMSS Summit
6/8/2005 - We are in the midst of another week of dramatic developments for health information technology. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael O. Leavitt, and National Coordinator for Health IT, Dr. David Brailer, both announced important federal initiatives.Top Line: DC Activities Signal Strong Attention to HIT - Make Your Voice Heard
1/26/2005 - The attention being paid to healthcare information technology (HIT) by Congress and the Administration shows no signs of abating. We wish to draw your attention to significant developments that have transpired in the last two weeks, and urge your continued involvement.Top Line: HIMSS Leads Response to RFI for the National Health Information Network
11/18/2004 - Monday, the Federal Register published the Request for Information (RFI) on the “Development and Adoption of a National Health Information Network (NHIN).” The RFI calls on the healthcare industry to provide input to the government on how such a network might be developed.Top Line: Certification Commission for HIT Defines Work Groups, Seeks Nominations
11/1/2004 - The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) is moving decisively toward its goal of starting certification of ambulatory care EHR products by Summer 2005.Top Line: Federal Government Releases “Framework for Strategic Action”
7/30/2004 - This week witnessed the greatest convergence ever of policy makers and industry leaders discussing the need to harness the power of information technology and management systems to improve the delivery of care in the United States.Top Line: EHR Certification on the Horizon: Make Your Opinions Heard Now
7/10/2004 - The heightened interest of the federal government and , payer , and physician communities in our world healthcare IT issues is fueling a number of new initiatives. We want to make you aware of one with the potential for a substant ial ive impact on your business and the business of healthcare.Top Line: President Bush calls for EHRs for most Americans in 10 years; creates new NHII Coordinator
4/30/2004 - President George W. Bush this week outlined his plan to ensure that most Americans have electronic health records within the next ten years. In a public address to the American Association of Community Colleges, the President described his vision to ensure better delivery of healthcare in the United States.Top Line: President Releases Budget with Increased HIT Funding
2/3/2004 - In the space of two weeks, President George W. Bush made two sets of public remarks about the use of information technology in health delivery. First, during his State of the Union address, the President stated, "By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care."Top Line: IOM Report, AHRQ Grant Program Both Link Health Record Technology and Patient Safety
12/2/2003 - This week, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released Patient Safety, Achieving A New Standard of Care, and the Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) released a series of Requests for Application for a $50M Grant Program that will expand funding of electronic health record technology to more areas of the U.S.Top Line: CMS Implements Contingency Plan for Non-Compliant Electronic Transactions
9/26/2003 - On Tuesday, September 23, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it is implementing a contingency plan to accept non-compliant electronic transactions after the October 16th compliance deadline for HIPAA Transaction and Code Sets (TCS) regulation. CMS made this decision after reviewing statistics showing unacceptably low numbers of compliant claims being submitted.Top Line: S1/HR1
9/22/2003 - Returning from their August congressional recess, legislators immediately continued working on HR1 - the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003; and, S1 - the Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act of 2003. In my opinion, these two legislative initiatives could provide some of the most far-reaching changes to our healthcare system in decades. For example, very recently, negotiators agreed to include e-prescribing standards in a final conference bill.Top Line: EHR Ballot Outcome
9/16/2003 - As you may recall, this past month has witnessed a flurry of activity as the healthcare IT industry, through the Health Level 7 (HL7) standards balloting process, attempted to craft a nationally accepted standard for the electronic health record (EHR). As is often the case, the first ballot did not pass. HIMSS, a partner with several other organizations in helping make it possible for HL7 to undertake this ambitious project, voted affirmatively with comments. Our comments echoed many other voters at this past week's HL7's Working Group meeting.Top Line: Electronic Health Record (EHR)
9/10/2003 - As you may know, the healthcare environment has recently become very bullish on the Electronic Health Record (EHR). Numerous initiatives, supported by broad public and private sector collaborations, are moving us faster on EHR issues than ever before. In particular, HHS has tapped the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Health Level 7 (HL7) to produce, on an accelerated timetable, a proposed EHR System (EHR-S) Functional Model and for HL7 to bring it forward as an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard.Top Line: HL7 Definitional Model
8/20/2003 - As the final days of the summer slip by, it's clear that the month of August has been one of extraordinary activity related to the electronic health record (EHR).
