What is...
What is the Academic HIT Directory?
The Academic Health IT Directory provides a central resource for campus-based, online and blended healthcare IT academic programs across the country. Individual programs are listed under the main college or university, with information provided on accreditation, type of program (associate, graduate, certificate, etc.) and online availability, along with contact information and links to program websites where available.
For more information on these and other professional development opportunities, please contact Jan Lugibihl, Senior Associate, Professional Development, at jlugibihl@himss.org or (312) 915-9234.
What is the Beacon Communities Program?
The Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program was established and funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and managed through the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). The program supports 17 selected communities throughout the United States that had made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. The Beacon Program supports these communities to build and strengthen their health information technology (HIT) infrastructure and exchange capabilities to improve care coordination, increase the quality of care, and slow the growth of health care spending.
The focus of the 17 Beacon Communities is on specific and measurable improvement goals in the three vital areas for health systems improvement: quality, cost-efficiency, and population health, to demonstrate the ability of HIT to transform local health care systems. The goals vary according to the needs and priorities of each community. For instance, some communities will focus on the care for chronic conditions such as asthma, heart failure, and diabetes to illustrate how costs can be reduced and patient care improved through the collection, analysis, and sharing of clinical data.
Learn more about the Beacon Communities.
Please contact Erica Pantuso at epantuso@himss.org or (312) 915-9277 for information about the HIMSS ONC Grant Recipient Affiliate membership program.
What are Health Information Exchanges / Health Information Organizations?
Health Information Exchange (the verb) is the electronic movement of health related information among organizations according to nationally recognized standards. Health Information Exchanges (HIEs – the noun) or Health Information Organizations (HIO) are those organizations that minimally oversee and govern the exchange of health related information among independent and disparate stakeholders according to these nationally recognized standards. The relationship between HIEs and HIOs varies across the country. For example, an HIO may be the legal entity governing the activity of health information exchange and be the entity providing the physical infrastructure for health information exchange services. Another example is that the HIO may be the legal entity governing the activity of health information exchange while a separate entity or even a collaborative provides the physical infrastructure for health information exchange services. The HIMSS State Dashboard displays self-reporting HIOs and HIEs with physical technical infrastructure information including:
- Organization name, contact information and service area
- Overview of the organization and related services
- State’s designated entity status
- Technology platform overview
- Participating stakeholders and organizations
For more information about HIMSS Health Information Exchange volunteer workgroups, resources and activities, please visit our website, or contact Pam Matthews at pmatthews@himss.org or Julie Moffitt at jmoffitt@himss.org.
Information on the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement program
Source for the health information exchange definitions is The National Alliance for Health Information Technology 2008 Report to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on Defining Key Health Information Technology Terms.
What is HIMSS Analytics EMRAM Stage 7?
HIMSS Analytics, the authoritative source on EMR Adoption trends, launched the EMR Adoption ModelSM (EMRAM) to track EMR progress at hospitals and health systems on their progress in completing the 8 stages to creating a paperless patient record environment. The EMRAM scores hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics™ Database on their progress, with the goal of reaching Stage 7 – the pinnacle of an environment where paper charts are no longer used to deliver patient care. Beginning in 2009, the HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Award has been honoring those hospitals achieving the highest EMRAM level. Stage 7 healthcare organizations support the true sharing and use of patient data that ultimately improves process performance, quality of care, and patient safety.
For more information on the HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Award or to find out your hospital’s EMRAM score, please contact Patti Harris at patti.harris@himssanalytics.org or (312) 638-9460.
What is a HIMSS Chapter?
HIMSS has 48 chapters and more than 30,000 individual members working in healthcare organizations throughout the world. Chapters provide a valuable link and communication channel for healthcare professionals in their local geographic area. HIMSS chapters regularly meet to provide:
- Education sessions facilitating knowledge sharing between industry experts and fellow HIMSS members
- Opportunities for staying current on local, regional and state issues
- Opportunities to meet and network with fellow professionals
Chapters publish newsletters and maintain chapter specific web sites to keep their members posted on the most current industry information, as well as HIMSS news and events. Click here for a list that links to information specific to each chapter, including the current chapter president, their e-mail address, and the chapter's web site link.
For more information about the HIMSS Chapter program, contact the Regional Affairs Department at (312) 915-9504 or chapters@himss.org.
What is the Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence?
The HIMSS Davies Award is the preeminent HIT award in the industry recognizing successes, lessons learned, and best practices, evaluated by Committees of past Davies recipients and other subject matter experts via a thorough application screening process and corresponding site visit. Those selected as recipients are chosen to be emulated as best practices for others across the nation to learn from their experience in taking the value that can be derived from an EHR to the next level!
The Davies Award program encourages and recognizes excellence in the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems. The program’s objectives are to 1) Promote the vision of EHR systems through concrete examples, 2) Understand and share the documented value of EHR systems, 3) Provide visibility and recognition for high-impact EHR systems, and 4) Share successful EHR implementation strategies. The Davies Awards program not only requires a solid implementation, it requires the applicant to demonstrate through its application and onsite evaluation by HIMSS staff and Committee members:
- Patient care efficiencies achieved through seamless integration across the continuum of care
- Clinical decision support within the EHR systems in real time to make patient care decisions, and to meet quality, efficiency and safety goals
- Demonstration that the system is integral to achieving the organization’s strategic objective
- Demonstration that all major clinical areas are using the EHR
- The ability to mine data to support informed and proactive clinical decision making
- Cost savings and return on investment (hard and soft)
The Davies Award annually honors healthcare providers that successfully lead efforts to transform their organization through technology, with the award focusing on the implementation of healthcare technology. During the 17-year history of the Davies Award:
- 29 healthcare organizations have been recognized by the Organizational Davies Award, initiated in 1994
- 21 practices have been recognized by the Ambulatory Care Davies Award, initiated in 2003
- 14 public health entities have received the Public Health Davies Award, initiated in 2004
- 7 community health organizations have received the Community Health Organizations Award, initiated in 2008
More information on the selection process and the Davies Award criteria is available at www.himss.org/davies.
What is the HIMSS State Legislation Tracker?
The HIMSS State Legislation Tracker identifies critical pending state health technology legislation that enables stakeholders to quickly assess the specific legislation content and the potential impact on both current and future healthcare initiatives. Pending legislation is identified by state and includes the following key data points:
- Bill reference number and bill title
- Summary of the pending legislation
- Current status of the pending legislation
Learn more about the HIMSS State Government Relations activities at the HIMSS Advocacy and Public Policy Center or please contact Thomas S. Keefe, Senior Director of HIMSS State Government Relations, at (703) 562-8813 or tkeefe@himss.org.
What is the Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program?
Along with the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Program, the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program was created by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The purpose of the program is to improve healthcare outcomes, simplify care, and reduce costs by facilitating the meaningful use of EHRs (including health information exchange) by healthcare professionals and hospitals. To achieve this, the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program provides incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals that adopt and demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. The program runs from 2011 through 2021.
Much like the Medicaid Program itself, each participating state administers its own Medicaid EHR Incentive Program within guidelines established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Although state participation in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program is voluntary, all states plan to participate in the program. 43 states launched their Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs between January 2011 and January 2012; the remaining states plan to launch their incentive programs during 2012. Once a state has opened its program for provider registration, eligible providers will be able to register and attest at the state level to meeting all eligibility criteria in order to qualify for an incentive payment.
States disburse the incentive payments to their qualifying providers. Eligible providers will be able to participate in the program for a maximum of six years. Eligible professionals (qualifying physicians and mid-level practitioners) can receive up to $63,750 in incentives if they participate for six years. Eligible hospitals can receive several million dollars in incentives.
Learn more about the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program at https://www.cms.gov/ehrincentiveprograms/. The EHR Information Center is open to assist the EHR Provider Community with inquiries.
EHR Information Center Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. (Central Time) Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
1-888-734-6433 (primary number) or 888-734-6563 (TTY number)
What is the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program?
Along with the Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Program, the Medicare EHR Incentive Program was created and funded by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The purpose of the program is to improve healthcare outcomes, simplify care, and reduce costs by facilitating the meaningful use of EHRs (including health information exchange) by healthcare professionals and hospitals. To achieve this, the Medicare EHR Incentive Program provides incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals that demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. The incentive payments are available over five consecutive years from 2011 through 2016. Providers that are eligible to participate in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program but choose not to participate may be subject to a payment adjustment beginning in 2015.
Learn more about the Medicare EHR Incentive Program at https://www.cms.gov/ehrincentiveprograms/. The EHR Information Center is open to assist providers with inquiries about the program.
EHR Information Center Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. (Central Time) Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
1-888-734-6433 (primary number) or 888-734-6563 (TTY number)
What are State Resources?
As the nation embraces the deployment of integrated Health Information Technology (HIT), tracking these initiatives across the country at the state level is crucial for all industry stakeholders. The State Resources Project on the Dashboard provides a single repository of state specific information, state organizations and resources which are critical in the success of HIT adoption, deployment and utilization.
What are Regional Extension Centers?
Regional Extension Centers (RECs) were established and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to enable healthcare practitioners to reach out to a local resource for technical assistance, guidance and information on best practices in the deployment, adoption and utilization of Electronic Health Records (EHR). RECs are designed to address unique community requirements and to support and accelerate provider efforts to become meaningful users of electronic health records. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) has funded RECs in virtually every geographic region of the United States. REC information found on the Dashboard includes organizational name and amount awarded.
Learn more about the Regional Extension Centers Program.
Please contact Erica Pantuso at epantuso@himss.org or (312) 915-9277 for information about the HIMSS Regional Extension Center Affiliate membership program.
What is the SHARP Program?
The Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects (SHARP) Program was established and funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 managed through the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). Through the SHARP program, ONC is supporting innovative research to address well-documented problems that impede the adoption of health IT (HIT). The knowledge generated and innovations created from this program will accelerate progress toward the meaningful use of HIT and a high-performing, adaptive, nationwide health care system. The program is led by major collaborative efforts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Texas at Houston, Harvard University, the Mayo Clinic of Medicine, and Massachusetts General Hospital. These collaborations are conducting breakthrough research to achieve tangible goals in their respective research areas over a four-year period. SHARP research will be translated into patient-centered HIT products and services to create fundamental improvements along critical areas toward a high-performing, learning health care system.
Learn more about the SHARP Program.
Please contact Erica Pantuso at epantuso@himss.org or (312) 915-9277 for information about the HIMSS ONC Grant Recipient Affiliate membership program.