In This Issue: April 2009

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• In Their Own Words |
• By the Numbers |
• Tools and Resources |
• Congressional News |
• In the News |
• State News |
• Calendar of Events|

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>> Congressional News

Senator Whitehouse Keynotes HIE Symposium
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) urged immediate national health IT infrastructure during his keynote speech at the 2009 Annual HIMSS Conference and Exhibition’s HIE Symposium on April 4th.  “The RAND Corporation has estimated that a national health IT platform could save as much as $350 billion annually – and that doesn’t account for the unforeseen, game-changing applications that arise from a new technology, like Google on the Internet,” said Sen. Whitehouse.   Read more

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Senate Finance Committee Holds Healthcare Roundtable
The Senate Finance Committee held the first of a series of roundtable discussions focused on reforming America’s healthcare delivery system on April 21.  A 12 person panel of guest witnesses outlined different perspectives on how to transform the current healthcare system to a more effective and efficient continuum of care.  “If we do not act now…this year, the consequences will be dire,” warned Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT).  The discussion mainly focused on success stories of the panelist, modernizing outdated payment systems and promoting patient‐centered delivery of health care. Read more

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Sebelius Gets the Senate Finance ‘Green Light’
During a roundtable discussion on healthcare reform, held by the Senate Finance Committee on April 21, the Committee voted in favor of Democratic Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius for the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services.  In a 15-8 vote, all except two Republicans, Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), voted against her nomination.  Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) voiced dissent due to his concern of the use of comparative effectiveness research to deny or delay health care to Americans under proposed health care reform.  “Comparative effectiveness research can be used to provide patients and doctors with information so that they may make informed health care decisions. But, without the appropriate safeguards, the government can misuse comparative effectiveness research to deny coverage,” said Kyl. The full Senate is expected to follow suit and hold a vote sometime this week.  Sebelius was tapped by President Obama as a nominee for the post after former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, withdrew because of questions about back taxes.

Following the Committee's endorsement, the full Senate was expected to follow suit and hold a vote to confirm Governor Sebelius to the post of Secretary of HHS. Working to challenge a vote, GOP Senators on April 23 placed a hold on the nomination. Unless GOP Senators remove the hold on the nomination, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will likely need 60 votes to confirm Governor Sebelius to the post. Sebelius was tapped by President Obama as a nominee for the post after former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, withdrew because of questions about back taxes.

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Rockefeller Outlines Principles for 21st Century Healthcare System
Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV outlined principles for a 21st century healthcare delivery system as the Senate Finance Committee unveiled a series of roundtables leading up to healthcare reform legislation this week.  “We have an obligation to make fundamental changes through healthcare reform. This starts with the delivery system—how healthcare services are provided and paid for,” said Senator Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Healthcare.  “We must enact transformative healthcare reform now, or we will be back here in 15 to 20 years trying to fix the same, broken system. As this process moves forward, I want to be clear where I stand and outline the principles I believe must guide and shape the agenda for reforming the delivery system.  I will be introducing legislation to further these goals.”  Read more

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HIMSS Vice President of Government Relations Dave Roberts moderated the session, The Goal of the Economic Stimulus: A Democrat/Republican Panel.  Panelists included Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) and State Sen. Moore (D-MA).

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>> In the News

HIMSS Introduces Next Round of Stimulus Webinars
HIMSS’ recent five-part Webinar series on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was viewed by more than 5,000 attendees. The next round of Webinars is scheduled to run from April until June. The first series of Webinars, which are archived online, focused on defining the legislation and its potential impact on the health IT industry. The new series will focus on planning for and using the stimulus money that will be available to “meaningful users” of health IT.  The ARRA Webinars will focus on the following areas:

Corporate Members, for more information on sponsoring these Webinars, contact Kelly Laidler, Tia Peterson or Becky Washler.

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HIMSS Member Chosen as Nation’s First CTO
Aneesh Chopra, Virginia’s secretary of technology, has been chosen by President Barack Obama to be the federal government’s first chief technology officer.  Chopra, a member of HIMSS and 2007 Advocacy Award recipient, spoke at the 2009 Annual HIMSS Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. Chopra "will promote technological innovation to help achieve our most urgent priorities - from creating jobs and reducing healthcare costs to keeping our nation secure," the President stated in his weekly radio address. As the government’s top technology person, Chopra will work closely with Jeffrey Zients, pegged as the government’s first chief performance officer, and Vivek Kundra, who was nominated by President Obama earlier this year to be fed’s chief information officer.   In making the personnel announcements Saturday, the President said that he had "a team of management, technology, and budget experts . . .who will help us revamp government operations from top to bottom and ensure that the federal government is truly working for the American people."

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View from the Feds…..A Special Report from HIMSS Office of Federal Affairs
HIMSS09 in Chicago served as the next step on our exciting healthcare reform journey, with over 27,000 attendees from around the world gathering to educate, network and learn.  Key leaders from the Obama Administration, U.S. Congress, state elected officials and other industry stakeholders came together to discuss next steps.  Dr. Robert Kolodner, national coordinator of heath IT, announced he would retire from federal service after a 30-year career during which he led the effort to build a working foundation for national health information sharing, according to Government Health IT.  We thank Dr. Kolodner for his leadership and commitment to health IT.

Now that HIMSS09 has successfully concluded, our focus returns back on the activities in Washington, DC.   Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is awaiting a Senate Finance Committee vote and Senate confirmation before she becomes the next Secretary of Health and Human Services.  All indications are that Governor Sebelius, who has been publicly supported by HIMSS for her active engagement in healthcare IT issues, will be confirmed and will start at HHS by the end of the month.  In the meantime, we understand that Dr. David Blumenthal will officially be on-board as the third National Coordinator for Health IT this week.  Read more

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Advocacy Breakfast Draws Hundreds at HIMSS09
More than 200 HIMSS members and public officials attended the HIMSS09 Public Policy Networking Breakfast on April 6th.  Keynote speakers included Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kentucky’s Lt. Governor Dan Mongiardo, and George Lazenby, CEO of Emdeon.  HIMSS Chairman of the Board of Directors Charles Christian and Vice President of Government Relations Dave Roberts presented the 2008 Advocate of the Year Award to James Harris of HIMSS Maryland Chapter.  This year’s breakfast is sponsored by Emdeon, HIMSS Diamond member.

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HHS Issues Privacy Guidelines
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued guidance specifying the technologies and methodologies that render protected health information unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals, as required by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act passed as part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).  This guidance was developed through a joint effort by the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  Read more

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Register for CMS National Provider Conference Call
Providers may now register for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ ICD-10-CM/PCS Implementation and General Equivalence Mappings (Crosswalks) National Provider Conference Call that will be conducted on May 19, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
This conference call will include a discussion of the following topics: an overview of the ICD-10 final rule, which requires the implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS on October 1, 2013; the differences between ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/PCS codes;  the use of the General Equivalence Mappings that have been created to assist in converting policies, edits, and trend data from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS; and the resources that are available to assist in planning for the transition from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS.   Conference call discussion materials and registration information can be accessed at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ICD10/07a_2009_CMS_Sponsored_Calls.asp .

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>> State News

State Officials Forum Explore Issues Beyond Capitol Hill
The State Officials Legislative Forum at the 2009 HIMSS US Annual Conference and Exhibition took place on April 5th discussed various challenges surrounding healthcare information technology policy, as well as the relationship of a state's executive and legislative branches in the development of HIT policy.  Forum participants included:
Massachusetts State Senator Richard Moore, Indiana State Representative Peggy Welch, Iowa State Representative Linda Upmeyer, and New Jersey State Assemblyman Herb Conaway. Discussion centered around the state’s role in national healthcare reform, private sector and sustainability of the HIE industry, interstate issues, federal funding, and e-prescribing.

(L to R) State Rep. Peggy Welch, State Sen. Richard Moore, State Rep. Linda Upmeyer, and Assemblyman Herb Conaway, MD

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NASCIO Reports on Health IT in the States with Updated Compendium
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released “Profiles of Progress 3: State Health IT Initiatives,” a product of NASCIO’s Health IT Working Group that serves as a summary of where each state currently stands in regards to implementing health IT and interoperable health information exchange within state-led or state-designated efforts.  Now in its third installment, this document is available at www.nascio.org/publications.  Read more

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$60 Million in Health IT Grants Available in New York
New York State will fund $60 million in grants for healthcare IT projects to use in patient-centered medical homes. Funding for the grants is provided through the HEAL NY program. Patient-centered medical homes consist of services provided by physician practices, clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, long term care providers, physical therapists, and other providers with the personal physician coordinating the care using the right tools.  Applicants are expected to propose demonstration projects that will target patients with chronic diseases and will provide their care within a patient-centered medical home. Successful applicants will work with the regional health information organizations already recognized by the State Department of Health.  The grant applications are due on June 15, 2009. A conference to answer questions on the Request for Applications will be held at 10:00 on April 16th with questions due by May 11th. For more information on the RFA, go to www.nyhealth.gov/funding.

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In Their Own Words

“Comprehensive healthcare reform legislation will responsibly contain costs, improve quality, enhance disease prevention, and provide coverage to all Americans. Since our committees share jurisdiction over healthcare reform legislation in the Senate, we have jointly laid out an aggressive schedule to accomplish our goal. Both committees plan to mark-up legislation in early June.  Our intention is for that legislation to be very similar, and to reflect a shared approach to reform, so that the measures that our two committees report can be quickly merged into a single bill for consideration on the Senate floor.”  

Source: Statement made in a letter to President Barack Obama from Senator Edward Kennedy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus.

By the Numbers

Will Provider Organizations Change Their Investment
Strategy As a Result of ARRA

Source: Providers were asked to identify whether or not they anticipated that their organization’s investment strategy would change as a result of the passage of the ARRA. Nearly half of respondents indicated that their investment strategy would indeed change. HIMSS Vantage Point April 2009

Tools & Resources

HIMSS JOBMINE -- Whether you're actively looking for a new position or simply waiting to be approached with a great opportunity, HIMSS JobMine® helps you stay focused on the healthcare industry. And if you’re looking for high quality candidates, HIMSS JobMine® also gives you direct access to the best in the industry.

Member Only Benefit: GRANTS OFFICE  -- HIMSS Grants Advantage subscription service provides information on identifying funding initiatives, the steps needed to apply and succeed in the entire grants life cycle, including identification, submission, award receipt, reporting and closure. Grants Advantage can help you find the funding resources in categories that include, but are not limited to:

• Health IT
• Facility planning and construction
• Health services planning
• Specialized health research
• Education
• Veteran's health

Learn more about the benefits of subscribing to HIMSS Grants Advantage

Member Only Benefit: CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE REPORTS
HITECH Act

State Children’s Health Insurance Program: A Brief Overview

Medicaid Regulatory Issues
To access other CRS Reports, visit HIMSS Member Center (Click HIMSS PULSE on the left column)

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America has released its report, Beyond Healthcare: New Directions to a Healthier America. The Commission's site contains many resources, including a new chart on life expectancy by location and an issue brief on race and socioeconomics.

The Health Policy Institute at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has launched a new website for its Place Matters Initiative and produced a platform (with Prevention Institute) outlining steps for the new administration and congress to reduce health inequities.

The State of Virginia released the report Health Equity... Next Steps for Action, compiling ideas for health equity promotion generated during statewide community screenings of UNNATURAL CAUSES. Their site contains resources for promoting public awareness about health inequities.

CMS New E-Prescribing Web Page
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to announce the new Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program (E-Prescribing) web page. This new web page provides information about the new E-Prescribing incentive program that was authorized by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA).

 A Shared Roadmap and Vision for Health IT -- a white paper by NeHC-HITSP-CCHIT

Calendar of Events

HIMSS MiddleEast09 Healthcare IT & Management Excellence
May 5-7, 2009
Registration is Now Open
Read the full conference brochure and explore all of the top speakers, product innovations, educational and networking opportunities.

PAeHI Technology Summit and PA HIMSS Healthcare IT Advocacy Event 
May 4-5, 2009
9:30 a.m. — 6:00 p.m.
Crowne Plaza
235 Second Street
Harrisburg, Pa. 17101
Click here to register securely online.
Co-sponsored by the Delaware Valley and Western PA Chapters of the HIMSS and the Pennsylvania eHealth Initiative

Registration Open for June Government Health IT Conference
The annual Government Health IT Conference & Exhibition is set for June 4-5, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC.  The conference’s theme is Government Health IT: Driving Transformation, and features two educational tracks: Demonstrating the Value of Interoperability and Strategy and Policy: From Legislation to Action. A third track—the Industry Solutions Showcase—is complimentary for all attendees. Attendees also will have an opportunity to browse the Exhibit Hall, while networking with attendees.

In addition, HIMSS is offering complimentary eSeminars on various topics of interest to the government sector. Register for the conference and review the agenda online.

Register Now for HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo
June 9-10, 2009
Two Educational Tracks – Health Policy and the New Administration and Transforming Healthcare through Practice
Health Policy and the New Administration explores how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) along with President Obama’s healthcare reform agenda will impact healthcare organizations and the health IT industry. The second track, Transforming Healthcare through Practice, focuses on how the latest technologies are enhancing care delivery.

Register and learn more about HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo online. *Registration is complimentary to qualified registrants: Non-qualified individuals may attend for a nominal fee ($99 HIMSS Members/$119 non-members).

 

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