 |
|||||||||
| October 2006 | |||||||||
|
Top RHIO News | Advocacy and Public Policy | Technology Corner | Calendar of Events | |||||||||
|
Quality First Program Gives Doctors Critical Data The Indiana Health Information Exchange has launched a program, Quality Health First of Indiana, designed to help Indianapolis-area physicians improve the quality and consistency of patient care. By combining medical and drug claims data from participating health plans with patient prescription drug data, lab and test results from the Indiana Network for Patient Care database, Quality Health First aims to create reports to help physicians better treat patients. A $2 million gift came from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation for clinical quality support services. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield also provided funding. Other participating health plans include M-Plan, MDwise and Medicare. HIE of New York to Benefit from $1.5B in Federal Funding Earlier this week, Gov. George Pataki announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved the state's request for a waiver, which will provide up to $1.5 billion in federal funding to be invested in the state's healthcare reform initiatives. A state panel, dubbed the Commission on Health Care Facilities for the 21st Century, has been meeting for more than a year to discuss ways to improve the system, including the possible closing of some hospitals and nursing homes. The federal funding will allow for the implementation of the groups recommendations, which are due at the end of the year, as well as the proposals of an earlier body called the Governor's Health Care Reform Workgroup. Included in the state's program will be the increased use of e-prescribing, electronic medical records and regional health information organizations like the Health Information Exchange of New York, a network formed by Iroquois Healthcare Alliance, a Clifton Park group of 59 upstate hospitals, and the New York Health Plan Association, the Albany group representing the state's health insurers. The state's plan also calls for the expanded use of ambulatory and primary care services. The waiver, which went into effect Oct. 1, makes the state eligible for 50 percent federal matching funds for programs that are not Medicaid programs and therefore do not normally qualify for the federal match. The state may receive up to $300 million a year for five years. CareEvolution and AccessNET to Create Statewide Health Information Exchange in South Carolina The project is on track to deploy a working pilot of a federated health information exchange encompassing 4 million patients to a limited set of providers by December 2006. "Our relationship with CareEvolution is different because it is a true partnership with a shared vision to vastly improve health outcomes for disenfranchised populations that don't have anyone looking after their continuity of care," said Laura Morris, Director, AccessNET. "As a caregiver, you just cannot do a great job for these folks if you don't know what their health history is," continued Morris.
GAO Report Finds Weaknesses in CMS Computer Billing System A Government Accountability Office report released on Tuesday details 47 weaknesses in the computer system CMS uses to transmit bills and communicate with health care providers. CMS Administrator Mark McClellan said that the agency is working to fix the weaknesses but noted that the report "found no evidence that confidential or sensitive information had actually been compromised." The report focused only on data transmission and did not evaluate the security of the servers used to store patient data. However, GAO auditors earlier this year reported that HHS had "significant weaknesses" when it came to computer system security. Other weaknesses identified in the GAO audit of CMS' computer system include:
Rep. Adam Smith Leads NDC Letter to Urge Bipartisan Health IT Conference On September 28, a group of Democrats wrote to congressional leaders in both chambers to urge the passage of health information technology legislation before their targeted adjournment. In the letter, the New Democrat Coalition said conference negotiations on proposals to modernize America's health system need to be completed without delay. "Our healthcare system is plagued by rising costs and declining quality of care," the coalition said. "In spite of providing the most advanced medical care in the world, America's healthcare system is overly reliant on paper-based prescription and record-keeping techniques that are expensive, inefficient and even fatal." According to the group, a compromise between the House and Senate bills, H.R. 2157 and S. 1418 would help alleviate the financial burden on taxpayers and employers by, among other things, facilitating the adoption of IT networks and electronic health records. New Online Database to Track All Government Contract Spending President Bush signed into law today a measure that will create an online database for tracking government spending on contracts, billing the legislation as a way to hold government more accountable. "This bill will increase accountability and reduce incentives for wasteful spending. I am proud to sign it into law and I am proud to be with members of both political parties who worked hard to get this bill to my desk," Bush said at the signing ceremony in the Old Executive Office Building. The measure was sponsored by Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Barack Obama (D-IL) and in the House by Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA). The Web site is to go online by Jan. 1, 2008. It will list all grants and contracts of more than $25,000, except for those classified for national security reasons. HHS has released its Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2007. This document is divided into four sections. The first three consist of the ongoing and proposed work related to each of the major program operating divisions of HHS: (1) CMS; (2) the seven major public health agencies: Agency for Health Care Research & Quality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration, Indian Health Service, National Institutes of Health, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and (3) Administration for Children & Families and Administration on Aging. The fourth section contains projects that cut across department programs, including state and local government use of federal funds, and the functional areas of the Office of the Secretary. The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a lawsuit by privacy advocates who say the Bush administration's rules for disclosing medical records are too lax. Ten groups representing 750,000 consumers, medical practitioners and their patients challenged a federal rule that encourages development of an information system for electronic transfer of health data. HIMSS Chapter Advocacy Certification Program Announces First Quarter Awards Over 35 HIMSS Chapters are currently working together to advance federal, state, and local HIT-related legislation through the Chapter Advocacy Certification Program. The Program identifies, trains, and mobilizes a Chapter Advocacy Liaison Representatives (CALR) at participating chapters to help coordinate effective, sophisticated grassroots advocacy across the country. CALRs and their chapters receive special advocacy certifications as part of the Program, depending on their level of activity (Advocate Level, Ambassador Level, and Presidential Level). The Program, which was launched in July, 2006, announced its first quarter certifications on Friday, September 29. Eleven HIMSS Chapters and 14 CALRs were awarded Advocate Level Certification: Arizona -- Lesley Boreham-King and Marilyn Teplitz Advocate Level status is given to chapters that demonstrate an entry-level commitment to HIMSS-related advocacy activities. In addition, HIMSS Minnesota Chapter and its CALR, Shawana Schueller, received Ambassador Level Certification. Ambassador Level status requires chapters to demonstrate a more significant commitment to advocacy activity. As part of the certification, Ms. Schueller will be invited to travel to Washington, DC, in 2007, to represent her chapter at HIMSS Advocacy Day. For more information about the Chapter Advocacy Certification Program, please contact Arnol Simmons at asimmons@himss.org.
MHIN Physicians to Benefit from New Technology HIMSS RHIO Webinar
Speakers:
3rd Annual Nursing RHIOS AND NURSING: INFORMATION AT THE CENTER OF CARE Join the AMIA Nursing Informatics Working Group and HIMSS for the 3rd Annual Nursing Informatics Symposium at AMIA 2006 on Saturday, November 11, 2006, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hilton Washington and Towers in Washington, DC. National initiatives are prompting the development of RHIOs. In order for these RHIOs to support the practice and delivery of nursing care by the 2.8 million nurses in multiple care settings in the US, nurses must be more involved in the development, governance and technology management related to these RHIOs. HIMSS Vice President of Informatics Joyce Sensmeier, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, RN is a keynote speaker.
Don't Miss… HIMSS and eHI's Regional Forums CONNECTING COMMUNITIES REGIONAL FORUMS Creating the Vision…Living the Reality
Be among the leaders in your region who are working to develop sustainable funding, establish good governance and lay the groundwork for data sharing. Turn collaboration into action. Join forces with key regional healthcare executives, government officials, clinicians and IT decision-makers. These one-day Forums are designed to:
Visit the Web site for more information and to register. Those who attend the Connecting Communities Regional Forum can also earn a maximum of 7 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and up to 8.7 contact hours of continuing education credits toward renewal of the CPHIMS credential. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This activity also meets the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine’s criteria for risk management study.
Complimentary HIMSS Webinar 2006 Election Results and Its Effect on HIT and You!
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: U.S. CONGRESSMAN ALAN WHEAT (D-MO), Retired
Visit HIMSS Advocacy and Public Policy web site, www.himss.org/advocacy, or contact HIMSS Director of State Government Relations Tom Keefe at tkeefe@himss.org for more detailed information.
Register Now for HIMSS07 Get ready for HIMSS07 in New Orleans on February 25-March 1. Online registration is available and hotel reservations are now open at http://himss07.org/travel/travel.aspx. Take a look at the confirmed keynote speakers and visit the web site for information on the conference and New Orleans.
HIMSS RHIO Connection is your official source for timely, comprehensive coverage and analysis of the RHIO Revolution. We hope you have enjoyed the RHIO Connection. If you and your colleagues would like to permanently subscribe to each and every complimentary edition, click here. HIMSS Business Information Systems Team
|
Many predict that the November 7th elections will have a tremendous impact on federal and state policy the healthcare information technology industry, and you. Learn from our keynote speaker and HIMSS members and staff who are on the frontlines about:
Keynote Speaker: Steven A. Ballmer is Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer of software for personal and business computing. Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980 and was the first business manager hired by Bill Gates. Since then, Ballmer's leadership and passion have become hallmarks of his tenure at the company.
Keynote Speaker: General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) became the 65th Secretary of State on Jan. 20, 2001. Before becoming Secretary of State, Colin Powell served as a key aide to the Secretary of Defense and as National Security Advisor to President Reagan. He also served 35 years in the United States Army, rising to the rank of Four-Star General and serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989 – 1993).
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Stephen R. Covey is co-founder/vice-chairman of Franklin Covey Company, a leading global professional services firm. Franklin Covey offers learning and performance solutions to assist professionals and organizations in significantly increasing their effectiveness in productivity, leadership, communications and sales.