In This Issue: October 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

Healthcare Reform Moves Forward in Senate
The Senate Finance Committee voted October 13 on the America’s Healthy Future Act, passing the measure by a vote of 14-9.  Early this month, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its score of the American’s Healthy Future Act, outlining a cost of $829 billion over 10 years, while reducing the federal deficit by $81 billion in that same period.  Senate leaders are now working to merge the Senate Finance Committee’s legislation with legislation approved this summer by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, S.1679, the Affordable Health Choices Act.  A big difference between the two pieces of legislation is the role of the federal government in facilitating a public health insurance option.  Although the Senate HELP Committee’s legislation includes the establishment of a new public option, the Senate Finance Committee’s legislation would create an alternative approach—regional non-profit cooperatives—to administer a low cost insurance option to individuals and small businesses. 

The stage is set for a dynamic healthcare reform debate.  The Senate is expected to begin consideration of final bill during the week of October 26.  The House is expected to follow suit, beginning consideration of H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, by the beginning of November.

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HIMSS Policy Summit Breaks Records
The Eighth Annual HIMSS Policy Summit welcomed a record 439 advocates representing 39 states plus the District of Columbia.  HIMSS Public Policy staff scheduled meetings with 185 Congressional offices—including 43 meetings with Congresspersons and 9 meetings with Senators.  A total of 908 appointments were scheduled for pre-registered advocates!  The next Policy Summit will be here before we know it—please mark your calendars for June 16-17, 2010.  

In the meantime, if you have plans to be in Washington, DC, the HIMSS Public Policy staff would be happy to help you arrange meetings with your elected officials.  Please visit the HIMSS Advocacy Toolkit, and contact Meredith Taylor, Director of Congressional Affairs, for more information.

During the HIMSS Policy Summit, HIMSS advocates from Illinois educated Capitol Hill staff on how Congress can help advance health IT.

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Federal Grant Will Support Adoption of e-Prescribing in Vermont
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has secured a $1 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to provide incentives to physicians and independent pharmacies to adopt health information technology, and boost the electronic prescribing rate in Vermont.  "Sending prescriptions to pharmacies electronically is an important advance in patient safety," said Sen. Leahy.  "Physicians using electronic prescribing technology are alerted to potential allergies and drug interactions.  When the electronic prescription is received at the pharmacy, pharmacists no longer have to decipher physician handwriting.  There is much less chance of errors being made."

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Congressional Black Caucus Conference Discusses Healthcare Reform
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) held its 39th annual conference in Washington, DC in September.  Arnol Simmons, Coordinator for State Government Relations at HIMSS, attended the Fall CBC Health Braintrust session, “Addressing the Forgotten Faces and Voices of Health Reform.”  During this session, healthcare stakeholders from across the nation explored the critical role that healthcare reform can play in supporting community-centric health equity efforts that have been successful at improving the healthcare and health outcomes of some of the nation’s most underserved communities. After the sessions, Arnol had an opportunity to discuss with Congresswoman Donna Christensen (D-VI) future collaboration between CBC and HIMSS, such as a session focusing on health IT.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended the CBCF Awards Dinner, where the President touted his efforts to achieve Healthcare Reform, stating, “We cannot wait any longer…there comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over… so now is the time to enact health insurance reform in America.”

Arnol Simmons of HIMSS with Rep. Edolphus "Ed" Towns (D-NY), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

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>> In the News

HIT Standards Committee Addresses ARRA and NHIN
The October HIT Standards Committee meeting highlighted activity around the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) , and also welcomed two new members, Dr. Carol Diamond from the Markle Foundation and Mr. Chris Ross from CVS Minute Clinics.  Dr. David Blumenthal, Director of the Office of Health Information Technology (ONC), sought to clarify some of the public misunderstanding around the Nationwide Health Information Network, reiterating that the NHIN is codified in the ARRA and that the work would be moving forward.  He was referring to speculation that the new term, Health Internet, might be an attempt to move away from the NHIN model.  Dr. Blumenthal stated that there appears to be a perception that the original NHIN was developed using nationwide organizations to provide health IT solutions and more mature health information exchange activities.   The ONC is attempting to retool some of the NHIN initiatives to ensure the goals of the NHIN remain focused on consumer engagement by developing tools and technologies that utilize standards, protocols, and specifications are available in the public domain for anyone—big or small. 

Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, provided an update on the activities of the Implementation Workgroup that was established in September to engage the healthcare community in a dialogue on real world implementation experiences that will bolster the HIT Standards Committee’s work.  As part of the public engagement, Mr. Chopra announced a public testimony opportunity on October 29 in Washington, DC, and a structured online dialogue for two weeks starting on the 29.  The synthesized information will be reported at the November 19 Standards Committee meeting.

The Clinical Operations Workgroup has begun a gap analysis phase for identifying standards activity to support the Meaningful Use timeline.  Areas of focus include Clarification of 2011 MU Measures, including patient access to EHRs; minimum content requirements for providers to release to consumers; patient-specific education materials; vocabulary—mapping between existing standards, identifying standards to distribute code sets and updates, and maintenance and management processes; and other, such as administrative requirements, operating rules for 5010, and updates for electronic claim attachments.  The workgroup’s request to establish a Vocabularies Subgroup was approved by the full committee.  Information on ways to participate will be forthcoming.

The Clinical Quality Workgroup continues work on the necessary standards for reporting quality data to support Meaningful Use.  To date, 29 standards have been identified to support the quality reporting.  Seventeen are ready to support the committee’s recommendations on Meaningful Use.  The remaining standards are in the process of being retooled through HITSP standards harmonization efforts, and are expected to be in a testing phase by March 2010.  Dr. Blumenthal and members of the committee continued to stress the necessity of simplifying the standards list and process, so data can be collected and shared across the healthcare continuum, from provider to institution, to government agency, and that the consumer would have access to the information.

The Privacy and Security Workgroup reported that it is undergoing a standards gap analysis to complement the Quality Workgroup activity. The workgroup appears to be trying to steer away from recommending specific technologies and offering more standards parameters.  The challenge appears to be finding the practical balance for privacy and security requirements, which led many members to push for a roadmap with increasing difficulty for compliance, which will require providers to keep pace with security technology.  Finally, workgroup members announced they will be conducting a public session on Security Policy on November 19 in Washington, DC.   More information and opportunities to participate will be made available in the coming days. 

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AHRQ Releases Summary of HIT Projects
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), through its Health Information Technology Portfolio, sponsors a variety of projects that examine the impact of HIT implementation and use.  The agency has created summaries of AHRQ-managed health projects and activities in the Health IT Portfolio as of 2008, intending “for the summaries to be informative references for implementers of health IT, prospective research applicants, and others interested in the challenges and successes of health IT implementation and use in terms of research and practical applications.”  The full report is now posted on the HIMSS website.

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Blumenthal Forecasts 50,000 New HIT Jobs
Dr. David Blumenthal spoke at the AHIMA Annual Conference, discussing health IT workforce requirements and the likelihood that over 50,000 new professionals will be necessary to support the NHIN/Health Internet.  Dr. Blumenthal made reference to an initiative that will be launched in the coming weeks or months.  HIMSS anticipates the work will be tied to the two-day work session ONC had in Nashville in August, and applauds ONC’s efforts to address workforce challenges. 

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VA Secretary Outlines Plans to Expand Use of HIT 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki delivered his "State of VA" testimony to Congress this month.  Addressing the VA’s plans for HIT, Shinseki said, “Our next major leap in health care delivery will be to connect flagship medical centers to distant community-based outpatient clinics and their even more distant mobile counterparts via an information technology backbone that places specialized health care professionals in direct contact with patients via telehealth and telemedicine connections.  Today, we are even connecting medical centers to the homes of the chronically ill to provide better monitoring and the prevention of avoidable, acute, episodes.  This means that Veterans drive less to receive routine health care and actually have better day-to-day access.  It also means higher quality and more convenient care, especially for Veterans challenged by long distances; and, prevention will mean healthier lives.”

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AHRQ Offers Grants for Comparative Effectiveness Research
Comparative Effectiveness Research is one of the highlights of stimulus funding for healthcare IT, and $130 million of the more than $1 billion is currently available through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).  Funds will be used to accelerate the development and dissemination of research assessing the comparative effectiveness of health care treatments and strategies through efforts that conduct, support, or synthesize research that compares the clinical outcomes, effectiveness, and appropriateness of items, services and procedures that are used to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases, disorders and other health conditions.  Funds will be allocated to encourage the development and use of clinical registries, clinical data networks, and other forms of electronic health data that can be used to generate or obtain outcomes data.  Letters of Intent are due on November 18, 2009 and final applications are due December 16, 2009.  Learn more about this and other healthcare and healthcare IT grant funding programs through the HIMSS Grants Advantage.

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>> State News

Virginia Creates Health IT Advisory Commission
This month, Governor Tim Kaine announced creation of the Health Information Technology Advisory Commission by Executive Order 95.   "Health Information Technology has the potential to both reduce costs and improve the quality of health care for all Virginians," Governor Kaine said. "This initiative will ensure that the Commonwealth remains a leader in this area by leveraging the expertise and efforts of our public and private sector partners."  The commission, which will be chaired by Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marilyn Tavenner, will support the Commonwealth's response to federal grant opportunities, and ensure coordination across multiple related areas, including broadband and telemedicine, in order to maximize the benefits of ARRA funding available to the state.  The commission will enlist a broad range of stakeholders including physicians, HIE and privacy experts and hospital and insurance executives.  Committee members include HIMSS Virginia Chapter President Terri Ripley. 

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South Carolina Establishes HIE Committee
Governor Mark Sanford has signed an Executive Order to establish an Interim Governance Committee for statewide implementation of Health Information Exchange, tasked with overseeing South Carolina’s current exchange (SCHIEX) and making plans to integrate SCHEIX into the national exchange in the future. “Accurate and effective medical treatment goes to the very core of this larger notion of quality of life,” said Gov. Sanford. “We believe health information exchanges and electronic records can indeed improve healthcare outcomes by increasing efficiency, streamlining information and instilling a sense of accountability into a system that too often remains fragmented and overwhelmed by red tape. This Committee represents a small but meaningful step toward the long term goal of reducing medical mistakes - which cost the lives of 30 or more South Carolinians per year - as well as reducing the cost of healthcare services.”

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HIMSS Michigan Chapter Sponsors Michigan Day on Capitol Hill
Michigan HIMSS members organized the first Michigan Day on Capitol Hill during NHIT Week, with more than 84 people attending. Presentations outlined Michigan’s aggressive HIT plans, including announcement of the new Michigan Coalition for Health Information Technology (MCHIT) that will lead the state’s health IT and health information exchange activities in collaboration with the University Research Corridor (Michigan State University, University of Michigan and Wayne State University).   Federal agency speakers from ONC/HHS, VHA, HRSA, SSA, TATRC/DOD and the Federal Health Architecture focused on healthcare reform strategies and public-private collaboration.  Several other states are considering sponsoring a State HIT Day on Capitol Hill in the near future.  If your chapter would like more information on the benefits and logistics, please contact Tom Keefe, HIMSS Senior Director of State Government Affairs.

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>> National Health IT Week 2009

Massachusetts State Senate Adopts Resolution Supporting NHIT Week 2009
The Massachusetts State Senate has passed a resolution “respectfully” urging “the Congress of the United States, and especially the members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation, to join in recognizing the benefits of health information technology as they act to improve health care for all Americans.”

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Senate Passes S.RES.284, Supporting NHIT Week 2009
On September 23, 2009, the U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent a resolution supporting NHIT Week 2009.  The resolution was introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and co-sponsored by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME).  It reads,  

RESOLUTION - Expressing support for the designation and goals of `National Health Information Technology Week' for the period beginning on September 21, 2009, and ending on September 25, 2009.

Whereas the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society has collaborated with more than 5 dozen stakeholder organizations for almost 50 years to transform health care by improving information technology and management systems;

Whereas the Center for Information Technology Leadership estimated that the implementation of national standards for interoperability and the exchange of health information would save the United States approximately $77,000,000,000 in expenses relating to health care each year;
 
Whereas health care information technology and management systems have been recognized as essential tools for improving the quality and cost efficiency of the health care system;

Whereas Congress has made a commitment to leveraging the benefits of the health care information technology and management systems, including through the adoption of electronic medical records that will help to reduce costs and improve quality while ensuring patients' privacy and codification of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology;

Whereas Congress has emphasized improving the quality and safety of delivery of health care in the United States; and

Whereas since 2006, organizations across the United States have united to support National Health Information Technology Week to improve public awareness of the benefits of improved quality and cost efficiency of the health care system that the implementation of health information technology could achieve: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the value of information technology and management systems in transforming health care for the people of the United States;
(2) designates the period beginning on September 21, 2009, and ending on September 25, 2009, as `National Health Information Technology Week'; and
(3) calls on all stakeholders to promote the use of information technology and management systems to transform the health care system in the United States.

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In Their Own Words

“By moving to electronic medical records, in a system carefully constructed to protect patient privacy, physicians will have less paperwork to fill out, more critical information at their fingertips, and more time to spend with their patients.  Expensive tests won't have to be repeated over and over again.”

- President Barack Obama
October 5, 2009

Tools & Resources

HIMSS Advocacy Tool Kit
Visit HIMSS Online Advocacy Tool Kit for complete, detailed information on preparing for your next congressional visit.  The Tool Kit includes:  Sample Letters, Seven Secrets for Success, Standard Material for Meetings, and additional content from HIMSS on meaningful use and the Nicholas E. Davies Program.

NEW… On HealthReform.Gov
A new report, A Success Story in American Health Care: Using Health Information Technology to Improve Patient Care in a Community Health Center in Washington, examines how the Columbia Basin Health Association in Othello, WA uses health information technology to improve healthcare quality and patient safety as well as promote care coordination and continuity.

NEW… Make Good Decisions for EMR Strategies with Guidelines from HIMSS Analytics
As the nation continues its journey toward adoption of the electronic medical record, hospitals must understand and meet the funding requirements established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  A new HIMSS Analytics white paper, The State of US Hospitals Relative to Achieving Meaningful Use Measurements, offers an overview of market gaps that must addressed to achieve ARRA compliance.

Tool Measures Your Organization’s EMR Adoption Progress
Find out your EMR Adoption Model^SM score and optimize ARRA funding. By knowing your score you will have a valuable tool that measures yourself against your peers’ progress in adopting EMR and other healthcare technologies. This number will help you more effectively plan and execute your EMR strategies—and chart your path for achieving "meaningful use" dollars as part of ARRA funding. To find out your EMRAM score, all you need to do is participate in the HIMSS Analytics annual study. To get started, contact Patti Harris at 312-638-9460. Or visit the HIMSS Analytics Web site for more information.

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® 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
• Veterans’ health

Learn more about the benefits of subscribing to HIMSS Grants Advantage

Member Only Benefit: CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE REPORTS
Healthcare Reform and Small Business
To access other CRS Reports, visit HIMSS Member Center (Click HIMSS PULSE on the left column)

Calendar of Events

Make Plans to Participate in HIMSS Virtual Conference & Exhibition: November 3-4, 2009
The HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo is not a Web Seminar; it is a fully interactive event that incorporates online learning, live chat, active movement in and out of exhibit booths and sessions, vendor presentations, contests and more. Because the conference is 100 percent virtual, you can experience the Expo from the comfort of your own desk. Save yourself the travel expenses and get right to the industry information and solutions you seek!  Click here to register.

Taking HIT To The Streets
Join other healthcare decision makers at The ARRA Era, one-day regional conferences designed to help hospitals and health systems identify and qualify for funding opportunities from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Registration is now open for the December 4, 2009 conference in Dallas/Ft. Worth, and the January 15, 2010 event in Chicago.

The 2009 Annual Awards Call for Nominations is still open!  Nominations will be accepted through October 30th, 2009. 
HIMSS utilizes awards to recognize the special contributions of individuals, groups and organizations to the advancement of the healthcare profession as encompassed by the HIMSS mission. These special contributions may vary widely due to the diverse membership of the organization and the broad definition of the healthcare professions represented. Sponsorship of these awards and nomination of recipients come from components within HIMSS, often with collaboration from other allied professional societies, academia, and businesses.  Click here for further information on specific award categories. Contact awards@himss.org or call 312-915-9202 with any questions.

HITSP Security, Privacy and Infrastructure Webinar
The Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) is identifying the standards that will support the exchange of healthcare information across the United States. Learn more about the Panel and how you can engage in shaping the future of HIT interoperability during a series of free webinars that will be held on the second Thursday of each month during 2009.  The next webinar, focusing on Security, Privacy and Infrastructure, will take place on Thursday, November 12. 

Make your plans now for HIMSS10!
Be part of the 2010 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition in Atlanta, Ga., the largest healthcare information technology conference in the United States, scheduled for March 1-4, 2010.  HIMSS brings timely education and a solutions-focused exhibition to HIMSS10, held at the Georgia World Congress Center, and this year will feature extensive education sessions with continued emphasis on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and new topic categories on workforce development, regulatory compliance, clinical informatics and globalization.

 

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