| Hello, {{lead.First Name:default=Subscriber}}, welcome to HIMSS' Health IT Policy Update, bringing you the latest news on Congressional, federal, and state health IT legislative and regulatory activities from HIMSS' Government Relations office. We welcome your feedback. If you're reading this complimentary newsletter online or receiving it as a forward, please subscribe.
115th Congress Sworn In
HHS Secretary-designate Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) is slated to be vetted by the Senate HELP Committee on January 18th, although a hearing with the Senate Finance Committee, which makes the official confirmation vote for the HHS Secretary, has not been scheduled.
HIMSS Submits Comment Letter on MACRA Final Rule
HIMSS appreciates the content of the Final Rule and the reduction in the number of required measures and the flexibility provided to practices to select the measures that they believe best represent their patients’ needs.
AHRQ Announces Available Grants to Conduct Health IT Research
Grant applicants must demonstrate how health IT can improve patient outcomes and improve quality of care in primary care and other ambulatory settings.
ONC Releases 2017 Interoperability Standards Advisory
The ISA catalogues key information about standards and implementation specifications – such as whether they are required by any federal programs or how widely used they are – to help enhance information sharing for key clinical data, including medication lists, immunization records, and test results.
HIMSS Healthcare & Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Report for January 2017
Highlights from this report include encryption attacks, destructive malware, ransomware, malware hunting and analysis tools, and more.
National Health IT Week Student Advocacy Challenge Winners Announced
The Challenge, sponsored by HIMSS Government Relations Team, pitted six student participants from health policy to devise and implement innovative advocacy activities focused on advancing public health IT awareness in their state or region.
2016 Most Influential Women in HIT Awards Interviews: Karen DeSalvo MD
In this episode of STEPS to Value, we explore the impact that governmental policy has on the health information technology industry with Dr. Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, Acting Assistant Secretary and the former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. DeSalvo also shares her own personal story and advice for women considering a career in the STEM fields as part of HIMSS’ Women in Health IT Initiative.
Listen to the episode here: 2016 Most Influential Women in HIT Awards Interviews: Karen DeSalvo MD
HIMSS Drives Health IT Priorities as Near-Term Healthcare Agenda Focuses on Repeal and Replace of Affordable Care Act
Health IT remains a core foundational piece in reforming our healthcare system. In particular, health IT tools are critical for improving patient safety and outcomes, increasing access, and greater success in value-based care delivery, quality reporting initiatives, as well as in opportunities to test new, innovative models of care.
Hope for Patient-Driven Interoperability and Innovation
This year marks my tenth year in health IT. Previously, I was a technologist in the government and non-profit sectors. My first introduction into health IT was working for an obstetrics EHR company. I had never heard of “HL7” prior to that, but it didn’t take long until I was immersed in the world of interfaces as I helped a hospital system build ADT feeds from their legacy MS4 System into the EHR I supported.
An Introduction to 21st Century Cures and Its Impact on Health IT
HIMSS was actively engaged in the development of the legislation, providing education and technical assistance to House and Senate staff. As a result, many of the final policies reflect HIMSS positions and feedback. |
