Welcome to HIMSS' Health IT Policy Update, bringing you the latest news on legislative and regulatory activities related to health IT from HIMSS' Government Relations office. We welcome your feedback, and if you're reading this complimentary newsletter online or receiving it as a forward, please subscribe.

HIMSS Welcomes New Senior Director for Federal Affairs
The HIMSS Government Relations Team this week welcomed Jeff Coughlin as HIMSS’ new Senior Director of Federal Affairs, leading HIMSS outreach efforts with federal agencies, including the Department of Health & Human Services, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Commerce, and others.  Jeff is a long-time healthcare policy expert and strategist, experience at HHS and several non-profit organizations.  He was most recently with a Washington, DC area consulting group.  Please feel to reach out to Jeff at jcoughlin@himss.org.

HIMSS Seeks Innovator in Residence to work with HHS on Patient Data Matching Strategy
Through HHS’s existing “Innovator in Residence” (IIR) program, HIMSS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are collaborating to move forward on the creation of a nationwide patient data matching strategy. HIMSS is currently recruiting an IIR to develop a vision, strategy, and implementation plan for the near-term deployment of consistent patient data matching in health that builds on the body of work from HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) and healthcare community partners.  The person hired for this two-year opportunity will be a HIMSS employee who will work onsite in the office of the HHS Chief Technology Officer, to foster further collaboration with stakeholders across the healthcare community and in collaboration with ONC. Click the link above to learn more and to apply.

Federal Affairs

HHS OIG Issues Report Critical of EHR Program Integrity and Vulnerabilities
On January 8th the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published a report, “CMS and Its Contractors Have Adopted Few Program Integrity Practices To Address Vulnerabilities in EHRs,” which discusses how CMS and its contractors have not adjusted their practices for identifying and investigating fraud in EHRs, compared to paper medical records.  Click the link to learn more.

CMS Issues RFI on the Next Generation of ACOs
On December 20th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a  Request for Information on the evolution of Accountable Care Organizations.  CMS hopes to obtain input on policy considerations for the next generation of ACOs. Comments are due March 1, 2014. Click the link above for details.

DOD to sustain AHLTA through 2018
With attempts to create a single electronic health record between the Department of Defense and the Veterans Affairs agency halted, the Defense Health Agency has issued an “Sustainment Re-Compete” for AHLTA, its electronic health record and Composite Health Care System (CHCS), which is DOD’s core medical information system. Click the link for details.

IOM Issues Report on EHR “Return on Information” and Proposed Model
This week, the Institute of Medicine released a report, “Return on Information: A Standard Model for Assessing Institutional Return on Electronic Health Records.” Click the link to read more.

HRSA Announces New Rural Telehealth Grant Opportunity
On December 26, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Rural Health Policy/Office for the Advancement of Telehealth announced the Telehealth Resource Center Grant Program to aid providers serving rural and underserved populations. For more information on this grant opportunity, click the link above.

Workshop on Mobile App Development and FDA Regs
The MMA Roadshow, co-sponsored by mHIMSS, will dive deeply into the regulatory issues associated with bringing new mobile apps into the healthcare space. The four-hour program will be hosted across the country in January, March, May and June. If you are a HIMSS member and part of the mHealth Community, you are eligible for a registration discount by e-mailing mHIMSS@HIMSS.org. Click the headline above to dates, locations and the agenda. Register here.

HIMSS Regulatory Chart Tracks Health IT Regulations
The HIMSS regulatory chart offers an at-a-glance snapshot of all health IT-related regulation HIMSS has been following in 2013. The chart includes links to proposed and final regulations and to HIMSS comments and position statements, along with anticipated timelines.

Congressional Affairs

Congress Examines Medicare SGR Policies
The House Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on January 9, 2014, entitled “The Extenders Policies: What Are They and How Should They Continue Under a Permanent SGR (Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate) Repeal Landscape?”  Click the link for details.

Personal Data Privacy and Security Act Introduced in the Senate
On January 8, 2013, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, introduced the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2014 (S. 1897). The legislation would enhance security measures to protect personal information and privacy. Additionally, the bill would establish a national standard for data breach notification. Click the link above to learn more.

New Legislation Addresses Exchange Breaches
On January 7, 2014, Representative Joe Pitts (R-PA), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, introduced the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act of 2014 (HR 3811). The bill would mandate that HHS notify individuals within two business days of any breach on the health care law exchanges, state and federal, that endangers personal data. The legislation is expected to come up for a vote by the full House of Representatives on January 10th. Click the link to learn more.

Institute for e-Health Policy Extern Learning Health IT Policy
Lauren Mock, a junior at the University of California at Berkeley majoring in Public Health and minoring in Public Policy, has joined the HIMSS Foundation’s Institute for e-Health Policy as a short-term January extern.  She’s enjoying learning about “health IT in the public health sphere, how technology intersects with the healthcare industry, and how the ways in which healthcare is delivered adapts to rapid advances in technology.” For more information about Lauren and about the Institute for e-Health Policy’s internship and externship opportunities, click the link above. Applications for Summer 2014 are being accepted through February 15, 2014.

State Affairs

Virginia General Assembly Addresses Health IT in 2014
The Virginia General Assembly formally began its 2014 legislative session on January 8, 2014. Two health IT bills were prefiled prior to Wednesday, which allowed them to be eligible for immediate consideration.  Click the link for details.

Four Tips for a Health IT New Year’s Resolution in 2014
Tom Keefe, HIMSS Senior Director of State Government Affairs, reports on looking ahead to 2014 and the election year we have in store for us, offering “a few suggestions to make sure we all vote for candidates who support healthcare reform through health information technology.” To read Keefe’s full blog, click the link above.

HIMSS News

Veterans Welcomed to HIMSS14
U.S. military veterans and their families will have a chance to take part in a special program designed to introduce them to future careers in the health IT industry, during “A Hero’s Welcome to Health IT” at HIMSS14 in Orlando. The initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Education and Training Administration, provides military veterans an opportunity to gain knowledge of professional development and employment opportunities within health information technology. The goal of the Veterans Career Services initiative is to welcome transitioning military veterans into the health IT field—a growing and promising area for technologically-adept veterans. Click the link above to learn more.

Registration Open: Second Annual National Healthcare Innovation Summit
Join Summit Co-chairs, Dr. Molly Coye, Chief Innovation Officer, UCLA Health System and Dr. Wendy Everett, President, NEHI at the Second Annual National Healthcare Innovation Summit. The Summit will be held May 13-15 at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. HIMSS is working collaboratively with NEHI and AVIA to organize and host the event. The Summit will explore demonstrated, high-value innovations that support the Triple Aim—with an emphasis on identifying and reducing the costs of care. At the Summit, innovative leaders from across the health sector will share proven and real-world approaches, first-hand experiences and lessons learned from the accelerated transformational path they follow. Keynote presentations feature executives from leading health systems, payers, public policy, foundations and think tanks, as well as private sector developers and investors. Register today!