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June 6, 2014   MEMBERSHIP | HIMSS PUBLIC POLICY
 

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.

Federal Affairs

ONC Releases Whitepaper Outlining 10-Year Vision for Interoperability
On Thursday, June 5, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released its anticipated whitepaper addressing interoperability.

Health Datapalooza 2014 Continues Focus on Harnessing Health Data
Dialogue at the fifth annual Health Datapalooza Conference focused on advancing the availability and responsible use of open health data. 

CMS Posts 2014 Eligible Professional eCQM Update
CMS announced via email that its annual update of the 2014 electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) for eligible professionals and corresponding specifications for electronic reporting is now available.

CDC Releases Report on the Role of Laboratory Professionals in Health IT Safety
On June 2, Megan Sawchuk, MT (ASCP), Lead Health Scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Public Health Scientific Services, addressed the HIMSS Government Relations Roundtable at the Harris Corporation office in Washington, DC.

openFDA Facilitates Easier Access to FDA Data
The FDA’s new initiative, openFDA, is designed to facilitate easier access to large, important public health datasets collected by the agency.

HIMSS Regulatory Chart Tracks Health IT Regulations
The HIMSS regulatory chart offers an at-a-glance snapshot of all health IT-related regulation HIMSS is following in 2014. The chart includes links to proposed and final regulations and to HIMSS comments and position statements, along with anticipated timelines.

Congressional Affairs

House E&C Committee Letter to ONC Highlights Questions on Draft FDASIA Report
The House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican leadership sent a letter dated June 3, 2014 to Karen DeSalvo, National Coordinator for Health IT, questioning ONC's authority to expand its regulatory role over health IT.

Senate Confirms Burwell as HHS Secretary
On a bipartisan 78-17 vote, the U.S. Senate confirmed Sylvia Mathews Burwell as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. “HIMSS looks forward to working with Sylvia Mathews Burwell as we continue the transformation of healthcare in the U.S.,” said Tom Leary, HIMSS Vice President for Government Relations.

State Affairs

Illinois General Assembly Passes Telehealth Act
Illinois Senator Don Harmon introduced Senate Bill 647 at the beginning of the 2014 session. The measure provides definitions for terms such as interactive telecommunications system and telehealth services. 

Louisiana Representative Simon Champions Telehealth Legislation
Louisiana Representative Scott Simon introduced two measures this legislative session impacting telehealth in the state of Louisiana which have progress through the chambers.

HIMSS News

HIMSS Small Business and Diversity Roundtable to Discuss HHS Contracting Opportunities
Join the HIMSS Small Business and Diversity Roundtable on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 for its quarterly meeting.  Guest speaker Dwight D. Deneal from the HHS Office of Small and Disadvantage Business Utilization will lead an informative discussion on small business contracting opportunities with HHS.

MULTIMEDIA: Baker and Chopra on the Future of Health IT
Click the link to access HIMSS Vice President for Government Relations Tom Leary’s blog and a podcast of his Federal News Radio discussion on the value of health IT with former VA CIO Roger Baker and former US CTO Aneesh Chopra. Both men are members of the Honorary Advisory Panel for this year’s Government Health IT Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for June 17-18.

EVENT: Attend the 2015 Government Health IT Conference & Exhibition
Join your colleagues for this year's Government Health IT Conference & Exhibition in Washington DC, June 17-18. The theme for the 2014 Government Health IT Conference is "Emerging Care and Reimbursement Models." Find the knowledge and network that empowers you to implement solutions that reduce costs while still delivering quality patient care.

Privacy & Security Forum: Mayo’s Tricks of the Trade for Portals
Working on the patient portal portion of Stage 2 meaningful use? Officials at Mayo Clinic will offer some valuable insight into their own portal rollout at the Privacy & Security Forum in San Diego, June 16-17. At the Forum, Mayo’s Dr. Mark Parkulo, Vice Chair, Meaningful Use Coordinating Group, and Barbara McCarthy, Privacy Officer, will explain how the clinic is poised to meet MU Stage 2 in July. They are two of 35 speakers who will present 20 sessions at the forum on topics ranging from cyber security, insider threats, BYOD, securing medical devices, OCR audits and more. Read More>>

NEW! mHealth Explored During Innovation HealthJam
HIMSS and the Personal Connected Health Alliance will co-host “A Mobile Health Agenda for Transforming Healthcare Delivery” during Innovation HealthJam, a free virtual event on June 17-19. The track will call on the wisdom of the crowd, together with some of the leading thinkers in digital health, to brainstorm top priorities for a mobile health agenda.

NEW! mHealth Summit Call for Presentations Deadline Approaching
The mHealth Summit, and the new Global mHealth Forum with a focus on low and middle income countries, are now accepting presentation proposals for the 2014 program. Click here for full details and to view topic areas and submission guidelines. The deadline is June 27.

HIMSS15 Call for Proposals & Reviewers
The Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition is seeking thought leaders to present educational content and peer reviewers to ensure the integrity and relevance of 300+ education topics at HIMSS15. The call for proposals is open until June 16. HIMSS15 will take place in Chicago April 12-16. Learn more about submitting a proposal. Learn more about becoming a reviewer. For questions contact Deb Clough, Manager of Annual Conference Education.

Health IT Policy Update is a weekly online newsletter published by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

Copyright© 2014 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission. Contact HIMSS Publications at 33 West Monroe Street, Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 60603–5616; nvitucci@himss.org

For information on Health IT Policy Update
Elinore Boeke
Sr. Manager, Public Policy Communications, HIMSS
HIMSS Office of Government Relations
eboeke@himss.org, 703–562–8817

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The inclusion of an organization name, product or service in this publication should not be construed as a HIMSS endorsement of such organization, product or service, nor is the failure to include an organization name, product or service to be construed as disapproval.

 
DeSalvo Announces ONC Reorganization
In an email to staff, National Coordinator for Health IT Dr. Karen DeSalvo announced a reorganization as part of ONC's "next chapter to promote interoperable health IT solutions that support the ultimate goal of better health for all."

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Public Policy Event Calendar

HIMSS Events

Health IT Policy Committee Meetings

Health IT Standards Committee Meetings

Upcoming CMS National Provider Calls

Government Health IT Conference and Exhibition
Washington, DC
June 17-18, 2014

National Health IT Week
September 15-19, 2014

HIMSS 13th Annual Policy Summit
Grand Hyatt Washington DC
September 17-18, 2014


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Ensure the continuation of your HIMSS member benefits, login to the Member Center to renew your membership today. If you need a paper invoice, request one via e–mail to the Member Services department. You can also renew by phone at 312–664–4467 (option 8, then 2).

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