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Membership  |  HIMSS Public Policy

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.

Federal Budget Continues to be a Major Problem
Once Congress returns from the mid-term elections, federal budget, along with other pressing issues, will need to be addressed.

Joint HITPC and HITSC Meeting Endorses ONC Interoperability Vision and Continues to Build Toward Roadmap Version 1.0
The joint committee expressed support for the direction that ONC is headed with its plan, but did offer some tweaks and modifications to the newly-introduced strategic elements.

ONC Names Savage as Chief Privacy Officer
Lucia Savage will begin her tenure in the coming week.

HIMSS Submits Comments to NIST on Cybersecurity Infrastructure Framework RFI
HIMSS response included comments on the three principal areas in the RFI.

Interoperability Governance Subgroup Provides Recommendations to HITPC and HITSC
Subgroup presented on two questions and provided recommendations.

JASON Task Force Offers Formal Recommendations to HITPC and HITSC; Largely Accepted
The recommendations were largely accepted intact, and will now go to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) as recommendations from HITPC and HITSC.

CMS Accepting Applications for New ACO Investment Model
Program provides up to $114 million in upfront investments to up to 75 ACOs across the country.

PA Looks to Implement a Statewide Medical Home Model
Pennsylvania State Representative Matthew Baker introduced House Bill 1655 which establishes the Patient-Centered Medical Home Advisory Council. The act also provides for the development of a plan to implement a Statewide medical home model.

CMIO/Medical Informatics Executive Roundtable
The HIMSS Physician Community is establishing a new CMIO/Medical Informatics Executive Roundtable. The purpose of the roundtable is to enable the advancement of CMIOs as trusted medical leaders as part of an integrated care team.

EHR Adoption—Successfully Navigating Organizational Change
The editors of the HIMSS Book of the Month for October, A Guide to EHR Adoption: Implementation through Organizational Transformation, discuss the key point of their book.

Flexibility in Health IT Reporting Act Needs Your Support
HIMSS members are encouraged to reach out to their members of Congress for support of The Flex-IT Act. Despite the strong recommendation of HIMSS and many other organizations, the Meaningful Use Stage 2 final rule, published by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT , September 4, 2014, maintained the provision requiring providers comply for a full-year EHR reporting period in 2015. The full 12-month reporting period for FY15 would be required to receive MU incentive payments and avoid Medicare reimbursement penalties.

JHIM Seeks Abstracts on Cloud Computing, Security & Data
The Journal of Healthcare Information Management is seeking abstracts for its upcoming issue on “IT Infrastructure & Implications: Cloud Computing, Security & Data.” The deadline for abstracts is Nov. 1

National Cyber Security Awareness Month
HIMSS joins the National Cyber Security Alliance in celebrating National Cyber Security Awareness Month, held annually in October.

Submit Abstract for the IHF 39th World Hospital Congress
Authors who wish to present their work at IHF’s 39th World Hospital Congress are invited to submit an abstract for consideration by the Scientific Committee.

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Health IT Policy Update is a weekly online newsletter published by 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:
Rich Hodge
Senior Director, Congressional Affairs
HIMSS North America
rhodge@himss.org, 703-562-8847

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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.