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.

House Bill Introduced to Stop Implementation of ICD-10
H.R. 2126 currently has six co-sponsors and has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees.  Rep. Poe introduced similar legislation to prohibit ICD-10 in 2013.

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies Hearing on Rural Health
In their remarks and questions, Senate Republicans criticized the Obama Administration’s proposed budget for the Department of Health and Human Services for making cuts that they felt would have a disproportionately negative impact on rural healthcare access. 

Senate HELP Committee Hearing on Precision Medicine
The purpose of the hearing was to examine what efforts the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and private industry are doing in area of precision medicine, how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hopes to regulate these innovations, how electronic health records will affect the ability to innovate, and what impact it will have on both the American patient and health care system. 

HIMSS Statement on Dr. Karen DeSalvo’s Nomination for Assistant Secretary for Health
HIMSS congratulates Dr. Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc on her nomination as Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services.

HHS Announces $101M in Funding for New Community Health Centers
The Health Centers will be located in 33 states, two U.S. territories, and are anticipated to provide health care services to approximately 650,000 patients in medically underserved populations.

Precision Medicine Initiative Working Group Host Public Workshops
There are two components to the PMI, one focused on expanding current efforts in cancer genomics and testing methods for prevention and treatment of cancers in a more precise way; this component will be managed by the National Cancer Institute.

AHRQ Report Reviews Functions Needed in Pediatric Electronic Health Records
The report scanned scientific literature and gathered expert consensus on EHRs used in the care of children. Child health care providers stated that they need access to EHRs with special features to assure the delivery of quality care to pediatric patients.

CMS Releases Updates to 2014 eCQMs for EHs and EPs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services posted the annual update for the 2014 electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) for eligible hospitals and eligible professionals.

HIMSS Submits Comments on ONC 2015 Interoperability Standards Advisory
HIMSS welcomes the opportunity to leverage its members expertise in commenting on the Standards Advisory, and looks forward to continuing its dialogue with ONC on identifying, assessing, and determining the best available interoperability standards and implementation specifications.

Senate HELP Committee Announces EHR Working Group
The working group intends to focus on ways Congress and the Administration can assist providers in improving care quality; enhance interoperability between EHR vendors and health professionals; increase patient engagement through better access to information; utilize health IT to improve patient safety; and protect patient privacy and health information security.

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Health IT Policy Update is a weekly online newsletter published by HIMSS.

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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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