Organization

Office Of The National Coordinator For Health Information Technology


Cincinnati, Detriot named final Beacon pilot communities

Top Stories | Thursday, September 02 2010
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Sept. 2 that Cincinnati and Detroit are the two final pilot communities selected under the new Beacon Community Program that is using health IT to help tackle leading health problems in communities across the U.S.
 

Weno seeks ONC-ATCB status

Industry News | Tuesday, August 31 2010
Weno Healthcare has submitted its application to become an Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) authorized certification and testing body (ATCB) in an effort to increase overall adoption for certified EHR technology.
 

CCHIT, Drummond Group first to be approved as ONC-ATCBs

Top Stories | Monday, August 30 2010
The Certification Commission for Health IT (CCHIT) has been recognized by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) under the initial certification program created to certify that EHRs are capable of meeting the criteria to support meaningful use and qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
 

ONC hires Lockheed Martin to assist with NHIN

Contracts & Installations | Wednesday, August 25 2010
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has employed Lockheed Martin for two contracts to advance EHRs and secure health information exchanges to support the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN), for a total of $9 million over two years.
 

Report: Meaningful use criteria = health IT staff gaps

Top Stories | Tuesday, August 24 2010
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT predicts 50,000 additional health IT workers will be needed during the next five years to satisfy EHR meaningful use criteria. Thus, providers, payors and other stakeholders need to fill in workforce gaps with skill sets from other staff and focus on alternative ways to install and operate systems that realize economies of scale and therefore reduce health IT staff demands, according to a study from IT company CSC.
 

CMS issues guidance for state Medicaid IT implementation

Top Stories | Monday, August 23 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing guidance for state Medicaid directors and agencies regarding the implementation of CMS’ final regulations to allow the payment of incentives to eligible professionals and hospitals to promote the adoption and meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
 

Tiger Team to Blumenthal: Stick to fair info practices

Industry News | Friday, August 20 2010
In a letter to National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal, MD, the federal Health IT (HIT) Policy Committee's Privacy and Security Tiger Team recommended an approach to privacy and security that is comprehensive and firmly guided by fair information practices.
 

NIST publishes finalized EHR testing procedures

Top Stories | Thursday, August 19 2010
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a set of approved procedures for testing information technology systems that work with EHRs. The approved and finalized testing procedures are now available for use, according to the institute.
 

Stanley awarded $15M to support NHIN

Contracts & Installations | Monday, August 16 2010
Stanley was awarded two time-and-materials contracts, valued at $15 million, by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to provide operational and infrastructure support for the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN).
 

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

Web Exclusives | Sunday, August 15 2010
Written by Jeff Byers
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.
 

Payors get into meaningful use incentives game

Top Stories | Friday, August 06 2010
Aetna, through its provider contracting process, will offer financial incentives to physicians who achieve specific quality of care goals and who make investments in technology for implementation of an EHR.
 

NASCIO: States march onward toward IT adoption

Industry News | Tuesday, August 03 2010
States have experienced expeditious growth in the adoption of health IT during the past year, according to a report by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).
 

HIT Standards Committee: Interoperability standards become clearer

Top Stories | Thursday, July 29 2010
Written by Mary Stevens
Certification standards have been clarified in the meaningful use final rule, and when possible, standards allow “flow-through” from meaningful use requirements, said Doug Fridsma, MD, PhD, acting director of the Office of Interoperability and Standards at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), speaking at the July 27 HIT Standards Committee meeting.
 

HIT Standards Committee: Meaningful use enters operations phase

Industry News | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Written by Mary Stevens
The final rule for Stage 1 meaningful use has been published in the Federal Register, marking “the end of just one part of the first cycle that is the first stage of meaningful use,” said Karen Trudel, deputy director of the Office of E-Health Standards & Services at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, speaking at the July 27 meeting of the Health IT Standards Committee. “We’re moving away from a totally completely a policy development process to one that is a mixture of policy and operations,” she said.
 

CCHIT launches specialized EHR certification programs

Industry News | Tuesday, July 27 2010
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) has launched new certification programs for EHRs in behavioral health, both as an optional addition to ambulatory EHR certification and as a stand-alone behavioral health EHR used in other outpatient settings.
 

CCHIT applies for ONC certification, accreditation status

Industry News | Monday, July 26 2010
The Certification Commission for Health IT (CCHIT) submitted an application to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) to become an authorized testing and certification body last week.
 

CMS, ONC kick off EHR incentives training program

Web Exclusives | Sunday, July 25 2010
Written by Mary Stevens
“We’re beginning a revolution the way information is collected, managed, used and purposed for patients in the U.S. healthcare system,” said David Blumenthal, MD, chair of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, in opening remarks at an audioconference training session on meaningful use and EHR certification last week.
 

AMA: EHRs don't meet all Stage 1 meaningful use criteria

Industry News | Wednesday, July 21 2010
There is no EHR on the market today that does all of the steps required for physicians to successfully meet Stage 1 meaningful use criteria, according to an American Medical Association (AMA) statement released this week.
 

CMIOs give meaningful use mixed reviews (Part Two in Two-Part Series)

Web Exclusives | Monday, July 19 2010
In Part 1 of our closer look at the final rules for meaningful use and EHR certification standards, CMIO’s Jeff Byers spoke with David Blumenthal, MD, chair of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. In Part 2, CMIOs weigh in with mixed reviews.
 

Blumenthal exclusive: Meaningful use is ‘one-time offer’ (Part One of Two-Part Series)

Web Exclusives | Monday, July 19 2010
Written by Jeff Byers
As everyone gets a closer look at the final rule for meaningful use and EHR certification requirements, CMIO spoke with David Blumenthal, MD, chair of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), and with CMIOs who will be charged with making it happen. In Part One of our two-part series, CMIO’s Jeff Byers spoke with Blumenthal about some of the ramifications of the final rule, and what's expected for Stage 2 and beyond.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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