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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.
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.
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.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) issued the final rules on Meaningful Use and Standards and Certification, which providers must follow in order to benefit from the approximate $27.3 billion in financial incentives over 10 years, authorized under the HITECH Act’s EHR incentive program.
“Today, we begin to make real the phrase ‘private and secure’ as operative characteristics of that ambitious project of improving health information in the U.S.,” said David Blumenthal, MD, the national coordinator for health IT during a Thursday press conference concerning the notice of proposed rulemaking published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the July 8 edition of the Federal Register to strengthen HIPAA privacy and security rules.
Written by Mary Stevens
To move the Nationwide Health Information Exchange (NHIN) from a set of broad policies to production systems, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) must translate strategy into operational actions, according to Doug Fridsma, MD, PhD, acting director of the Office of Interoperability and Standards at ONC. Fridsma made his comments during a presentation with Arien Malec, coordinator for the NHIN Direct, ONC.
Siemens Healthcare has appointed John Glaser, PhD, as CEO of the health services business unit.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) today issued a final rule to establish a temporary certification program for EHR technology, which establishes processes that organizations will need to follow in order to be authorized by the National Coordinator to test and certify EHR technology.
The question healthcare providers are facing today is "whether we are pushing too hard, too fast to make this important change," stated David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health IT, on his blog this week. “I respectfully submit, no,” stated Blumenthal. “In turn, I ask, ‘Can we make these changes expeditiously enough?’”
Written by Mary Stevens
The vast amount of healthcare information now being generated could be the greatest asset available in improving patient care. However, to do the most good, this information must be effectively exchanged—and delivered securely—among more stakeholders than ever before.
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A "natural evolution" in National Health Information Network (NHIN) capabilities to support a variety of health information exchange (HIE) needs is being reinforced by trends that are leading toward widespread multi-point interoperability, stated David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, National Coordinator for Health IT, in a statement last week.
Written by Jeff Byers
BOSTON–Only through its proper use can technology boost healthcare improvement, said David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health IT, during his keynote address Thursday at the Health IT: Creating Jobs, Reducing Costs and Improving Quality national conference, hosted by Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick.
In a letter to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, a workgroup for the HIT Policy Committee recommended the creation of a web site that names EHR vendors and vendor product versions that have received certification, and shows which meaningful use stage has been tested and certified.
These are exciting times for the Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI), a public-private partnership spurring health IT innovation in the state. The institute received a $6M grant under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 to establish a statewide Regional Extension Center.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Healthcare organization Rhode Island Quality Institute was recognized as a national IT and HIE leader yesterday by David Blumenthal, MD, national coordinator for health IT, during a visit to Coastal Medical in East Providence, R.I.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced yesterday than an additional $162 million funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 will be awarded to 16 states and qualified state-designated entities to help them develop the policies and framework that allow health information to be securely exchanged across providers and hospitals.
Four chief information officers, who are also members of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), testified before the Implementation Workgroup federal panel this week on the challenges they foresee in implementing EHRs, under the current definition outlined in the interim final rule of meaningful use.
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“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.
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.
The framework for meaningful use is “something that had to be done and has been started intelligently,” John P. Glaser, PhD, vice president and CIO of Partners HealthCare System told CMIO. However, the challenges of becoming meaningful users and optimizing health information exchange will require unprecedented levels of communication within organizations and among healthcare systems, he said.
The contractual obligations in the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on modifications to the HIPAA privacy, security and enforcement rules under the HITECH Act for business associates and downstream entities are game changers, according to Amy S. Leopard, JD, from Walter and Haverfield, during a webinar sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Standardizing performance measures, with the help of health IT, will make it possible to collect the right data at the right time to support performance measurement, clinical decision support, clinical research and quality improvement, said Janet M. Corrigan, PhD, president and CEO of the National Quality Forum (NQF) during a webinar hosted by the forum on June 17.