1. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee chaired by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) will host a nomination hearing on Tuesday for Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to be the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, followed by a nomination hearing by the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. While both Senate committees have jurisdiction over federal healthcare issues, the Senate Finance Committee has ultimate jurisdiction over approving the HHS Secretary nomination and following the Thursday hearing will vote to send the nomination to the full Senate for a vote. Once passed by the full Senate, the nominee is then considered confirmed by the Senate. It is anticipated that Governor Sebelius will assume the office of Secretary of HHS following Senate confirmation as soon as President Obama returns home from overseas and swears Governor Sebelius into office.
2. The U.S. House has two committees with jurisdiction over healthcare issues. Subcommittees of the House Energy and Commerce Committee chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) will hold three healthcare hearings this week. On Tuesday, the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will examine public health in the context of overhauling the nation's healthcare system, and the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will examine legislation that would prohibit brand-name pharmaceutical companies from paying generic drug makers to delay selling their low-cost versions. The Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold another hearing this Thursday on a healthcare overhaul that examines ways to save money in the system and improve safety.
3. Finally, the House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) will hold a hearing this Wednesday on modernizing the healthcare delivery system, with a focus on care coordination and improving quality of care.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Immediate HITECH Timeline
Within 45 days of enactment (April 3, 2009):
• Appointment of HIT Policy Committee members - Section 3002(b)
After 45 days from date of enactment (April 3, 2009), but prior to 90 days (May 18, 2009):
• HIT Policy Committee makes recommendations to ONC on areas in which standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed including those to protect privacy, ensure security, account for disclosures, encrypt information and use EHRs for quality improvement (Section 3002)
Within 90 days of enactment (May 18, 2009):
• HIT Standards Committee will develop a schedule for assessment of the policy recommendations developed by the HIT Policy Committee (Section 3003)
• NIST to conduct pilot testing of standards and implementation (Section 3003 and Section 13201)
• Draft description of program for establishing regional centers for HIT Implementation Assistance (Section 3012)Not later than 45 days after the HIT Standards Committee delivers recommendations to ONC
• ONC makes a determination whether to endorse each standard, implementation specification, and certification criterion for the electronic exchange and use of health information that is recommended by the HIT Standards Committee and delivers recommendations to HHS Secretary (Section 3001)
By December 31, 2009:
• HHS Secretary (in consultation with other Federal Agencies) will determine what standards should be adopted from those endorsed by ONC, and adopt them through rulemaking processes (Section 3004)
• Secretary will adopt an initial set of standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria through release of Interim Final Regulations (Section 3004)
• Appointment of HIT Policy Committee members - Section 3002(b)
After 45 days from date of enactment (April 3, 2009), but prior to 90 days (May 18, 2009):
• HIT Policy Committee makes recommendations to ONC on areas in which standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed including those to protect privacy, ensure security, account for disclosures, encrypt information and use EHRs for quality improvement (Section 3002)
Within 90 days of enactment (May 18, 2009):
• HIT Standards Committee will develop a schedule for assessment of the policy recommendations developed by the HIT Policy Committee (Section 3003)
• NIST to conduct pilot testing of standards and implementation (Section 3003 and Section 13201)
• Draft description of program for establishing regional centers for HIT Implementation Assistance (Section 3012)Not later than 45 days after the HIT Standards Committee delivers recommendations to ONC
• ONC makes a determination whether to endorse each standard, implementation specification, and certification criterion for the electronic exchange and use of health information that is recommended by the HIT Standards Committee and delivers recommendations to HHS Secretary (Section 3001)
By December 31, 2009:
• HHS Secretary (in consultation with other Federal Agencies) will determine what standards should be adopted from those endorsed by ONC, and adopt them through rulemaking processes (Section 3004)
• Secretary will adopt an initial set of standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria through release of Interim Final Regulations (Section 3004)
Monday, March 23, 2009
ROI
A few great case studies:
There are numerous studies showing that EHR has a significant ROI: http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w5.10/DC1 http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/24/5/1103
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12714130
http://www.jamia.org/cgi/content/full/13/3/261
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez
http://www.greenwaymedical.com/dynamic/pdf/roi/roi_nine_doctor_obgyn.pdf
http://www.greenwaymedical.com/dynamic/pdf/casestudies/testimonial_oswego_greenway_sept2004.pdf http://www.greenwaymedical.com/dynamic/pdf/roi/post%20deployment%20roi%20-%20oswego%20obgyn.pdf.
For example, a detailed case study of the cost and quality benefits of EHR at Family Care of Concord, NH found net benefits per clinician per year of $30,324 https://www.acponline.org/atpro/timssnet/products/tnt_products.cfm?action=long&primary_id=330371070.
Another study of hospital-based provider order entry identified net savings of $1.7 million per year from drug dosing guidance, nursing time utilization, and error prevention http://www.jamia.org/cgi/content/full/13/3/261.
Studies show that there is benefit for health conditions like diabetes and heart disease from EHR http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=15802479, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18373141, and http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/330/7494/765.
EHRs increase overall patient safety. Children's Hospital of Seattle, following best practices for implementation, have experienced a trend toward a lower mortality rate http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/118/1/290.
The level of medication error reduction with computerization of prescribing seen in multiple studies is over 80%
http://www.jamia.org/cgi/content/full/6/4/313; http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/163/12/1409.
There are numerous studies showing that EHR has a significant ROI: http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w5.10/DC1 http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/24/5/1103
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12714130
http://www.jamia.org/cgi/content/full/13/3/261
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez
http://www.greenwaymedical.com/dynamic/pdf/roi/roi_nine_doctor_obgyn.pdf
http://www.greenwaymedical.com/dynamic/pdf/casestudies/testimonial_oswego_greenway_sept2004.pdf http://www.greenwaymedical.com/dynamic/pdf/roi/post%20deployment%20roi%20-%20oswego%20obgyn.pdf.
For example, a detailed case study of the cost and quality benefits of EHR at Family Care of Concord, NH found net benefits per clinician per year of $30,324 https://www.acponline.org/atpro/timssnet/products/tnt_products.cfm?action=long&primary_id=330371070.
Another study of hospital-based provider order entry identified net savings of $1.7 million per year from drug dosing guidance, nursing time utilization, and error prevention http://www.jamia.org/cgi/content/full/13/3/261.
Studies show that there is benefit for health conditions like diabetes and heart disease from EHR http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=15802479, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18373141, and http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/330/7494/765.
EHRs increase overall patient safety. Children's Hospital of Seattle, following best practices for implementation, have experienced a trend toward a lower mortality rate http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/118/1/290.
The level of medication error reduction with computerization of prescribing seen in multiple studies is over 80%
http://www.jamia.org/cgi/content/full/6/4/313; http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/163/12/1409.
Friday, March 20, 2009
NEW ONC DIRECTOR ~ David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P.
David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P., is director of the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital and Samuel O. Their Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously, he held posts as senior vice president at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and executive director of the Center for Health Policy and Management at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. During the late 1970s, he was a professional staff member on Senator Edward Kennedy's Senate Subcommittee on Health and Scientific Research. Dr. Blumenthal is the founding chairman of AcademyHealth, the national organization of health services researchers; national correspondent for the New England Journal of Medicine; and a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania Health System
Interesting Stimulus Factoid - CMS Website posts Eligible Stimulus Recipients, including Hospitals
`(B) POSTING ON WEBSITE- The Secretary shall post on the Internet website of the Centers
for Medicare &Medicaid Services, in an easily understandable format, a list of the names of
the eligible hospitals that are meaningful EHR users under this subsection or subsection (b)(3)(B)
(ix) (and a list of the names of critical access hospitals to which paragraph (3) or (4) of section
1814(l) applies), and other relevant data as determined appropriate by the Secretary. The
Secretary shall ensure that an eligible hospital (or critical access hospital) has the opportunity
to review the other relevant data that are to be made public with respect to the hospital (or
critical access hospital) prior to such data being made public.
This can be found on page 447 of the Stimulus Package (HR1).
for Medicare &Medicaid Services, in an easily understandable format, a list of the names of
the eligible hospitals that are meaningful EHR users under this subsection or subsection (b)(3)(B)
(ix) (and a list of the names of critical access hospitals to which paragraph (3) or (4) of section
1814(l) applies), and other relevant data as determined appropriate by the Secretary. The
Secretary shall ensure that an eligible hospital (or critical access hospital) has the opportunity
to review the other relevant data that are to be made public with respect to the hospital (or
critical access hospital) prior to such data being made public.
This can be found on page 447 of the Stimulus Package (HR1).
Interesting Stimulus Factoid - CMS Website posts Eligible Stimulus Recipients
All Medicare & Medicaid recipients of Stimulus incentive funds will be posted on a CMS website. It obviously will show the care providers and eligible professionals who adopt and successfully use 21st Century health IT such as EHRs to provide high-quality care to their patients.
"POSTING ON WEBSITE- The Secretary shall post on the Internet website of the Centers
for Medicare &Medicaid Services, in an easily understandable format, a list of the names,
business addresses, and business phone numbers of the eligible professionals who are
meaningful EHR users and, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, of group practices
receiving incentive payments."
This can be found on page 436 of the Stimulus Package.
"POSTING ON WEBSITE- The Secretary shall post on the Internet website of the Centers
for Medicare &Medicaid Services, in an easily understandable format, a list of the names,
business addresses, and business phone numbers of the eligible professionals who are
meaningful EHR users and, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, of group practices
receiving incentive payments."
This can be found on page 436 of the Stimulus Package.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
EHR Association Chair Supports Stimulus Package as Key to Healthcare Transformation
Please click on the image to see an enlarged version/read the text.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
