New This Week on HealthIT.gov

In This Issue

Patient-Generated Health Data

The use of Patient-Generated Health Data (PGHD) offers an opportunity to capture needed information for use during care, with potential cost savings and improvements in quality, care coordination, and patient safety. ONC has identified PGHD as an important issue for advancing patient engagement and initiated a series of activities to gain more information about its value and approaches to implementing it. Of particular interest are the recent Consumer Technology Workgroup's recommendations to the Health IT Standards Committee about standards for use of PGHD in Meaningful Use stage 3 and the final report of the NeHC-facilitated Technical Expert Panel on PGHD [PDF - 500 kb].

ONC Innovation Exchange & Google+ Hangout

ONC's Division of Science and Innovation is presenting a unique opportunity for health IT innovators to hear from Mohit Kaushal, a partner with Aberdare Ventures and Doug Hayes, Director at Blueprint Health, on how health IT solutions can enable the transformation of health care. During our Google+ hangout next Friday (March 14) at 1 pm EDT, we'll discuss how new payment models like patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations are presenting new opportunities for innovation, and there will be time for open Q&A at the end. You can also join our live Twitter chat at #ONCInnovates.

Comment Template for 2015 Proposed Rule

Ready to comment about the new 2015 Edition Proposed Rule? Check out the templatewe've created to facilitate the process. The voluntary template offers a simple and organized way to submit comments on the proposed certification criteria and associated standards and implementation specifications, and respond to specific questions posed in the preamble of the proposed rule.

The Practical Playbook

Doctors, nurses and other providers from Duke University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the de Beaumont Foundation this week launched an online tool in a bid to better coordinate research and promote better care. The new resource will help connect public health practitioners and primary care providers using health IT.Learn more about the Practical Playbook!

Health IT: An Updated Systematic Review

This is an update to previous systematic literature reviews focusing on the effects of health information technology (health IT) on key aspects of care, including health care quality, safety, and efficiency. This review focused specifically on identifying and summarizing the evidence relating to the use of health IT as outlined in the Meaningful Use regulations and included 236 studies assessing the effect of health IT on healthcare outcomes. Visit HealthIT.gov for the full report: An Updated Systematic Review with a Focus on Meaningful Use Functionalities [PDF - 2.2 MB].

REC Support for New Care & Delivery Models

Regional Extension Centers (REC), located in every region of the country, serve as a support and resource center to assist providers in EHR implementation and their Health IT needs. They are also supporting new care and delivery models resulting in over 100 million patients having access to:

Electronic prescriptions, resulting in reduced medication related errors;
Patient visit summaries, allowing patients to more fully understand and participate in their health; and
Evidence-based care recommendations based on quality measures and indicators.

Check out the following podcast resources for additional information on how REC’s can help:

Medical Home podcast — Sam Cykert explains what a medical home is, the advantages and requirements of becoming a medical home, and how RECs can help practices become medical homes, etc.
Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative podcast — Dr. Eugene Heslin explains what the comprehensive primary care initiative is, the advantages and requirements of becoming a CPC, and how RECs can help practices in this initiative, etc.

Health IT for Nurses Summit

Please join ONC and the American Nurses Association for "At the Crossroads of Patient Care: Health IT for Nurses and Advanced Practice Nurses" on March 21, 2014 in Glen Burnie, Maryland (12 miles south of Baltimore and minutes from Baltimore-Washington International Airport). This summit is designed to help you find useful information to improve your practice using Health IT, regardless of your setting or specialty. Speakers will address quality improvement, health-care delivery reform, and payment reform for RNs and APRNs. Attendees can participate in a series of breakout sessions showcasing how Health IT enables nurses to transform health-care delivery and improve outcomes for patients within their care setting. The event is free and the American Nurses Association will provide 5 hours of Continuing Education credit for a $25 fee. Application and payment for CEUs will occur on-site at the Summit. Take a look at the agenda and registration, when you get a sec.

Budget Documents

In support of the President’s Budget request, ONC submits an annual document to the Congress called the Congressional Justification Report. Find our Fiscal Year 2015Congressional Justification – and other budget documents – on our webpage.