New This Week on HealthIT.gov
In This Issue
- The HHS Strategic Plan
- 9 RECs Profiled In Evaluation Report
- Workforce Program Evaluation Report
- HIT Policy Committee Approves MUS3 Recs
- ONC Innovation Exchange Google+ Hangout
- Success Stories
- Update on Test EHR Program
- Announcing the New S&I Initiative — Clinical Quality Framework
- Health IT for Nurses Summit
The HHS Strategic Plan
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has just released the latest version of the Secretary's Strategic Initiatives, which describes the Department's work to address complex, multifaceted, and evolving health and human services issues. HHS achieves its goals of enhancing the health and well being of Americans by providing effective services and foster advances in the sciences through cross-agency collaborations, public-private partnerships, stakeholder engagement and the development of the Strategic Plan.
Essential to this work, is the protection of patients' health information and their privacy rights. Building a culture where everyone respects and values the privacy and security of patients is integral to the success of health information technology and health information exchange. To help safeguard patient health information, HHS is working to provide the resources and tools patients, providers, Health IT developers, health plans – and others – need to understand and effectively manage patient health information privacy and security. Read more about our privacy efforts.
Essential to this work, is the protection of patients' health information and their privacy rights. Building a culture where everyone respects and values the privacy and security of patients is integral to the success of health information technology and health information exchange. To help safeguard patient health information, HHS is working to provide the resources and tools patients, providers, Health IT developers, health plans – and others – need to understand and effectively manage patient health information privacy and security. Read more about our privacy efforts.
9 RECs Profiled in Evaluation Report
ONC posted the preliminary findings from an independent national evaluation of the Regional Extension Center (REC) program. Check out the nine case studies that explore the experiences of REC grantees that implemented the program as well as the challenges faced by providers as they adopt and meaningfully use EHRs.
Workforce Program Evaluation Report
ONC released an evaluation of the HITECH Workforce Development Program. The evaluation, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, explored grantees' implementation efforts using data from surveys, focus groups, and key informant interviews with students and other key stakeholders involved with the program. ONC also released a HITECH Workforce Development Program infographic, a Quick-Stat on students trained by state, a Quick-Stat on student employment, and updated the Health IT Workforce Dashboard. In addition, you can find a pair of blog posts that delve deeper into the program: one by our workforce guru here at ONC and the other by a doctor and professor who worked on the front lines of the program. Find them on the Health IT Buzz blog and feel free to comment.
HIT Policy Committee Approves MUS3 Recs
The Meaningful Use Workgroup (MU WG) presented recommendations for Meaningful Use Stage 3 to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee (HITPC) earlier this week, and the HITPC voted to accept them. ONC will now closely review the recommendations. Over the past two years, the MU WG has held over 125 meetings to inform these recommendations.
The workgroup gathered feedback from the public and stakeholders across the HIT landscape that included a request for comment and numerous hearings. The recommendations put forth are aimed at balancing the current state of the health care environment with the goal of using health IT to improve outcomes. While it has been difficult to strike this balance, for the most part, HITPC members felt that the MU WG was successful. A couple of HITPC members felt that the recommendations could overly burden providers, while others felt that the recommendations did not go far enough to enable the use of the health IT to improve outcomes. The HITPC approved the recommendations with the caveat that the concerns of a few of the HITPC members would be included. ONC and CMS will use these recommendations to inform the Meaningful Use Stage 3 Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM).
The MU WG is planning additional listening sessions in April where they will invite the public and health IT stakeholders to share their feedback. ONC has also established a task force on the health IT Standards Committee to provide additional feedback related to the maturity of standards and the development effort needed for implementation. We will address this feedback in response to the Meaningful Use Stage 3 NPRM published by CMS.
The workgroup gathered feedback from the public and stakeholders across the HIT landscape that included a request for comment and numerous hearings. The recommendations put forth are aimed at balancing the current state of the health care environment with the goal of using health IT to improve outcomes. While it has been difficult to strike this balance, for the most part, HITPC members felt that the MU WG was successful. A couple of HITPC members felt that the recommendations could overly burden providers, while others felt that the recommendations did not go far enough to enable the use of the health IT to improve outcomes. The HITPC approved the recommendations with the caveat that the concerns of a few of the HITPC members would be included. ONC and CMS will use these recommendations to inform the Meaningful Use Stage 3 Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM).
The MU WG is planning additional listening sessions in April where they will invite the public and health IT stakeholders to share their feedback. ONC has also established a task force on the health IT Standards Committee to provide additional feedback related to the maturity of standards and the development effort needed for implementation. We will address this feedback in response to the Meaningful Use Stage 3 NPRM published by CMS.
ONC Innovation Exchange & Google+ Hangout
ONC's Division of Science and Innovation will present 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 today 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.
Success Stories
Check out the latest Health IT Success Stories that highlight EHR implementation and meaningful use experiences from providers around the country. You can find these stories and more under Success Stories & Case Studies:
- Cass County Health System Uses Health IT to Improve Health Care Quality (Rural Setting)
- Dr. Gustin Ho Uses EHRs to Engage Patients and Improve Health Care Quality(Single Physician setting)
To view other NLC resources, visit the Implementation Resources repository.
Update on Test EHR Program
Eligible providers and hospitals looking to test their EHRs now have a third Test EHR to conduct their tests for electronic exchange of summary of care documents. The three test EHRs are McKesson, Meditech and iPatientCare.
Testers can also find a more simplified registration process on the EHR Randomizer test tool along with a new user guide that provides a step-by-step guide to conducting the test.
EHRs can still become a CMS designated Test EHR.
EHRs can still become a CMS designated Test EHR.
Announcing the New S&I Initiative — Clinical Quality Framework
ONC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are pleased to announce the launch of a new S&I Framework Initiative – Clinical Quality Framework. This initiative will address the need for harmonized standards for clinical decision support (CDS) and electronic clinical quality measurement (eCQM). We invite your valued participation in the kickoff of the Clinical Quality Framework initiative during a Web meeting and teleconference on March 21, 2014, from 12–1 p.m. EDT at https://siframework1.webex.
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" next Friday (March 21) in Glen Burnie, MD (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. Take a look at the agenda and registration, when you get a sec.
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