Published on Healthcare IT News (http://www.healthcareitnews.com/)

Home > HHS Consumer Health IT Summit power-charged for progress

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HHS Consumer Health IT Summit power-charged for progress

By Diana Manos, Senior Editor

Created 09/12/2011

WASHINGTON – Sept. 12 was a big day for healthcare IT. Federal officials hosted a consumer health IT summit, jam-packed with new initiatives to advance HIT. The event was charged with a wave of energy toward grass roots change, specifically supporting patient-centered care.

The summit, held at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. was part of the Sixth National Health IT Week, a collaborative event hosted by the Health Information and Management Systems Society.

Obama declares National Health IT Week, Sept. 11-16

President Barack Obama proclaimed on Monday, in conjunction with the summit, that Sept. 11-16 would officially be federally recognized as National Health IT week going forward.

Farzad Mostashari, MD, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, who moderated the summit, emphasized the new exciting times healthcare IT now faces. "It now costs nearly nothing to share ideas instantaneously with anyone, anywhere," he said. "This is changing our world, and healthcare."

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Patients have that right to access their health information," Mostashari added. "We are here today to make it easy for them to have that right."

Sebelius reports 80,000 providers signed up for MU

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said healthcare IT will allow Americans to be part of their own healthcare. "I want to welcome you all to the conversation," she told the audience.

Sebelius reported that progress is moving rapidly, with 80,000 providers signed up to receive incentives for the meaningful use of electronic health records as of this week.

Seventy percent of the physicians targeted by the regional extension centers (RECs) – a federal program to help guide providers in adopting healthcare IT – have signed on for help. Rural states have been particularly eager to work with the RECs, Sebelius said, with Nebraska showing nearly every provider signed on.

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The potential for patients in this change is enormous," she added.

HHS proposes to allow patients direct access to lab results

As part of that change, HHS released a proposed rule on Monday that would allow patients access to their lab results directly from the lab.

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That's a big deal," Sebelius said, because every year many test results never get to the patient. She added that keeping the information secure will be paramount.

Patients have the right to access their EHR, civil rights official says

Federal leaders emphasized the importance of getting patients involved in their own care, starting with access to electronic health records.

"Patients are the most underutilized resource for healthcare," Mostashari said.

Don Berwick, MD, CMS administrator, asked: "Why would we not use all the knowledge available? Why would we waste a bit of it?" Patients are the experts of their own healthcare, and doctors are the coaches, he added. "Caregivers are the guests in [patients'] lives," he said.

Mostashari said ONC has heard some reservations on the part of some physicians to give patients access to their electronic medical records.

Leon Rodriquez, director of the HHS Office of Civil clarified the situation. "Patient can have access to their records, under HIPAA," he said.

Blue Button gains widespread support

Federal officials also announced that the Blue Button program launched by the Veterans Health Administration, is now going mainstream. It has extended its reach beyond the VA and is now supported by healthcare providers and health plans, with availability already extended to millions of Americans.

The Obama Administration announced the Blue Button capability in August 2010. It was developed by CMS, the Department of Defense and the Markle Foundation.

With the click of a blue button, users of the program can share a simple version of their healthcare information with trusted parties.

The U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and HHS Chief Technology Officer Todd Park named the current sponsors of Blue Button, which included Kaiser Permanente, McKesson, Microsoft Healthvault, Aetna, United Health Group, the state of Indiana and others.

After the announcement, Chopra chanted, "Grassroots change!"

"I'm proud of Blue Button Initiative," Berwick said. "It is an iconic wonderful idea. The Blue Button isn't just valuable, it's magic. It's the open sesame button that will open the door to a whole new level of care."

Peter Levin, senior advisor and CTO for Veteran Affairs, said the Blue Button is not a full comprehensive medical record, "but it's infinitely better than nothing at all."

He called the Blue Button "a liquid, liberated model that puts patients at the center."

Patient privacy rights activists were not represented among the speakers at the summit.

ONC releases standardized notice for PHR vendors

Mostashari also announced the release of a new PHR model privacy notice, already embraced by Microsoft, Dossia and NoMoreClipboard.

The model is intended to be a tool to allow PHR vendors to share their privacy policies in an understandable, uniform way for consumers, he said. "It is a Web-based approach that can reinforce consumer trust," he said. The model was developed by HHS with the FTC.

[See related articles: Fall brings health IT activity to Washington, Mostashari to providers: MU is not about 'hoop jumping'.]

Follow Diana Manos on Twitter @DManos_IT_News.

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Source URL: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hhs-consumer-health-it-summit-power-charged-progress

Links:
[1] http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/12/presidential-proclamation-national-health-information-technology-week
[2] http://www.ofr.gov/(X(1)S(cp53mc3sjd3cbdfu4r32fhcj))/OFRUpload/OFRData/2011-23525_PI.pdf
[3] https://www.cms.gov/NonIdentifiableDataFiles/12_BlueButtonInitiative.asp
[4] http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt/community/healthit_hhs_gov__draft_phr_model_notice/1176
[5] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/fall-brings-health-it-activity-washington
[6] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/mostashari-providers-mu-not-about-hoop-jumping

Published on Healthcare IT News (http://www.healthcareitnews.com)

Home > Obama's new rural jobs initiative includes health IT

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Obama's new rural jobs initiative includes health IT

By Bernie Monegain, Editor

Created 08/16/2011

PEOSTA, IA – New healthcare IT jobs are part of the Jobs Initiatives for Rural America President Obama included announced Aug. 16 at the White House Rural Economic Forum here. The plan includes making HHS loans available to help more than 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals recruit additional staff, and helping rural hospitals purchase software and hardware to implement health IT.
The forum at Northeast Iowa Community College in Peosta, Iowa is part of the president’s three-day bus tour in the Midwest. It brings together farmers, small business owners, private sector leaders, rural organizations and government officials to discuss ideas and initiatives to promote economic growth, accelerate hiring and spur innovation in rural communities nationwide.
[See also: Health IT effort to create thousands of new jobs, says Blumenthal.]

The jobs initiatives were recommended by the White House Rural Council for growing the economy and creating jobs in rural America. The Council’s recommendations focus on key areas of need in rural communities, including helping rural small businesses access capital, expanding rural job search and training services, and increasing rural access to healthcare workers and technology.
“These are tough times for a lot of Americans – including those who live in our rural communities,” said Obama. “That’s why my administration has put a special focus on helping rural families find jobs, grow their businesses, and regain a sense of economic security.”
[See also: Health IT No. 1 on list of top 10 'hot' careers.]
“Creating jobs and economic opportunity in rural America is a priority for the Obama Administration, and the White House Rural Council has used an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to leverage resources across the federal government to achieve that goal,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “By bringing new capital, job training, and additional investments to our rural communities, we are working to ensure the people who live in these towns have a better, brighter future.”
The Council’s recommendations, which leverage existing programs and funding, include committing $350 million in SBA funding to rural small businesses over the next five years, launching a series of conferences to connect private equity and venture capital investors with rural start ups, creating capital marketing teams to pitch federal funding opportunities to private investors interested in making rural investments, making job search information available at 2,800 local USDA offices nationwide, making HHS loans available to help more than 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals recruit additional staff and helping rural hospitals purchase software and hardware to implement health IT.
See next page for a list of the new initiatives.

New Initiatives:
Increasing Rural Access to Health Care Workers and Technology

• Increasing Physician Recruitment at Critical Access Hospitals: HHS will issue guidance to expand eligibility for the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program so that Critical Access Hospitals (those with 25 beds or fewer) can use these loans to recruit new physicians. This program will help more than 1,300 CAHs across the country recruit needed staff. The addition of one primary care physician in a rural community generates approximately $1.5 million in annual revenue and creates 23 jobs annually. The average CAH creates 107 jobs and generates $4.8 million in payroll annually.
• Expanding Health Information Technology (IT) in Rural America: USDA and HHS will sign an agreement linking rural hospitals and clinicians to existing capital loan programs that enable them to purchase software and hardware needed to implement health information technology (HIT). Under current conditions, rural health care providers face challenges in harnessing the benefits of HIT due to limited access to capital and workforce challenges. Rural hospitals tend to have lower financial operating margins and limited capital to make the investments needed to purchase hardware, software and other equipment.

Helping Rural Small Businesses Access Capital

• Doubling SBA Investment Funds for Rural Small Businesses over the Next 5 Years:As part of the Startup America Initiative, SBA recently announced the creation of a $1 billion Impact Investment Fund through its Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program. The Impact Fund will invest in distressed areas as well as in emerging sectors such as clean energy. SBA provides up to a 2:1 match to private capital raised by this fund, partnering with private investors to target “impact” investments. SBA and USDA will partner together to drive $350 million of investment capital through the Impact Fund and existing SBICs into rural small businesses over the next five years, doubling the current rate of investment.
• Connecting Rural Small Businesses with Private Investment Capital: To further achieve this goal, SBA and USDA will launch a series of Rural Private Equity and Venture Capital conferences nationwide to provide a platform for connecting private equity and venture capital investors with rural start-ups. USDA, SBA, Treasury, Interior and other relevant agencies will also create rural capital “marketing teams” that pitch federal funding opportunities to private investors. These “marketing teams” will leverage existing personnel with expertise about rural funding sources across all federal departments and agencies.

Expanding Rural Job Search and Training Services

• Expanding DOL Job Search and Training Services to 2,800 USDA Sites Nationwide: USDA and DOL will partner to increase access to existing job search and training information for rural job-seekers by providing DOL employment information at 2,800 USDA field offices nationwide. This will significantly reduce the distance that rural Americans need to travel in order to access DOL job search employment information.

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Source URL: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/obamas-new-rural-jobs-initiative-includes-health-it

Links:
[1] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/health-it-effort-create-thousands-new-jobs-says-blumenthal
[2] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/health-it-no-1-list-top-10-hot-careers

EHR Evaluation and Implementation Services

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Health Information Technology

Health information technology (Health IT) allows comprehensive management of medical information and its secure exchange between health care consumers and providers.

Broad use of health IT will:
Improve health care quality; Prevent medical errors; Reduce health care costs; Increase administrative efficiencies; Decrease paperwork; and expand access to affordable care.

Interoperable health IT will improve individual patient care, but it will also bring many public health benefits including:
Early detection of infectious disease outbreaks around the country; Improved tracking of chronic disease management; and Evaluation of health care based on value enabled by the collection of de-identified price and quality information that can be compared.

Making Health Information Technology:

Personal Health information technologies can be tools that help individuals maintain their health through better management of their health information. Health IT will help consumers gather all of their health information in one place so they can thoroughly understand it and share it securely with their health care providers so they get the care that best fits their individual needs.

Health IT can help to improve public health one individual at a time by building partnerships between health care consumers and providers across the country.

Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN):

Background-
The Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) is the critical portion of the health IT agenda intended to provide a secure, nationwide, interoperable health information infrastructure that will connect providers, consumers, and others involved in supporting health and healthcare. The NHIN will enable health information to follow the consumer, be available for clinical decision making, and support appropriate use of healthcare information beyond direct patient care so as to improve health.

The NHIN seeks to achieve these goals by:
Developing capabilities for standards-based, secure data exchange nationally; improving the coordination of care information among hospitals, laboratories, physicians offices, pharmacies, and other providers; ensuring appropriate information is available at the time and place of care; ensuring that consumers’ health information is secure and confidential; giving consumers new capabilities for managing and controlling their personal health records as well as providing access to their health information from EHRs and other sources; reducing risks from medical errors and supporting the delivery of appropriate, evidence-based medical care; lowering healthcare costs resulting from inefficiencies, medical errors, and incomplete patient information; promoting a more effective marketplace, greater competition, and increased choice through accessibility to accurate information on healthcare costs, quality, and outcomes.

The Office of the National Coordinator is advancing the NHIN as a ‘network of networks,” built out of state and regional health information exchanges (HIEs) and other networks so as to support the exchange of health information by connecting these networks and the systems they, in turn, connect.

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IT In Healthcare

IT in Healthcare
A simple method for developing a business case to evaluate IT investments in the healthcare industry.
Steven Genson, MBA, MPP and Mark W. S. Chun, PhD


2006-2007 Healthcare Industry Predicted Statistics:

Below are a few significant statistics that the U.S. Department of Labor[1] released in a January 2006 report.
healthcare.infologixsys.com/pictures/products...

1. The healthcare industry is predicted to add nearly 3.5 million new jobs between 2002 and 2012, an increase of 30 percent.

2. From 2002 to 2012, 10 of the 20 fastest growing occupations are predicted to be concentrated in health services. These positions include medical assistants (59 percent growth), physician assistants (49 percent growth), home health aides (48 percent growth), and medical records and health information technicians (47 percent growth).

3. Projected rates of employment growth for the various segments of the industry range from 12.8 percent in hospitals, the largest and slowest-growing industry segment, to 55.8 percent in the much smaller home healthcare services.

On August 22, 2006, President George W. Bush signed an executive order concerning IT's role in the healthcare industry. The order directly states that improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery is dependent on the standardization and use of interoperable health IT. As defined by this order, interoperability is "the ability to communicate and exchange data accurately, effectively, securely, and consistently with different information technology systems, software applications, and networks in various settings and to exchange data such that clinical or operational purpose and meaning of that data are preserved and unaltered."[2]


[1] U.S. Department of Labor, High Growth Industry Profile, January 25, 2006.
[2] Bush, George W. "Executive Order: Promoting Quality and Efficient Health Care in Federal Government Administered or Sponsored Health Care Programs," 22 August 2006.

We at MSO Solutions, LLC know the importance of Information Technology in the healthcare practice. Please contact us today for an evaluation and estimate of your office.

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