Health Information Technology

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Health Information Technology (Health IT) Resources and Activities

AMA stimulus comments and updates

Meaningful use

  • The HIT Policy Committee recently made their final recommendations for the definition of "meaningful user," the term used in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to describe what criteria a physician will need to meet in order to demonstrate that they are using electronic health records (EHRs) in a meaningful manner for the purposes of qualifying for Medicare EHR incentive payments. Since the law only provided a general definition, the federal government must further define this term. ARRA  named two federal advisory bodies, the Health IT Policy Committee and the Health IT Standards Committee, to help support this effort. The Policy Committee is charged with recommending what criteria must be met in order for a physician to be designated a "meaningful user" and the Standards Committee will propose the technical standards that are need to meet the policy goals. At their June 16 meeting, the Policy Committee, released a meaningful use matrix for comment. The final rule is not expected to be published until spring 2010.
NOTE:  The recommendations made by these two committees will inform the formal rulemaking process but nothing has yet been finalized or adopted.  A proposed rule is expected to be published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) by December 31, 2009.  The AMA will provide comments on this rule at that time.

  • The AMA has provided significant input to the Committees, CMS, and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) on the meaningful use term including.
AMA June 26 comment letter and detailed matrix signed onto by 82 special and state medical societies outlining a vision for defining "meaningful use."

AMA August 12 comment letter and attached matrix in reaction to the Policy Committee's proposal.

AMA comment letter September 17.

Letter AMA signed onto detailed concerning lack of sufficient quality measures for specialists.
 

Regional extension program

The Office of the National Coordinator hosted a webinar on Aug. 27, 2009 to answer questions about the $598 million to be awarded over the next four years to establish 70 Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers across the United States. The new centers will receive between $1 million and $30 million each to support their establishment and initial efforts, and then will be expected to quickly achieve sustainability as they help providers across the country become meaningful electronic health record (EHR) users in 2011 and beyond.

View the archived webinar.

Additional Department of Health and Human Services materials:

The HIT Regional Extension Program Funding Opportunity Announcement
Facts-At-A-Glance document on the Extension Program

Questions about the process? E-mail regional-center-applications@hhs.gov.

Health IT webinars

Stimulus Health IT provisions webinar at Annual Meeting

Overview: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Health Information Technology Provisions

Presenter:
David Hunt, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

View program slides

Archived ARRA webinar series

Are you ready to maximize American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) opportunities in your practice? As new information becomes available, experts and health care leaders representing diverse sectors will review key components of ARRA and offer insights on the impact to the physician community.

Stimulus 101: Basics of the Health Information Technology Provisions

Thursday, May 21, 12:00 p.m. CST

Presenters:
Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer, Allscripts
Margaret Garikes, Director of Federal Affairs, AMA

Listen to the archived program

View Stimulus series questions and answers

 

Stimulus 102: Update on the Health Information Technology Provisions

Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 12:00 p.m. CST

Presenters:
Russ Keene, Vice President, Ingenix CareTracker
Amanda Ervin, Director of Health IT, AMA

Listen to the archived program

ARRA regional center description

Stimulus 103: Real World Perspectives

Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 12:00 p.m. CST

Listen to the archived program

AMA ePrescribing Learning Center

With so many questions surrounding ePrescribing, who can you turn to for answers?

The learning center features:

• Unbiased coverage of ePrescribing system vendor pricing and features, plus side-by-side system comparison and rate a vendor capability
• Customized system recommendations based on answers from an interactive questionairre
• Calculators to estimate potential time savings and determine Medicare ePprescribing incentive payments 
• Readiness and planning tools to map out an implementation plan

Physician practices can learn more about ePrescribing by reading A Clinician's Guide to Electronic Prescribing. In addition, the AMA has compiled a list of FAQs and other informational resources regarding Medicare’s Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program. 

Visit AMA ePrescribing Learning Center

CMS ePrescribing Incentive Program

Update!

CMS Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program changes for 2010 include:

  • Skilled nursing facility and home care are now eligible services
  • Eligible professionals need only report 25 separate electronic prescribing events during the reporting period
  • Eligible professionals will only report one G-code that reflects at least one prescription created during the encounter was generated and transmitted electronically using a qualified electronic prescribing system.  Note: By 12/31/2009, CMS will post the new G-code to be used for 2010 reporting on its website.
  • Data may be reported on the 2010 ePrescribing measure through claims, a qualified registry, or a qualified EHR product.  CMS will post a list of qualified registries and qualified EHR vendors and products for the 2010 E-Prescribing Incentive Program on its website.
Group practice 2010 changes:

  • Group practices (200 or more eligible professionals) must be selected to participate in the PQRI group practice reporting option.
  • Group practices must report the 2010 ePrescribing measure at least 2,500 times during the reporting period to be considered a successful electronic prescriber. 
  • Group practices may choose to report the ePrescribing measure through claims, a qualified registry, or qualified EHR product.
  • Group practices interested in participating in the 2010 PQRI through the group practice reporting option are required to submit a self-nomination letter to CMS, requesting to participate in the 2010 PQRI group practice reporting option.  Instructions for submitting the self-nomination letter will be posted on the PQRI section of the CMS Web site by November 15, 2009.


ePrescribing incentive program resources

This frequently asked questions (FAQ) flier will help providers determine their eligibility for the incentive program and learn more about the reporting requirements. Providers may also consult the following resources:

Find general information about e-prescribing in "A Clinician's Guide to Electronic Prescribing."


ePrescribing incentive program background

Starting in January 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will offer eligible providers incentive payments when they use an electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) system to prescribe for Medicare patients. The CMS Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program was authorized by the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008; (MIPPA), which became law on July 15, 2008.

For 2009 and 2010, e-prescribing incentive amounts will be 2% of a provider's total estimated allowed charges for covered professional services during the reporting period (one calendar year). The incentive amount reduces to 1 percent in 2011 and 2012 and finally to 0.5 percent in 2013.

AMA Health IT in the News

Dr. Sal Volpe, AMA Health IT Advisory Panel member, talks to Good Morning America about portable health applications for patients interested in monitoring their health on the go.