Health Information Technology
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 through the following:
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.
eHealth Initiative's 2010 Annual Conference
Register Now for the eHealth Initiative's Annual Conference
Delivering on the Promise of eHealth
January 25-26, 2010
Omni Shoreham Hotel
Washington, DC
Delivering on the Promise of eHealth, with the support of the American Medical Association(AMA), eHI will highlight specific examples of how eHealth programs are being pursued across the country, as well as address challenging questions about the ability of the country to move towards universal, meaningful use of health information technology in a way that improves the health and health care of the nation.
The eHealth Initiative's conference will be the first in 2010 to put meaningful use and other policy panaceas under a critical microscope and help attendees understand how contemporary, real-world examples of health information and health IT improving the quality, safety and efficiency of health care can point the way for a more connected future. Policymakers, industry leaders, clinicians and patients will participate in engaging panel discussions and adversarial debates revolving around eHealth issues that affect the entire American health care system.
Delivering on the Promise of eHealth will address a number of topics, including:
• How ARRA is Transforming HIT
• Keys to Successfully Integrating HIT to Improve Health Care
• Is Meaningful Use Achievable Under Current Policies and Timelines?
• How HIT Will Transform the Patient-Provider Relationship
• Who Should Control a Patient’s Data?
• Models of Health Information Exchange
• Using HIE to Coordinate and Improve Care
• The Value of Secondary Data Use
• Learning from Foreign HIT Policy and Implementation
Register today to reserve your space at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC, January 25-26, 2010.