HIT Hard, Across the Web

Well, the comment period is over, the interim EHR rules and regs for use go into effect today.  I wanted to just take a walk across the web to see what the general thoughts were across the web on HIT, ARRA, EHR incentives and adoption, current and foreseeable problems, etc.  Here is a hit list of topics and quotes across the board (with attached links to the articles if you want to peruse any of the topics in a more in depth manner).

Under the ARRA HITECH ACT $162 million has been spread across 16 more states as an investment to promote the advance of widespread Meaningful Use of Health IT.  This money is the final money to be distributed as part of the $2 billion set aside in the ARRA to achieve widespread meaningful use of health IT.  To quote from the HHS announcement: "The health information exchange HIE awards announced today provide approximately $162 million to 16 states and qualified state designated entities (SDEs) to facilitate non-proprietary health information exchange that adheres to national standards.  Health information exchange is critical to enabling care coordination and improving the quality and efficiency of health care." http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/03/20100315a.html

While all of this may be true and desirable, I would like to see more about the plans that merited these payouts.  I would like to know how these 16 entities are going to foster and facilitate secure data exchange based on national standards that still, for the most part don't exist yet.  Wouldn't it be better to save and award this money when there would be something to work with?

Speaking of implementing standards and being meaningful users:  "CCHIT warns certification plan might slow adoption" http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/cchit-warns-certification-plan-might-slow-adoption

CCHIT is concerned that the interim EHR standards for certification and meaningful use that go into effect today will kill the momentum for EHR adoption and confuse many things that had already been put in place and are currently being used as standards for exchange especially for lab results and exchanging clinical data.  As CCHIT Chairman Mark Leavitt MD quotes in the article, "where one standard was previously recognized for clinical data exchange, the IFR offers two different, incompatible standards", in the IFR (Interim Final Rule).  CCHIT is also concerned with the as yet "undefined" and "vague" areas of implementation that could cause problems for EHRs and data exchange now as well as significant problems and re-writes to adjust later, as things continue to change and evolve with the IFR. 

Lastly CCHIT also brings up the point that under the IFR, a complete EHR includes administrative and billing functions and worries that this "will cause the unnecessary certification of already-installed billing systems for every physician and hospital seeking to qualify for the meaningful use incentives".

The certification sand pit is getting bigger.  The Drummond group (Drummond Group, Inc. in Austin, Texas) is an interoperability test lab and they are throwing their hat in the ring to compete with CCHIT for testing EHRs for preliminary certification (and obviously moving into permanent certification testing status as well). For more information you can check out Drummond's blog at http://www.drummondgroup.com/blog/

Fierce Health IT notes that there is a "good news" outlook for outpatient physicians looking to possibly get ARRA "stimulus" funds:  "the Senate last week passed legislation that would make physicians who work in outpatient areas of hospitals eligible for the same Medicare and Medicaid bonuses as their office-based brethren. However, the "meaningful use" program still would exclude practitioners in inpatient and emergency departments."  Read more: http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/senate-votes-expand-eligibility-meaningful-use/2010-03-15#ixzz0iLTMMVtB

Penny H
Genius News & Blog Editor