The secure exchange of health information is dependent on both the practice and EHR vendors facilitating the secure electronic transactions and extracting data for reporting quality measures. Even early adopters of EHR systems must ask vendors if they will be ready for meaningful use reporting. The vendor’s response will impact cost, implementation timeline, workflow processes, reporting, and patient safety. A sampling of questions to ask include: Of my current health information exchange partners (labs, hospitals, pharmacies, imaging centers) where have you already built bi-direction interfaces with your EHR system? Does your system send e-prescribing alerts based on the content in the patient’s medication history? Does your system identify whether the…
Tag: EHR
CMS Issues New and Updated HIPAA and HITECH Act FAQs: EHR Incentive Payment Start Dates
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) periodically issues new and updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). HIPAA.com will periodically reproduce new and updated Questions and Answers pertaining to HIPAA Administrative Simplification standards and implementation specifications and to HITECH Act provisions that will be of interest to its readers. This FAQ [ID#9807] was created on June 22, 2009, and updated by CMS on August 18, 2009. Question: When will CMS begin to pay incentives to eligible professionals and hospitals for using certified Electronic Health Records (EHRs)? Answer: By statute [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009], the earliest dates that CMS will be able to pay an incentive under Medicare…
CMS Issues New and Updated HIPAA and HITECH Act FAQs: EHR Incentives
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) periodically issues new and updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). HIPAA.com will periodically reproduce new and updated Questions and Answers pertaining to HIPAA Administrative Simplification standards and implementation specifications and to HITECH Act provisions that will be of interest to its readers. The FAQ [ID#9844] that follows is new, published by CMS on August 13, 2009. Question: Are physicians who practice in hospital-based ambulatory clinics eligible to receive the Recovery Act’s Medicare or Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments. Answer: Hospital-based eligible professionals are ineligible for the EHR incentive payments under both Medicare and Medicaid. Our [Department of Health and Human Services] forthcoming NPRM…
HHS’s Health IT Policy Committee 2011 Draft Meaningful Use Objectives and Measures for Public Comment
The HITECH Act of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed by President Obama on February 17, 2009, provides an electronic health record (EHR) adoption incentive program for healthcare providers who adopt certified electronic health records and use them in a meaningful way to improve patient care. The incentive program begins in January 2011 and terminates at the end of 2014 for new adopters of certified electronic health record technology. HHS’ Health Information Technology (IT) Policy Committee released on June 16, 2009, two documents pertaining to the definition of “meaningful use” for public comment by 5 PM ET, Friday, June 26, 2009. These documents are the Meaningful Use…
HHS’s HIT Policy Committee Releases Draft Recommendations on Meaningful Use for Public Comment
The HITECH Act of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed by President Obama on February 17, 2009, provides an electronic health record (EHR) adoption incentive program for healthcare providers who adopt certified electronic health records and use them in a meaningful way to improve patient care. The incentive program begins in January 2011 and terminates at the end of 2014 for new adopters of certified electronic health record technology. HHS’ Health Information Technology (IT) Policy Committee released on June 16, 2009, two documents pertaining to the definition of “meaningful use” for public comment by 5 PM ET, Friday, June 26, 2009. These documents are the Meaningful Use…
Word of the Day: Integrated System
Integrated System: In an EMR, the vendor builds the system using the same characteristics arranged in the broad categories of data issues, application issues, presentation issues, and operational issues. Systems built in this way are often referred to as a Single Source solution.
Word of the Day: EHR
Electronic health record (EHR): A secure, real-time, interoperable point-of-care, patient-centric information resource for clinicians. The EHR aids clinicians in decision making by providing access to patient health record information where and when they need it and by incorporating evidence-based decision support. The EHR automates and streamlines the clinicians’ workflow, closing loops in communication and response that result in delays or gaps in care. The EHR also supports the collection of data for uses other than direct clinical care, such as billing, quality management, outcomes reporting, resource planning, and public health disease surveillance and reporting.
Kudos to DOQ-IT
Praise goes out to the Doctors Office Quality – Information Technology (DOQ-IT) centers that worked tirelessly to assist physicians select and implement electronic health records. Effective April 16, 2009, DOQ-IT will end. Access to all DOQ-IT-related programming and resources on QualityNet (e.g., online registration, data submission, reports) will end April 16, 2009, at 5 p.m. Central Time. We have had the pleasure of working with most of the DOQ-IT program leaders, building substantial friendships. We hope that their work will be a strong impetus to build on as physicians continue to select, implement and thrive in a health IT environment.
What should you expect from your HIPAA Security Official?
HIPAA’s Security Rule requires covered entities to designate one person to be responsible for the development and implementation of policies and procedures that safeguard electronic protected health information. Nearly all organizations implemented measures to manage privacy in oral, written, and electronic media. However, as healthcare organizations and their business associates, inspired by the HITECH Act (stimulus package) respond to forthcoming financial incentives to adopt electronic health record (EHR) software, the need to beef up your security measures. So what should you look for in your Security Official? For starters, you need someone who understands clinical and billing workflows, recognizes that in the past some clinicians have communicated with patients via…
House and Senate Agree on ARRA Provisions
On Wednesday, February 11, 2009, House and Senate conferees reconciled the House and Senate versions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment (ARRA) plan, or so-called Stimulus bill. The House and Senate are expected to approve the final version this week and send it to President Obama for his signature. The total of the stimulus is just over $789 billion. The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that “$19 billion is set aside for health information technology. Physicians would get bonuses of between $44,000 and $64,000—and hospitals would get as much as $11 million—if they show they have computerized their medical-records systems. On the stick side of the equation, the measure…