By Mary Mosquera
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The stimulus law compels the creation of ways to exchange health information within states and across a nationwide heath information technology infrastructure, according to the nation’s health IT coordinator.

A key premise of the HITECH Act is that information should follow the patient.

“Artificial obstacles – technical, business related, bureaucratic – should not get in the way,” said David Blumenthal in a public e-mail message.

Blumenthal’s office is preparing to award $564 million in grants to states to establish information exchange.

“We will start announcing the awards this winter,” Blumenthal said. “These grantees’ activities must support interoperability that lets patient data follow the patient across political and geographic boundaries.”  

As a doctor, he said he wanted access many times to data that he knew were buried in the computers or paper records of another health system. 

“That is what we must get beyond, and it will inform all our policy choices now and going forward,” he said.

Consumers also must be assured that the most advanced technology and proven business practices will be used to secure the privacy and security of their personal health information. That means strengthening existing protections, filling in gaps as they emerge, and supporting new opportunities for patients’ access to and control of their information, Blumenthal said.

The HITECH Act emphasizes interoperability.

“Policies, programs, and incentives must aim for electronic health record (EHR) software and systems that can share information with different EHRs and networks so that information can follow patients wherever they go,” he said. 

The law also directed the Health and Human Services Department to invest in the infrastructure to support the nationwide electronic exchange and get health information moving. 

The HITECH Act provides for incentives for physicians and hospitals that are meaningful users of health IT. Although the official definition of “meaningful use” is not yet published, the stimulus specifically requires information exchange as a qualifier for the incentives, Blumenthal said.  

http://govhealthit.com/newsitem.aspx?tid=53&nid=72400

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Medicare providers:

x = Average number of patients per provider per day

y = % of patient who are Medicare

z = Average submitted allowable per Medicare patient

a = Working days per year for the provider

(.75(a(z(y*x)))) = Eligible Medicare submitted allowable charges

Exampe:  Providers see’s 20 patients per day, 30% are Medicare and the average submitted allowable per Medicare patient is 55.00.  This provider works 240 days per year.  Based on this provider:  20 * .30 = 6 Medicare patients per day,  6 * 55 = $330 Medicare allowable charges per day, $330.00 * 240 = $79,200 * .75 = $59,400.  This provider would be eligiable for $18,000 in 2011 if all the “meaningful use” criteria is met.

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 By Mary Mosquera
Friday, October 02, 2009

Dr. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator, said yesterday his office will explain “in the coming weeks” how it will define a “certified” electronic health record,” which providers must purchase in order to qualify for new federal health IT incentive payments.

In an e-mail message, Blumenthal gave a preview of what further guidance providers should expect in coming months as his office works with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to finalize the set of requirements for “meaningful use.”

Under the health IT stimulus legislation, providers who are meaningful users of certified health IT will be eligible to receive increased Medicare and Medicaid payments.

“As efforts advance, we will turn our attention to other necessary supporting programs, some of which you will hear more about in the coming weeks, including defining what constitutes a ‘certified’ EHR, which is one of the requirements to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentives,” Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal said his office will also outline programs aimed at smoothing the transition process and identify steps that physicians and hospitals can take now to promote adoption of EHRs. 

While awaiting the CMS rule, he urged providers to become “as familiar as possible” with the discussion of meaningful use criteria in the recommendations of the Health IT Policy and Standards committees, two panels advising Blumenthal.

The policy committee completed its second set of recommendations on meaningful use in July. They are online.

“Be assured you will not be alone as you seek to adopt an EHR system,” Blumenthal wrote, citing grants for regional extension centers that would assist providers in establishing an EHR system.

The public will be able to comment on the definition, and CMS will consider those comments before the rule is finalized in early 2010. Any formal definition of meaningful use will include specific activities that health care providers need to perform to qualify for the incentives, he said. 

Eligible physicians can receive up to $44,000 over five years under Medicare or $63,750 over six years under Medicaid for being meaningful users of certified EHRs.  Hospitals could receive up to four years of financial incentive payments under Medicare beginning in 2011, and up to six years of incentive payments under Medicaid beginning in October 2010.

http://govhealthit.com/newsitem.aspx?tid=10&nid=72159

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