Acumen Solutions/Salesforce:RHITEC: off the shelf HIT CRM

This should help entities that have not operated in the space get up and running relatively quickly and exchange best practices.SV

Vienna, VA — February 17, 2010 – Acumen Solutions, a leading business and technology consulting firm that specializes in bringing cloud computing solutions to government agencies and large enterprises, has been selected to provide a cloud-computing CRM and Project Management solution to the US Department of Health & Human Services - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

In order to support the nationwide upgrade of our Health IT infrastructure, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has allocated funding for medical providers to implement Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems. ONC has been tasked with encouraging the adoption of health information technology and the promotion of a nationwide Health Information Exchange (HIE) to improve health care. In order to effectively distribute these grants into the market, ONC is creating a network of Regional Extension Centers (REC) that will provide regionalized support to medical providers for the selection and implementation of an EHR.

To track, manage and report on this critical effort, Acumen Solutions will implement a cloud computing CRM and Project Management solution from Salesforce.com that will be used nationally across all Regional Extension Centers. This solution will provide the REC’s with the ability to manage all interactions with medical providers related to their selection and implementation of an EHR solution.

“We are pleased to support ONC as they embark upon this critical project to improve our nation’s Health IT infrastructure”, says Marty Young, Managing Director, Acumen Solutions. “By choosing a cloud computing platform ONC is leading the way in innovation. We are proud to have been chosen for our demonstrated ability to help Federal Agencies weave cloud computing strategies into their enterprise architecture and as well as our strong background in the healthcare industry. ”

Acumen Solutions is a select consulting partner of Salesforce.com supporting Federal Agencies such as Census, DoD, GSA, IRS, SEC, and TSA with solutions for case and constituent management, call centers, customer relationship management, grants management, and program management as well as an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act solution called START™ - Stimulus Tracking and Recipient Transparency. With hundreds of enterprise-class cloud computing projects delivered including engagements leveraging Google Enterprise, Salesforce.com, SpringCM, and other cloud offerings, Acumen Solutions brings a proven track record in cloud computing strategy and integration to meet the needs of government agencies in record time.

Acumen Solutions

CMS HITECH and Meaninful Use Teleconference


Have You Heard about HITECH and Meaningful Use?
Do you want to learn more about the upcoming Medicare and EHR incentive programs?CMS invites you to join us for a teleconference on Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentives on Tuesday, February 23, from 1:30-2:30 pm.

CMS has issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs established by the Recovery Act. The HITECH provisions are a subset of the Recovery Act. The rule, sometimes called the “meaningful use NPRM,” proposes a definition for the meaningful use of certified EHR technology as well as many other policy proposals. Learn the basics of the rule from the CMS experts.

Learn about CMS’ proposed rule for the EHR incentive programs including:
Who is eligible
What constitutes meaningful use
How to demonstrate meaningful use
What incentives are available under Medicare and Medicaid
How to make comments
Where to find additional resources
Call in early as lines are limited.
To join the meeting, dial 1-866-501-5502. The conference ID is 58353012. Materials will be available on the morning of the call at this website.

NCQA Public Comment on Patient Experiences

NCQA seeks public comment on a core set of topics on patient experiences for evaluating practices that want to serve as medical homes. All topics are based on patient surveys/experiences of care.

Please tell us what topics of patient experiences you think NCQA should include when evaluating medical homes. Click here to access the public comment on patient experiences.

A medical home is a medical office or clinic where a team of health professionals work together to provide a new, expanded type of care to patients. Having a medical home feels like having an "old-style," traditional family doctor, but with a team of professionals that uses modern knowledge and technology to provide the best possible care for you in one location.

NCQA will consider the recommended topics of patient experience as we develop the next version of our evaluation criteria.


Members of the public are invited to comment through March 5.

Topics of Patient Experiences
Getting routine care
Getting care after hours
Access to help without making a visit
Wait time
Explains care to you
Listens and answers your questions
Respects you as a person
Seeing the same doctor or nurse
Knows you well
Involves you in decisions about your care
Helps you manage your health
Has confidence in your ability to manage your health
Is aware of your medications
Is aware of care you get from other doctors or places
Follows up on your test results
Getting all of your primary care at one location
Access to your medical records
Asks you about the quality of your care
Office staff

NCQA appreciates the time and effort organizations invest in providing comments. All feedback submitted within the public comment period is reviewed by NCQA.

For more information on public comment, contact NCQA Customer Support at (888) 275-7585.

2010 eClinicalWorks North East Regional Users' Group Meeting


Be sure to register by February 19th to get the Early Bird price! Visit the conference page to register and see the schedule of events, including new sessions of interest to eClinicalWorks users who adopted through PCIP.

Keynote by Dr. Thomas Farley, NYC Health Commissioner
Welcome Address by Dr. Amanda Parsons, Assistant Commissioner and head of PCIP
Patient Centered Medical Home incentives
Achieving Meaningful Use
If you have any open technical support tickets, eClinicalWorks staff will address them on site and offer additional tips and training!

Brooklyn Bridge Marriott
333 Adams Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 246-7000
Rate: $159/night

Friday, March 26, 2010: 8 am - 5:30 pm
Saturday, March 27, 2010: 9 am - 12 pm

Register now

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius REC (Regional Extension Center) HIT (RHITEC) Awards

Congratulations to Fund for Public Health NY (thanks to the hard work of NYC DOHMH PCIP) and the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC). SV

NYS HIE Award

New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) $22,364,782.00

NYS Regional Extension Center Awards:

Fund for Public Health New York $21,754,010.00
New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) $26,534,999.00

Sebelius, Solis Announce Nearly $1 Billion Recovery Act Investment in Advancing Use of Health IT, Training Workers for Health Jobs of the Future
Grant Awards to Help Make Health IT Available to Over 100,000 Health Providers by 2014, Support Tens of Thousands of Jobs Nationwide

WASHINGTON, DC - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis today announced a total of nearly $1 billion in Recovery Act awards to help health care providers advance the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (IT) and train workers for the health care jobs of the future. The awards will help make health IT available to over 100,000 hospitals and primary care physicians by 2014 and train thousands of people for careers in health care and information technology. This Recovery Act investment will help grow the emerging health IT industry which is expected to support tens of thousands of jobs ranging from nurses and pharmacy techs to IT technicians and trainers.

The over $750 million in HHS grant awards Secretary Sebelius announced today are part of a federal initiative to build capacity to enable widespread meaningful use of health IT. This assistance at the state and regional level will facilitate health care providers' efforts to adopt and use electronic health records (EHRs) in a meaningful manner that has the potential to improve the quality and efficiency of health care for all Americans. Of the over $750 million investment, $386 million will go to 40 states and qualified State Designated Entities (SDEs) to facilitate health information exchange (HIE) at the state level, while $375 million will go to an initial 32 non-profit organizations to support the development of regional extension centers (RECs) that will aid health professionals as they work to implement and use health information technology - with additional HIE and REC awards to be announced in the near future. RECs are expected to provide outreach and support services to at least 100,000 primary care providers and hospitals within two years.

"Health information technology can make our health care system more efficient and improve the quality of care we all receive," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. "These grant awards, the first of their kind, will help develop our electronic infrastructure and give doctors and other health care providers the support they need as they adopt this powerful technology."

The more than $225 million in DOL grant awards Secretary Solis announced will be used to train 15,000 people in job skills needed to access careers in health care, IT and other high growth fields. Through existing partnerships with local employers, the recipients of these grants have already identified roughly 10,000 job openings for skilled workers that likely will become available in the next two years in areas like nursing, pharmacy technology and information technology. The grants will fund 55 separate training programs in 30 states to help train people for secure, well-paid health jobs and meet the growing employment demand for health workers. Employment services will be available via the Department of Labor's local One Stop Career Centers, and training will be offered at community colleges and other local education providers.


Additional information about the state HIE and RECs may be found at

http://www.dhhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/02/20100212a.html
http://HealthIT.HHS.gov/statehie and http://healthit.hhs.gov/extensionprogram

Information about other health IT programs funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 can be found here: http://HealthIT.HHS.gov

Information about Healthcare/High Growth Grants, and other DOL training programs is available at http://www.doleta.gov/.

For more information about the Recovery Act, please visit: www.hhs.gov/recovery , www.dol.gov/recovery and www.recovery.gov.

HIMSS ARRA Webinar Series on Meaningful Use and Certification Criteria

Start the journey for achieving meaningful use with the most up-to-date information!

Join top leaders as they bring you the most relevant, up-to-date information you need now to take advantage of ARRA funding TOMORROW.

And - with the meaningful use draft regulations due in just days, you can’t afford to miss this one!

ARRA Webinar Series on Meaningful Use and Certification Criteria
Workforce Development: An Industry Update
Find out how TIGER (Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform) and community colleges have responded to meet the growing education and training needs of the evolving HIT workforce.

February 10, 2010
1:00 – 2:00 pm ET
12:00 – 1:00 pm CT
11:00am – 12:00 pm MT
10:00 – 11:00 am PT

Speakers:
Patricia Dombrowski, MA
Director, Life Science Informatics Center
Bellevue Community College

Patricia Hinton Walker, PhD, RN, FAAN
Vice President for Nursing Policy
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

To Register

Voxiva Text4baby: Healthy baby campaign uses texts to reach mothers

Cell phones have become ubiquitous.
Many Americans have given up on landlines altogether. In many less industrialized countries, it is cheaper to set up cell phone service than pulling wire for traditional phones. Even the least expensive cell phones can accept text messages are becoming the medium of choice to deliver information to patients. SV


WASHINGTON (AP)

Expectant mothers are getting a new tool to help keep themselves and their babies healthy: pregnancy tips sent directly to their cell phones.

The so-called text4baby campaign is the first free, health education program in the U.S. to harness the reach of mobile phones, according to its sponsors, which include Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, WellPoint and CareFirst BlueCross and Blue Shield. Wireless carriers including AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have agreed to waive all fees for receiving the texts.

Organizers say texting is an effective means of delivering wellness tips because 90 percent of people in the U.S. have cell phones.

"Especially if you start talking about low-income people, cell phones are the indispensable tool for reaching them and engaging them about their health," said Paul Meyer, president of Voxiva, a company which operates health texting programs in Africa, Latin America and India.

Studies in those countries have shown that periodic texts can reduce smoking and other unhealthy behaviors in pregnant mothers.

Meyer said the U.S. program, run by Voxiva, will be the largest health-related texting program ever undertaken.

Under the new service, mothers-to-be who text "BABY" to 511411 will receive weekly text messages, timed to their due date or their baby's birth date. The messages, which have been vetted by government and nonprofit health experts, deal with nutrition, immunization and birth defect prevention, among other topics. The messages will continue through the baby's first birthday.

Text4baby is expected to be announced Thursday morning by officials from the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy. Government officials will be publicizing the campaign in speeches and promotional materials.

Organizers hope the effort can curb premature births, which can be caused by poor nutrition, excessive stress, smoking and drinking alcohol. About 500,000 babies are born prematurely in the U.S. each year, and 28,000 infants die before their first birthday, according to the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. The nonprofit is among the sponsors of the campaign.

"The real scary thing is that we're an industrialized nation and we're not doing very well on infant mortality, and we know prematurity is a big part of that," said the group's director, Judy Meehan.

Currently the U.S. ranks 30th worldwide for infant mortality, according to Meehan, behind most Western European nations.

Researchers at the George Washington University have agreed to evaluate the effectiveness of text4baby by measuring health trends for mothers and newborns.

Voxiva

NYC Health Department Panel Management Helps Physicians Fill the Prevention Gap

Under “panel management” program, outreach specialists will review health records and work to engage high-risk patients before they suffer needless disability, hospitalization or death


February 1, 2010 – The Health Department’s Primary Care Information Project (PCIP) today announced the launch of a new program to help primary-care physicians combat preventable health problems. Under the so-called Panel Management program, outreach specialists will work with physicians to identify patients in need of preventive health services such as cholesterol management or blood pressure control, and encourage them to make appointments for care and treatment. PCIP has equipped more than 1,700 New York City medical practices with electronic health records that highlight patients’ health risks before they cause acute conditions such as heart attack or stroke. The new program, which is largely funded by Pfizer Inc., will help ensure that patients do not miss opportunities to act on this information and receive follow-up care.


“Instead of waiting for high-risk patients to seek treatment, the Panel Management program connects primary care doctors with New Yorkers who need ongoing care,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner. “For example, of the 25% of New Yorkers who suffer from hypertension, less than half have their blood pressure controlled. Panel Management will help to address this gap.”

“Panel Management moves health care from ‘you get it only if you come’ to a patient-centered approach that reminds people to get screenings or treatment,” said Dr. Amanda Parsons, the assistant health commissioner who leads PCIP. “Small medical practices often don’t have the resources to provide this kind of outreach. This initiative uses existing technology to cross that barrier.”

“This program reflects Pfizer’s long-term commitment to New York City and even larger commitment to advancing patient care,” said Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, Pfizer’s Chief Medical Officer. “By working collaboratively with our partners in the New York City Department of Health, we hope to develop more active approaches to primary care that help patients better manage their health and avoid costly illnesses.”

Physicians who want to adopt the Health Department’s electronic health record, or join the Panel Management program, can find more information at www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pcip/pcip.shtml.

DOHMH and NYC Business Solutions Seminar for physicians

Dear Fellow Physicians,

DOHMH and NYC Business Solutions are offering a Free business seminar to help physician offices reduce costs and improve cash flow. An expert, with 30 years of experience helping physician offices improve their business practices, will share ways to:

o Bill appropriately

o Control inventory and other expenses

o Create effective front end operations

o Decrease accounts receivable aging

o And much more



The event is

· March 3, 2010

· 8:30 to 10:00am

· 110 William Street, 4th Floor

· RSVP by 2/24 to business@sbs.nyc.gov or 212-513-6404.

SBS