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

AMA Health IT to support the doctor-patient relationship

In the wake of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more practices are considering implementing electronic health or medical records, e-prescribing, new practice management systems and other forms of health information technology (health IT).

This winter, the American Medical Association (AMA) and TransforMED, a subsidiary of the American Academy of Family Physicians that provides consultation to physicians and practices interested in transforming their practice, are hosting a series of weekly webinars to provide practices with a vision of how the practice of medicine is being transformed through health IT—and the tools necessary for successful implementation.

Hear from experts already working to transform physician practices through health IT
Learn the basics of health IT system implementation
Prepare your patients and practice for changes associated with health IT
Discover tips for tackling major milestones at each stage in the process.
Webinar topics include:

Meaningful use of technology to support patient-centered care
1:00 p.m. EST, January 14, 2010

Learn about the current state of health IT and what technologies are available today to support patient-centered care and practice efficiency.

Presenters:
Terry McGeeney, MD, CEO, TransforMED
Amanda Ervin, director, Health IT, AMA

Register for the event.

Preparing your practice for health IT
1:00 p.m. EST, January 21, 2010

Learn how to engage staff and promote teamwork, leadership and communication within your practice throughout the implementation process. Employing fundamental strategies will help your practice manage change, as well as improve workflow efficiencies and handle typical challenges associated with successful health IT implementation.

Presenters:
Steve Waldren, MD, director, Health IT, American Academy of Family Physicians
Ana Jensen, practice enhancement facilitator, TransforMED

Register for the event.

Selecting the appropriate technology for your practice and developing implementation strategies
1:00 p.m. EST, January 28, 2010

Learn how to identify your practice’s needs and requirements, in addition to various strategies for introducing and implementing health IT, and staging implementation. The importance of integration between technologies will also be discussed.

Presenters:
Bruce Kleaveland, health IT consultant
Dave Kibbe, health IT specialist/consultant, American Academy of Family Physicians

Register for the event.

Engaging patients in using technology to manage their personal health care
1:00 p.m. EST, February 4, 2010

Recent studies show quality improvement and cost savings as a result of empowering patients to use technology to manage their care. Learn how technology enables remote monitoring, patient self-management and reporting, teleconsultation and electronic visits, which can help your practice efficiently manage patients.

Presenters:
Elaine Skoch, practice enhancement facilitator, TransforMED
Todd B. Taylor, MD, FACEP, physician executive, Health Solutions Group, Microsoft

Register for the event.

Medicare University Online

Registration and Playback for the "On Demand" Medicare University 2009 Virtual Convention has been Extended by Popular Demand to March 31, 2010.

National Government Services has extended the availability for registration and playback of the 2009 Medicare University Virtual Convention "On Demand" courses through March 31, 2010. For the low cost of $150, you have access to over 60 unique on-demand courses, not offered through Medicare University, at a time that is convenient for you. Plus, you can earn as many as 57 continuing education units!



Visit the Course page on the Medicare University 2009 Virtual Convention Web site to view a list of all the on-demand courses. After March 31, 2010 there is no turning back, so register today at www.NGSMEDICARECONVENTION.com

HIMSS Synopsis & Overview Webinar on Meaningful Use, Standards, & Certification

On Wednesday, December 30, the Department of Health and Human Services released the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) establishing the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, commonly referred to as the Meaningful Use of an EHR, and the Interim Final Rule (IFR) establishing the Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications and Certification Criteria for EHR Technology. The following is a brief synopsis of the regulations. Visit the HIMSS website for an evolving set of tools to navigate and analyze the nearly 700 pages of regulatory change.

Sign up.
On Wednesday, January 6 at 2:30pm CT, Martin Harris, MD, MBA, FHIMSS will present a 90-minute HIMSS overview webinar of the NPRM and IFR. Complimentary for HIMSS members, the webinar as led by Dr. Harris – CIO & Chairman of the Technology Division at Cleveland Clinic, Executive Director of the e-Cleveland Clinic, Chairman-Elect of the HIMSS Board of Directors, and member of the HIT Standards Committee – will highlight the themes and major components of the regulations. The overview is the first in a series hosted by HIMSS, so register today.

Upon release, the two regulations were described by Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, as enabling the transformation of the health system to "improve health care quality, efficiency, equity, and safety through the use of health information technology (HIT), while providing the foundation for continued, measurable improvement in our nation's health." The regulations are part of the federal government's investment in health IT that will allow patients to engage proactively with providers who are able to leverage technology to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of care delivery.

As a point of clarification, the process for certifying EHR products is not defined in these two proposed rules. In January, a third rule will be issued that defines the process by which ONC will recognize how products become certified and by what organization(s).

Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology

Status and Size of the Regulation: Released as an Interim Final Rule for public comment on December 30, 2009. The 136-page document will be posted officially in the Federal Register on January 13, 2010, and includes a 60-day comment period. A final rule is expected in late spring 2010.
Relevant Themes: Creates a floor for standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for qualified EHR technology. The IRF creates specific standards in 2011 in four areas: vocabulary, content exchange, transporting of information, and, privacy and security.

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Electronic Health Record Incentive Program for Medicare and Medicaid

Status and Size of Regulations: Released as a Notice of Proposed Rule Making for public comment on December 30, 2009. The 556-page document will be posted officially in the Federal Register on January 13, 2010, and includes a 60-day comment period. A final rule is anticipated in time for the start of the eligible hospital incentive program in October 2010.
Relevant Themes: HHS made a critical decision early in the process to align Medicare Fee-for-Service, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid, where practicable and legally possible. Medicare incentive payments will be released by CMS. Medicaid payments will be released through the states, following approval of the individual state plans. As of December 30, 2009, 13 states have been approved for planning grants, while several others are in the review process with Medicaid. Medicaid providers can receive payments to purchase or upgrade their systems, and some form of incentive is available through Medicaid through 2021.

The Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Payment Programs are designed as a three-stage effort (for more information, see pages 40-43 of the NPRM):
Stage I – Electronic capture of health information in a coded format; tracking key clinical conditions and communicating outcomes for care coordinating; implementing clinical decision support tools to facilitate disease and medication management; and reporting outcomes for public health purposes.
Stage II – Expands on stage I. Encourages the use of health IT to enhance computerized provider order entry; transitions in care; electronic transmission of diagnostic test results; and, research.
Stage III – Expands on stage II. Promotes improvements to quality and safety; focuses on clinical decision support at a national level by encouraging patient access and involvement; and, improved population health data.

Preliminary Review of Key Points:

EHR Incentive Program
Stage 1 Meaningful Use consists of 25 measures; 17 metrics will require attestation by the provider, while eight will require information being submitted by the provider.
Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) required in Stage 1 (10% hospitals; 80% for eligible providers)
Robust clinical quality measures for eligible professionals (EPs) and hospitals are delineated.
Requires patients be provided with an electronic copy of test results, problem lists, medication lists and discharge summary upon request.
Hospitals can participate in both Medicare and Medicaid incentives, if eligible by volume.
Hospitals and EPs must implement five clinical decision support rules relevant to clinical quality metrics.
Hospitals and EPs able to use an attestation methodology to submit summary information to CMS in 2011. Expect a formalized process from HHS by 2012.
Hospitals and EPs have a 90-day minimum reporting period in the first year to qualify as a meaningful user. Subsequent years require full year reporting
Interim Final Rule (IFR) establishing the Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications and Certification Criteria for EHR Technology:
Certification criteria described in the IFR establish the capabilities and standards that certified EHR technology will need to, at a minimum, support the achievement of proposed meaningful use Stage 1 by EPs and hospitals.
In physician practices, key information system applications needed to meet the definition of a qualified EHR are:
Clinical Data Repository – store, retrieve, and manage medications and laboratory and radiology results.
Clinical Documentation – provide appropriate referrals, problem list, current medication list.
Clinical Decision Support – implement drug-drug, drug-allergy, and drug-formulary checks.
CPOE required in the areas of medications, laboratories, radiology/imaging, and provider referrals.
Requires electronic generation and transmission of permissible prescriptions.
Financial Information Systems – ability to check insurance eligibility and submit claims electronically.
Patient Communication – ability to electronically generate reminders, provide test results, problem lists, and immunizations.
In hospitals, the key applications needed to meet the definition of a qualified EHR are:
Clinical Data Repository – store, retrieve, and management laboratory and radiology results.
Clinical Documentation – nursing and physician in the areas of discharge, transfer, care coordination, problem list, demographic capture, vital signs and BMI, smoking status (for patients 13 years and older); calculate and electronically display quality measure results.
CPOE in the areas of medications, laboratories, radiology/imaging, blood bank, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, rehabilitation therapy, dialysis, provider consults, and discharge/transfer.
Medication administration for alerts at the point-of-care to accomplish real time drug-drug, drug-allergy, and drug-formulary checks, and to maintain an active medication list.
Clinical Decision Support – implement the five automated, clinical rules.
Financial Information Systems – ability to check insurance eligibility and electronically submit claims.
Patient Communication – create an electronic copy of a patient's clinical information upon request. Provide copy of discharge instructions and procedures at time of discharge, upon request.
To learn more, sign up today for the HIMSS webinar series on Meaningful Use and Certification Criteria. And, be sure to visit the HIMSS website for the latest information and analysis.

New York State (NYS) Medicaid's Statewide Patient-Centered Medical Home Incentive Program

Chapter 58 of the Laws of 2009 authorized the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to implement an initiative to incentivize the development of patient-centered medical homes to improve health outcomes through better coordination and integration of patient care for persons enrolled in New York Medicaid.

New York Medicaid has chosen to adopt medical home standards that are consistent with those of the National Committee for Quality Assurance's (NCQA) Physician Practice Connections® - Patient-Centered Medical Home Program (PPC-PCMH™). The PPC-PCMH™ is a model of care that seeks to strengthen the physician-patient relationship by promoting improved access, coordinated care, and enhanced patient/family engagement.

A medical home also emphasizes enhanced care through open scheduling, expanded hours, and communication between patients, providers and staff. Care is also facilitated by registries, information technology, health information exchange and other means to ensure that patients obtain the proper care in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.

The NCQA PPC®-PCMH™ program assesses whether practices are functioning as medical homes. Building on the joint principles developed by the primary care specialty societies, the PPC®-PCMH™ standards emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care management processes.

http://www.health.state.ny.us/health_care/medicaid/program/update/2009/2009-12spec.htm

Questions/Information

For more information on how to achieve NCQA certification as a NCQA PPC-PCMH™, providers should contact NCQA Customer Support at (800) 839-6487, or visit the NCQA Website at http://www.ncqa.org. Since New York Medicaid is recognized as a sponsoring organization, providers will receive a 20 percent discount from NCQA toward the cost of the PPC-PCMH™ application. Questions regarding New York Medicaid's Patient-Centered Medical Home initiative may be directed to the Office of Health Insurance Program's Division of Financial Planning and Policy at (518) 473-2160.

Please contact the Bureau of Managed Care Finance at (518) 474-5050 with any questions regarding health plan medical home payments for network providers.

NYC DOH PCIP
Primary Care Development Corporation
New York eHealth Collaborative

2010 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition

Be part of the 2010 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition in Atlanta, Ga., the largest healthcare information technology conference in the United States, scheduled for March 1-4, 2010. HIMSS brings timely education and a solutions-focused exhibition to HIMSS10, held at the Georgia World Congress Center, including:

• Extensive education sessions with continued emphasis on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and new topic categories on workforce development, regulatory compliance, clinical informatics and globalization.
• Extended exhibit hours Monday through Wednesday to give attendees and solutions providers more time on the floor. Exhibits close on Wednesday evening with Thursday dedicated to education.
• Wednesday Exhibit Hall-Only pass for attendees who want to visit the exhibition for just this one day
• New pre-conference education on Sunday, Feb. 28:

o ARRA Meaningful Use
o ARRA Quality
o ARRA Certified EHRs
o ARRA Interoperability
o ARRA Privacy and Security
o Healthcare IT Contracting
o PHRs

• A new Venture Fair format for more interaction among participants discussing Building Your Health IT Business
• Career planning information with a focus on displaced workers and tips for job seekers and employers

To register, click here

CMS Meaningful Use Document

In this 556 page document are the proposed guidelines in three stages.
Stage one, due for 2010 is discussed in sections beginning on pages 47, 103 and 467.

Bon Apetit.

Let us know what you think.

CMS

KLAS releases list of 2009 Best in KLAS Awards

KLAS

Acute Care EMR
Epic EpicCare Inpatient

Homecare
McKesson Horizon Homecare


Ambulatory EMR (Over 100 Physicians)
Epic EpicCare Ambulatory

Laboratory
Siemens Novius Lab

Ambulatory EMR (26-100 Physicians)
eClinicalWorks EMR

PACS
GE Centricity PACS-IW

Ambulatory EMR (6-25 Physicians)
Greenway Medical PrimeSuite Chart

Patient Accounting and Patient Management
Epic Resolute Hospital Billing

Ambulatory EMR (2-5 Physicians)
Greenway Medical PrimeSuite Chart

Pharmacy
Epic Willow

Cardiology
Digisonics DigiView

Practice Management (Over 100 Physicians)
Epic Resolute/Prelude/Cadence

Community HIS
McKesson Paragon

Practice Management (26-100 Physicians)
McKesson Horizon Practice Plus

Decision Support – Business
Eclipsys Sunrise EPSi Decision Support

Practice Management (6-25 Physicians)
Greenway Medical PrimeSuite Practice

Document Management and Imaging
MedPlus ChartMaxx

Practice Management (2-5 Physicians)
athenahealth

Emergency Department
Wellsoft EDIS

Radiology
Epic Radiant

Enterprise Scheduling
Unibased Systems Architecture RMS

Speech Recognition
Nuance eScription

Financial/ERP
McKesson Pathways Fin./Materials/HR Mgr

Surgery Management
Unibased Systems Architecture ORMS

To purchase the full report, healthcare providers and vendors can visit www.KLASresearch.com/top_20

About KLAS

KLAS is a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors. KLAS’ mission is to improve delivery, by independently measuring vendor performance for the benefit of our healthcare provider partners, consultants, investors, and vendors. Working together with executives from over 4500 hospitals and over 2500 clinics, KLAS delivers timely reports, trends, and statistics, which provide a solid overview of vendor performance in the industry. KLAS measures performance of software, professional services, and medical equipment vendors. For more information, go to www.KLASresearch.com, email marketing@KLASresearch.com, or call 1-800-920-4109 to speak with a KLAS representative.

CMS and ONC to Discuss Next Steps in EHR Programs Today

Today the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will announce two regulations that lay a foundation for improving quality, efficiency, and safety through meaningful use of electronic health record (EHR) technology.

The regulations will help implement the EHR incentive programs enacted under the Health Information Technology for Clinical and Economic Health (HITECH) Act, which was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Public comments on both regulations are encouraged.

Join today’s call; details are listed below:

WHO:
--David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, national coordinator for health information technology
--Jonathan Blum, director, Center for Medicare Management
--Cindy Mann, director, Center for Medicaid and State Operations

WHAT:
Briefing for HITECH Partners and Stakeholders – Providers, HIT Industry Organizations

WHEN:
Today, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009, 5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time

WHERE:
Toll-Free Dial: (800) 837-1935
Conference ID: 49047605
Pass Code: HITECH

HHS announces $60M Program to Fund Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects

David Blumenthal, M.D., Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, today announced plans to make available $60 million to support the development of Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects (SHARP). SHARP projects will conduct focused research in critical areas where breakthrough advances are needed to address existing barriers to the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (health IT). The SHARP program identifies and works to address barriers to adoption in the following four areas:

Security of Health Information Technology research to address the challenges of developing security and risk mitigation policies and the technologies necessary to build and preserve the public trust as health IT systems become ubiquitous.
Patient-Centered Cognitive Support research to address the need to harness the power of health IT in a patient-focused manner and align the technology with the day-to-day practice of medicine to support clinicians as they care for patients.
Health care Application and Network Platform Architectures research to focus on the development of new and improved architectures that are necessary to achieve electronic exchange and use of health information in a secure, private, and accurate manner.
Secondary Use of Electronic Health Record Data research to identify strategies to enhance the use of health IT in improving the overall quality of health care, population health and clinical research while protecting patient privacy.
Each project will identify and implement a research agenda addressing the specific goals of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) and identify the barriers to adoption and meaningful use of heath IT that will be addressed in their research area. HHS expects to award qualified applicants cooperative agreements to support research efforts in these four project areas. Each agreement will last four years. Awardees will implement a collaborative, interdisciplinary program of research addressing short-term and long-term challenges in their focus area. Additionally, the projects are expected to develop and implement a cooperative program between researchers, health care providers, and other health IT sector stakeholders to incorporate research results into health IT practice and products.

Authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and part of the HITECH provisions of ARRA, the cooperative agreements are part of a series of grants to help strengthen and support the use of health information technology to improve the quality and efficiency of care provided to all Americans.

“Innovative research and approaches are required to overcome some of the foremost challenges we face in achieving our vision of a transformed health care system enabled through health IT,” said Dr. Blumenthal “The SHARP program will bring together some of the best and brightest minds in the nation to find breakthrough solutions and innovations that will eliminate barriers to adoption and, over time, increase the meaningful use of health IT to improve the health and care of all Americans.”

Applications are due on Jan. 25, 2010, with awards anticipated in March 2010.

Information about the SHARP program and the cooperative agreement applications can be found at http://HealthIT.HHS.gov/sharp and at www.grants.gov.

Basics and 2010 Updates for the Medicare Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program Teleconference


National Government Services, Inc. Provider Outreach & Education team has scheduled a teleconference for January 6, 2010.

Basics and 2010 Updates for the Medicare Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program Teleconference

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

1:30-3:00 p.m. ET

Join us for this teleconference to learn how simple it is to report under the Medicare Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program and possibly earn a two percent incentive payment for all your physician allowed charges furnished in 2010.



Registration for this session is required and open. Visit our Web site for details at www.NGSMedicare.com. Choose Part B (business type) and your state. Choose Part B in the Calendar of Events.



Thank you,
National Government Services, Inc.
Corporate Communications

CMS REPORTS RESULTS OF 2008 MEDICARE PHYSICIAN QUALITY REPORTING INITIATIVE

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced the results for the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). More than 85,000 physicians and other eligible professionals who satisfactorily reported quality-related data to Medicare under the 2008 PQRI received incentive payments totaling more than $92 million, compared to $36 million in 2007.

The number of eligible professionals who earned an incentive payment increased by one-third from 2007, when 56,700 eligible professionals earned an incentive payment. In 2007, eligible professionals could only participate in the program during a 6-month reporting period. In 2008, the program expanded to allow reporting for either a 6-month or a 12-month period.

CMS

Free PQRI Software from DOCSITE® and MSSNY

The Medical Society of the State of New York is happy to announce that it has qualified to receive seventy-five (75) free licenses of PQRI web-based software from DocSite® to distribute to our membership on a ‘first-come, first-served basis. The offer is available to all physician members but the following conditions are preferred and will be given a higher consideration: practices that are independent, small, rural and primary care.

In order to be eligible, you must also have a high speed internet connection; agree to participate by submitting a signed letter of attestation; submit 2009 data by 01/31/2010; agree to report your experiences over the coming months with the process including barriers or challenges; and report your successful completion in meeting the goals set forth by the reporting option you have selected.

Please visit www.mssny.org and click on the PQRI Participation Letter link to download the letter. The letter must be completed and sent back to MSSNY per the instructions indicated. If you have any questions, please click on the DocSite PQRI FAQs-2009 link for Frequently Asked Questions about the program. All remaining questions should be directed to Ron Pucherelli, HIT Project Administrator at 518-465-8085 or to rpucherelli@mssny.org.

Guest Posting is now available

Got the urge to blog and promote your latest innovation to the delivery to healthcare or to mobile computing?

Let us know.
We have several specialized sites that have a strong following:

Android Phone Blog
Blackberry Medicine Blog
EHR PHR Patient Portal PCMH Blog
iPhone Medicine Blog
Smartphone Medical Blog


Submissions may be between 150 and 250 words. No more than three pictures.

HHS Announces Plans to Make $80 Million Available to Support Health IT Workforce

Grants Will Support Community College Training Programs, Curriculum Development, Additional Programs to be Announced in Coming Weeks

Dr. David Blumenthal, HHS’ National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, today announced plans to make available $80 million in grants to help develop and strengthen the health information technology workforce. The grants that will be made available include $70 million for community college training programs and $10 million to develop educational materials to support these programs. Both programs will support the immediate need for skilled health information technology (health IT) professionals who will enable the broad adoption and use of health IT throughout the United States.

Any U.S. non-profit institution of higher learning currently engaged in providing training in health IT that is interested in drafting curriculum or establishing a consortium that includes community colleges may apply for the grants. Information about grant applications will be available shortly at http://healthIT.HHS.gov/HITECHgrants.