HHS Press Briefing Webcast: Meaningful Use, Standards, Certification:
July 13, 2010 10:00 AM ET Live Webcast

http://www.e-healthcaremarketing.com/archives/4061

“CMS and ONC will host a press briefing (on Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. EDT) to announce the final rules on Meaningful Use and Standards and Certification under the HITECH Act’s Electronic Health Records (EHR) incentive program.”

Prior to the live Webcast, HHS has been running archived press briefing on proposed rules in privacy and security.

HHS direct link

Thanks to Mike Squires for the reminder and the link. SV

Improved Quality At Kaiser Permanente Through Doctor/Patient E-Mail

It should come as now surprise that as we give additional means of communication between health care providers and patients, quality would improve. Many EHRs have access to secure email via a Patient Portal. In fairness to the practices, however, reimbursement models will have to evolve to cover the time spent on emails and diverted from other activities. In the end however, all benefit. SV


Here is information on online CPT Codes:

CPT 99444 On-Line Medical Evaluation by a Physician

Online evaluation and management service provided by a physician to an established patient, guardian, or health care provider not originating from a related E/M service within the previous 7 days, using the Internet or similar electronic communications network.

CPT 98969 On-Line Medical Evaluation by a Non-Physician

Online assessment and management service provided by a qualified non-physician health care professional to an established patient, guardian, or health care provider not originating from a related E/M service within the previous 7 days, using the Internet or similar electronic communications network.

Health Affairs

AMA Guidelines

HCI3:Boards of Bridges to Excellence and PROMETHEUS Payment have merged.

"Late last year the Boards of Bridges To Excellence and PROMETHEUS Payment agreed to merge. As part of that merger, the new organization was named the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute, or HCI3. And while the people haven't changed, the sum is certainly greater than the parts. Under HCI3 we now have a broad array of quality measurement tools - the Bridges To Excellence Recognitions - and cost measurement tools - the PROMETHEUS Payment Evidence-informed Case Rates. All these tools are available in our implementation sites and to our implementation partners, and we have already developed several creative ways in which they can be combined to significantly improve the current payment incentives in health care."

New York City Reaches a Milestone in Effort to Improve
Quality of Care through Information Technology

More than 1.5 million New Yorkers now receive preventive care and standardized treatment from
2,000 physicians who have adopted the Health Department’s innovative electronic health record

June 22, 2010 – The Health Department today announced that it has exceeded its goal of bringing 2,000 doctors into the digital age through the Primary Care Information Project, a groundbreaking effort to improve preventive health care by introducing electronic health records into community-based medical practice. For the more than 1.5 million New York City patients treated by these doctors, advanced technology offers customized alerts for overdue preventive screenings and potential drug interactions, as well as best-practice guidelines for treatment. Doctors enrolled in the Primary Care Information Project can also give patients online access to their medical histories and print visit summaries to remind them of at-home instructions.

Founded in 2005, the New York City program is the largest of its kind in the nation. Its innovative health record helps physicians identify and address patients’ health risks. It also uses prompts and reminders to help doctors and patients better manage chronic diseases. When conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are identified early and managed effectively, patients can often avoid heart attacks, strokes and other adverse health outcomes.

“Health information technology can strengthen prevention,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner – “and prevention is the key to an effective and affordable health care system. With nearly one out of five New Yorkers now benefiting from our prevention-oriented health record, New York City has created a model for the rest of the country.”

Nationally, most medical practices still use paper records. Many health care providers lack the technology to best determine whether a particular patient’s chronic illness can be effectively managed outside of a hospital. In 2006 alone, New York City could have prevented an estimated 120,000 adult hospitalizations through appropriate treatment in a primary care setting. Take Care New York 2012, the City’s health policy blueprint, aims to cut preventable hospitalizations by 17%. The Primary Care Information Project supports this goal though its active, patient-centered approach.

“Patients should come to expect that their doctor can quickly access their relevant health records and offer appropriate care in the context of their health history,” said Dr. Amanda Parsons, the assistant health commissioner who leads the Primary Care Information Project. “With 2,000 doctors already in our program and more joining every day, we can really improve coordination of care for New Yorkers.”

As health reform legislation rolls out nationally, policymakers are counting on electronic health records to help improve the quality of care while reining in costs. With support from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, state and local agencies have established 60 Regional Extension Centers to promote electronic health records and help doctors successfully implement them. New York City hosts one of these centers – NYC REACH – which will help nearly 5,000 physicians go digital.

Physicians interested in joining NYC REACH can visit nycreach.org or nyc.gov/pcip to learn more. And anyone can use the search tool at nyc.gov/pcip to find a New York City doctor who has adopted the City’s prevention-oriented electronic health record.

URAC Patient Centered Health Care Home Education and Evaluation Program: Public Comment

Washington, D.C. – June 29, 2010 – URAC today announced a call for public comment on the design and content of its new Patient Centered Health Care Home (PCHCH) Education and Evaluation Program. The program is comprised of three complementary toolkits, which are geared to help health care practices follow a step-wise process in their journey to becoming a PCHCH.
URAC will be soliciting public comment on the three PCHCH toolkits in two stages, with the first, the Health Care Practice Assessment toolkit, available for public comment starting today. The remaining two toolkits, one on Performance Measures and a Patient Experience/Satisfaction survey, will be available for public comment later this summer.
The Patient Centered Health Care Home Education and Evaluation Program’s definition, guiding principles, and Health Care Assessment toolkit are available for review and comment at http://www.urac.org/publiccomment/. The deadline for public comment is August 12, 2010.

NYC DOH PCIP/NYC REACH PCMH/Meaningful Use Webinar

July 2, 2010, 10 AM-11 AM, EST

Together we will explore:

Healthcare challenges facing physicians
Benefits of EHR
The path to EHR
EHR/EMR Implementation Thoughts & Considerations.
Patient Centered Medical Home
Federal Incentives under ARRA
Meaningful use

Password: Volpe123

Dial In Code: 888-622-5357

Participant Code: 586020

Click this link for webex

NYC DOH PCIP/NYC REACH PCMH/Meaningful Use Webinar

June 25, 2010, 10 AM-11 AM, EST

Together we will explore:

Healthcare challenges facing physicians
Benefits of EHR
The path to EHR
EHR/EMR Implementation Thoughts & Considerations.
Patient Centered Medical Home
Federal Incentives under ARRA
Meaningful use

Password: Volpe123

Dial In Code: 888-622-5357

Participant Code: 586020

Click this link for webex

DrFirst: First system:legally e-prescribe controlled substance

On June 3, 2010, DrFirst demoed the first system to legally e-prescribe controlled substance at the AHRQ Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. This is the first public demonstration of enhanced Rcopia e-prescribing technology that utilizes two factor authentication to electronically transmit prescriptions for schedule II-V drugs. Actually there are three factors: password, a cryptokey (USB), and a fax. This particular demo uses a fax document which is then compared to the e-Prescription by the pharmacist.

This system has been under development for two years operating under a waiver from the DEA and funded by a grant from AHRQ.

For more information regarding the system, visit www.DrFirst.com.

ONC Issues Final Rule to Establish the Temporary Certification Program for EHR Technology

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) today issued a final rule to establish a temporary certification program for electronic health record (EHR) technology. Click here to see the press release:

Here's the link for the 206 page document. SV

CMS Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program Website is now available on CMS.gov!


The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) has launched the official website for the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. This website provides the most up-to-date, detailed information about the EHR incentive programs.
The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and hospitals as they adopt, implement, upgrade, or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
Bookmark this site and visit http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/ often to learn about who is eligible for the programs, how to register, meaningful use, upcoming EHR training and events, and much more!

Leveraging the Electronic Health Record for Public Health Alerting

Presenters: Nedra Garrett, MS (CDC)

Date/Time: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 1-2 PM Eastern Time

Overview:
With the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and its focus on Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, public health has an unprecedented opportunity to leverage the information, technologies and standards enabled by this effort to support critical public health functions such as alerting and surveillance. CDC subject matter expert will discuss strategies to increase compliance with public health recommendation and guidelines, and discuss how improved dissemination of public health information at point of care can lead to more timely patient specific information by utilizing EHR systems.
Call-in : 1-888-790-6180
Passcode : 1281914
For more information visit CDC

PECOS Enrollment Required For Medicare Record (EHR) Incentive

I strongly encourage everyone to take out the time to confirm their PECOS status. Happy Father's Day. SV


The Recovery Act of 2009 established CMS programs under Medicare and Medicaid to provide incentive payments for the “meaningful use” of certified EHR technology. These EHR incentive programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals as they demonstrate adoption, implementation, upgrading or meaningful use of certified EHR technology. While more detail on the EHR incentive program is forthcoming in the an impending final rule, CMS is announcing that Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) records will be used to verify Medicare enrollment prior to making Medicare EHR incentive payments. Your enrollment information must be in PECOS, so act now if you do not have an enrollment record in this system.

Enrolled in Medicare before November 2003?

If you are a physician who enrolled in Medicare before November 2003 AND have not updated your Medicare enrollment information since then, you do NOT have an enrollment record in PECOS. Act now to establish your enrollment record in PECOS. For instructions, go to www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll , click on “Tips to Facilitate the Medicare Enrollment Process” under “Downloads.”

If you enrolled in Medicare after November 2003, or if you enrolled before November 2003 and have updated your Medicare enrollment information since November 2003, no further action is required.

If you are unsure, here are ways to verify that you have an enrollment record in PECOS:

1. Check the Ordering Referring Report on the CMS website. If you are on that report, you have a current enrollment record in PECOS. Go to http://www.cms.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll, click on “Ordering Referring Report” on the left.

2. Use Internet-based PECOS to look for your PECOS enrollment record. (You will need to first set up your access to Internet-based PECOS.) If no record is displayed, you do not have an enrollment record in PECOS. Go to http://www.cms.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll, click on “Internet-based PECOS” on the left, for information on using Internet-based PECOS.

3. Contact your designated Medicare enrollment contractor and ask if you have an enrollment record in PECOS. Go to http://www.cms.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll, click on “Medicare Fee-For-Service Contact Information” under “Downloads.”

Note: If you have submitted an enrollment application within the last 90 days, and your enrollment application has been accepted for processing by the carrier or A/B MAC, you need not take any additional actions based on this listserv message.

NOTE for physicians who reassign all their Medicare benefits to a group/clinic: If you reassign all of your Medicare benefits to a group/clinic, the group/clinic must have an enrollment record in PECOS in order for you to enroll using Internet-based PECOS. You should check with the officials of the group/clinic or with your designated Medicare enrollment contractor if you are not sure if the group/clinic has an enrollment record in PECOS. If the group/clinic does not have an enrollment record in PECOS, you will not be able to use Internet-based PECOS to submit your enrollment application to Medicare. You will need to submit a paper enrollment application (CMS-855).

Information on how to establish an enrollment record in PECOS can be found at here.

Thanks to the MSSNY for the news update. SV

GE Centricity Advance EMR

This product will help round out GE's product line and may be open for smaller practices to consider. SV

Centricity Advance, a web-based EMR (EHR) solution launched today by GE Healthcare and specifically designed for the smaller physician practice.

Unlike most clinical and financial management solutions, Centricity Advance is a web-based service that costs less than a standard client-server software deployment and is maintained and supported with little or no strain on the healthcare provider’s resources, freeing up more time for patient care.

Ideal as a Web-Based Service
The fact that Centricity Advance was designed from the ground up as a web service is significant. Instead of simply providing web-based gateway into a standard EMR application, the Centricity Advance is created with anywhere/anytime access in mind, resulting in an intuitive and efficient interface without sacrificing functionality. Since system management is centralized as part of the Centricity Advance service, small practices don’t have to worry about data protection, updates, equipment failures and other typically stressful responsibilities of user-driven IT management.

Another key feature of Centricity Advance is the Patient Self-Service Portal, which connects patients to their care. By using their own secure password to log in, patients can communicate privately with their doctor and view their own information such as statements, prescriptions and lab results. Patients can also request and confirm appointments, request prescription refills and get automatic reminders for immunizations and lab tests.

True SaaS technology is designed to be faster and more flexible than other Web-based EMRs since it is created from the ground-up to be hosted and delivered over the Internet to multiple customers. This model allows for “on-the-fly” upgrades as well as rapid deployment of value-added “à la carte” features.

Many vendors discuss what they call “Software as a Service” offerings but, in most cases, are actually referring to “hosted” or ASP (application service provider) models, in which traditional client/server software is accessed through a Web browser. “The differences are subtle but critical,” said Chittaranjan Mallipeddi, vice president and general manager of GE Healthcare IT’s newly launched SaaS business unit. After limited initial start-up costs, Centricity Advance is available to customers for a low monthly subscription fee. Most ASP models charge the customer a large upfront fee for the software purchase, followed by indefinite recurring hosting fees.

“Centricity Advance is designed with simplicity and pliability at center stage. After all, we know our customers aren’t buying a system for today; they’re buying a commitment to their future,” Mallipeddi added.

Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH)
2011 Update

Public Comment Ends Soon

June 28 is the final day to comment on proposed updates to the PCMH 2011 standards. Public Comment is a key part of the development process for all NCQA programs. NCQA appreciates the time and effort that organizations invest in providing feedback, and considers all suggestions made during the Public Comment period.

The PCMH 2011 standards build on the strengths of Physician Practice Connections^®-Patient-Centered Medical Home^TM (PPC^®-PCMH^TM). . They apply to the full spectrum of practice configurations, from small to large or electronically enabled to paper-based, in a variety of practice locations and for newly applying practices, as well as for those seeking renewal of Recognition.

Click here to access the public comment on the PCMH 2011 update.

In addition to emphasizing patient-centric, coordinated care and moving toward performance benchmarking within practices, the revised standards seek to:

• Encourage better integration across practices through enhanced quality improvement requirements
• Strengthen program requirements
• Integrate behaviors affecting substance abuse and mental health issues
• Align with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' proposed Measures of Meaningful Use (for ARRA incentives)

The revised program has been restructured from nine standards (in PCMH) to six standards. We propose additional advanced requirements: reporting standardized clinical and patient experience results and establishing formal relationships with specialists and facilities. As with the current program, NCQA will not require all items to be met for achieving Recognition.

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

Allscripts/Eclipsys/Misys:Merger and diversture

Consolidation among vendors keeping pace with consolidation among customers (Hospitals/Physician Groups). This should accelerate "interoperability" as we wait for standards to mature. SV


Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX), the leading provider of clinical software, information and connectivity solutions for physicians, and Eclipsys (Nasdaq: ECLP), a leading enterprise provider of solutions and services for hospitals and clinicians, today announced a definitive agreement to merge in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $1.3 billion. The combination of Allscripts and Eclipsys will create a clear leader in healthcare information technology, with the most comprehensive solution offering for healthcare organizations of every size and setting. Under terms of the merger agreement, Eclipsys stockholders will receive 1.2 shares of Allscripts for each share of Eclipsys, a 19 percent premium based on the June 8th closing price.
By combining the leading physician-office and post-acute care solutions from Allscripts with Eclipsys's leading enterprise solutions for hospitals and health systems, the combined company will offer a single platform of clinical, financial, connectivity and information solutions. The combined company's client base will include over 180,000 U.S. physicians, 1,500 hospitals, and nearly 10,000 nursing homes, hospices, home care and other post-acute organizations. The combined company will be positioned to connect physicians, other care providers and patients wherever care is provided-in the hospital, in small or large physician practices, in extended care facilities, or in a patient's home - resulting in the unique ability to deliver a single patient record and a seamless patient experience.
Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts, will be the Chief Executive Officer of the combined company. Phil Pead, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eclipsys will become Chairman of the combined company and, on a full-time basis, will focus on key client and strategic relationships, product and process integration, strategy and the company's international business. Bill Davis, Chief Financial Officer of Allscripts, will be the company's Chief Financial Officer.Chris Perkins, Chief Financial Officer of Eclipsys, will lead the integration process of the two companies.The balance of the combined company's executive team will include the current officers of both Allscripts and Eclipsys.

In connection with the merger, Allscripts will facilitate a reduction of Misys's equity stake in Allscripts from approximately 55% to approximately 10% through an underwritten secondary equity offering and share buyback. This reduction in equity stake will enable Misys to maintain compliance with listing requirements of the United Kingdom listing authorities.

MONAHRQ—My Own Network Powered by AHRQ

Shareware by the Government and others is helping to bring HIT benefits to communities and institutions of all sizes. SV


The Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS's) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) today unveiled MONAHRQ—My Own Network Powered by AHRQ—a free, MS® Windows®-based software application that significantly reduces the cost and time a State, hospital or other organization would need to spend to compile, analyze and post data on quality of hospital care, its cost and how that care is used. MONAHRQ allows users to create a customized Web site with data that can be used for internal quality improvement or reporting quality information to the public.

A Web site created using MONAHRQ will provide information in four areas:

• Quality of care for specific hospitals—provides information about patient safety, patient deaths in the hospital and other quality-related issues to answer questions such as, "Which hospitals have the lowest mortality rates after coronary bypass surgery?"
• Provision of services by hospital for health conditions and procedures—provides information about the number of patient discharges, charges, costs and length of hospitalizations for specific hospitals to answer questions such as, "Which hospitals perform the largest numbers of hip replacement surgeries? And what is the cost?"
• Potentially avoidable hospitalizations—creates maps of county-by-county rates for potentially avoidable hospitalizations to answer questions such as, "Which counties have the highest rates of hospitalization for uncontrolled diabetes? And how much could be saved if these rates were reduced?"
• Rates of health conditions and procedures—provides information about the prevalence of diseases or medical procedures through maps of county-by-county rates for selected conditions and procedures to answer questions such as, "Which counties have the highest rates of lung cancer?"

While they both provide information to the public on hospital quality, the Web sites generated by MONAHRQ users differ from HHS's Hospital Compare Web site because of the information that is reported. For example, MONAHRQ users provide information on elements of care that are not offered by Hospital Compare, including outcome measures of quality by individual hospital, such as patient safety events and deaths; data on which high-volume procedures are associated with better outcomes; and preventable hospitalizations by county on conditions for which good outpatient care could avert the need for a hospital stay.

For more information, please contact AHRQ Public Affairs: (301) 427-1859 or (301) 427-1855.

Qualified Electronic Health Record (EHR) Vendors for the 2010 PQRI and Electronic Prescribing Incentive Programs

If your vendor is on the list, contact them ASAP and see if your version of the product qualifies. This seems like a slicker way to submit to CMS with "less clicks". SV

CMS is pleased to announce the EHR vendors and their programs (including specific version or release) that have been “qualified” to submit quality data to CMS by eligible professionals for 2010 PQRI reporting (see table below). Each of these EHR vendors has gone through a thorough vetting process for the product and version listed including checking their capability to provide the required PQRI data elements for 10 PQRI measures. These 10 PQRI measures may be found on the CMS website at www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI, click on the “Alternative Reporting Mechanisms” section page. Some EHRs are also capable of reporting the electronic prescribing measure to CMS as listed in the table below. In addition to capturing the required data elements for the measure calculation, these “qualified” EHR products can also transmit the required information in the requested file format. While the listed EHR vendors and their EHR product have successfully completed the vetting process, CMS cannot guarantee that any other product or version of software from the listed vendors will be compatible for EHR based submission for PQRI.

Eligible professionals who wish to participate in 2010 PQRI using the EHR-based reporting option may contact the EHR vendor’s listed below for additional details about their software and about PQRI participation.

Allscripts, Docsite, eClinicalworks, eHealth Made EASY, LLC, Epic, MedAppz, llc and MedLink

CMS:ACO:Accountable Care Organizations and HIT

ACO's faciliate the coordination and cooperation among providers to improve the quality of care among Medicare Beneficiaries and reduce unnecessary costs.

Here's the link to CMS.

What is the role of HIT in ACOs? SV

NYC DOH PCIP EHR Open House June 10th.

NYC DOH PCIP:Open House:Transform your Practice with a Subsidized EHR

The Primary Care Information Project (PCIP) will hold an EHR Open House on June 10, 2010, from 12:00noon to 4:30 PM at 161 William St., 6th Floor. This will be an excellent opportunity for interested providers to meet the PCIP team and to hear how to switch from paper records to secure Electronic Health Records. Presentations will cover how to use an EHR to improve patient care, meet federal incentive payment requirements, and protect sensitive patient data. You will also learn how to get an EHR at a substantial discount through our limited incentive program.

You will have an opportunity to meet one on one with: EHR trainers; billing and coding instructors; NYC Business Solutions (to help with financial and staffing resources); and other providers who have implemented an EHR. The program will have specific sessions on (1) "PCIP and Meaningful Use" (from 12:00 noon until 1:00 PM); (2) "Q&A with Outreach, Infrastructure, Quality Improvement, Privacy and Security, and NYC Business Solutions Panel" (from 1:00 PM-1:45 PM); "EHR in My Practice: a Provider's Perspective"(2:00 PM-2:45 PM) and breakout sessions from 3:00 PM-4:30 PM on everything from Implementation, Revenue Cycle Management, Privacy and Security, to IT Experts and Outreach. All sessions are free of charge. Attendees are welcome to drop in at any point during the day.

RSVP & Questions
pcip@health.nyc.gov
Include your fullname, practice name and phone number.
Please let us know if you cannot make the event but have questions or would like to meet another day

Location
161 William St, 6thFloor, New York,NY
Near City Hall and Fulton St. Subway Stations: 2,3,4, 5,6,A,C,J,M,Z,R,W

AMA HIT To-do List Timetable

In American Medical News: A health IT timetable can help you maximize technology
Physician practices have various tasks that need to be done regularly to ensure smooth operations, and health information technology (IT) adds a new set of recurring chores. A story by American Medical News details some of the health IT-related tasks and explains that establishing regular schedules for upkeep and updates can help practices get the most out of a technology investment.