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The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has approved several bipartisan health policy bills, including health information technology (HIT) legislation and bills aimed at spurring biomedical innovation to complement the “House 21st Century Cures” initiative. Specifically, on February 9, 2016, the Committee approved:
Continue Reading Senate HELP Committee Clears Bipartisan Biomedical Innovation, Health IT Bills

On December 31, 2015, CMS published a request for information (RFI) seeking public comments on certification requirements for health information technology (HIT), including electronic health records (EHR) products used for reporting under certain CMS quality reporting programs. The RFI also invites feedback on how often CMS should require recertification, the number of clinical quality measures…

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released its final 2016 Interoperability Standards Advisory, which catalogs the “best available” interoperability standards and implementation specifications for industry use to fulfill specific clinical health information technology (IT) interoperability needs. The Advisory focuses only on clinical health IT systems’ interoperability; it does…

On February 4, 2016, CMS is hosting a provider call on Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act requirements regarding the reporting of standardized patient assessment data by post-acute care (PAC) providers (skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and long-term care hospitals). During this call, CMS and the Office of the National…

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a sweeping final rule with comment period that specifies the requirements that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet in order to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments and avoid downward payment adjustments under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. Notably, the rule establishes the requirements for Stage 3 of the program as optional in 2017 and required for all participants beginning in 2018.
Continue Reading CMS Adopts Changes to Medicare & Medicaid EHR Policies

The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released its final “Roadmap” to promote the secure exchange and use of electronic health information. The document, “Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap Version 1.0,” describes policy and technical actions needed to meet ONC’s “vision…

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released its final Federal Health IT Strategic Plan for 2015-2020. The 50-page document details how the federal government intends to effectively use health information technology (IT) “to help the nation achieve high-quality care, lower costs, a healthy population, and engaged individuals.” The…

Two Congressional committees are holding hearings this week on health policy issues.  First, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has scheduled a September 16, 2015 hearing on “Achieving the Promise of Health Information Technology: Improving Care Through Patient Access to Their Records.”   The HELP Committee also will hold a September 17 hearing on “Biosimilar Implementation: A Progress Report from FDA.” Second, on September 18 the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee will examine four Medicaid bills:
Continue Reading Congressional Hearings to Focus on Health IT, Biosimilars, Medicaid Program Legislation

Today HHS published a request for public comments regarding the health plan identifier (HPID), including the requirements regarding health plan enumeration, and the requirement to use the HPID in electronic health care transactions. Specifically, HHS is seeking information regarding the following:

  • The HPID enumeration structure outlined in the September 5, 2012 HPID final rule,

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The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released a revised Guide to Privacy and Security of Electronic Health Information. The guide is intended to help health care providers – especially those from smaller organizations – address federal health information privacy and security requirements in their practices. The new version…

On March 30, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its proposed rule on Stage 3 meaningful use criteria, which focus on the advanced use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology to promote improved outcomes for patients. The proposed rule would establish the requirements that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical …

The OIG has released its March 2015 “Compendium of Unimplemented Recommendations,” which highlights the OIG’s top 25 recommendations for cost savings and/or quality improvements in HHS programs, along with other significant unimplemented recommendations. High-priority recommendations address the following areas, among others:

  • Payment Policies and Practices: Expand the DRG window to include additional days prior to

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On January 30, 2015, the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released a draft “Roadmap” to promote safe and secure exchange and use of electronic health information. The document “Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap Version 1.0,” focuses on actions intended to…

HHS has sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for final regulatory clearance a proposed rule on Stage 3 meaningful use criteria for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. The Stage 3 rule will focus on advanced use of EHR technology to promote improved outcomes for patients…