The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is seeking comments on its Federal Health IT Strategic Plan 2015-2020. The plan represents a broad federal strategy for collecting, sharing, and using interoperable health information to improve health care and public health, and advance research within the federal government and in
Health IT
ONC Invites Applications for “Market R&D Pilot Challenge”
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is launching the “Market R&D Pilot Challenge,” which will bring together health care organizations and innovative companies to test new health information technology products through pilot funding awards and facilitated matchmaking. Pilot proposals could be awarded in three domains: clinical environments (e.g.…
GAO Calls for Improvements to Healthcare.gov Information Security and Privacy Controls
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has assessed the effectiveness of CMS controls intended to protect the security and privacy of the information and information technology (IT) systems used to support Healthcare.gov. The GAO determined that while CMS has taken steps to protect Healthcare.gov security and privacy, “weaknesses remain both in the processes used for managing…
HHS Workshop: Integrating Plans for Long-Term Services and Supports & Health Care Delivery through Health IT (Oct. 16)
On October 16, 2014, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the HHS Office of the National Coordinator on Health Information Technology (ONC) are holding a public workshop entitled “Putting the Person at the Center: Integrating Plans for Long-Term Services and Supports and Health Care Delivery through Health Information Technology.” The workshop will…
ONC Final Rule on EHR Certification Criteria
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published a final rule on September 11, 2014 that is intended to introduce regulatory flexibilities with regard to certification to the 2014 Edition Electronic Health Records (EHR) Certification Criteria. The rule also codifies certain revisions to the ONC Health Information Technology (HIT) Certification Program…
Finance Committee Invites Comments on Health Care Data Transparency
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley are asking providers, patients, insurers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders for ideas on ways to improve the availability and utility of health care data, while protecting patient privacy. In particular, the Senators are requesting information on: the data sources that should be made more…
Congressional Hearings Examine Medicare Fraud, ACA, Digital Health, MedPAC Report, Brain Injuries
Recent Congressional hearings on health policy issues include the following:
- A House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee “21st Century Cures Roundtable” discussed steps Congress can take to bridge the gap between medical advances and the regulatory policies that govern them, and ultimately advance digital and personalized health care. The panel also released a related white
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Congressional Hearings this Week to Focus on Medicare Fraud, Telehealth
On Wednesday, April 30, 2014, the House Ways and Means Committee will focus on “Ideas to Improve Medicare Oversight to Reduce Waste, Fraud and Abuse.” On May 1, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee is holding a hearing on “Telehealth to Digital Medicine: How 21st Century Technology Can Benefit Patients.”
ONC Proposes Updated Electronic Health Record (EHR) Certification Criteria for 2015
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is seeking comments on revisions to health information technology certification regulations for 2015. CMS is updating these criteria more frequently to provide more incremental regulatory changes, give stakeholders earlier information and greater opportunity for input, and respond more quickly to newer industry standards…
CMS Posts Final HIPAA Administrative Simplification Transaction Testing Checklists
CMS has released additional tools to help health plans, vendors, and providers prepare to demonstrate that they are compliant with Administrative Simplification Transaction Testing standards and operating rules and that they have completed end-to-end testing with their trading partners. Specifically, CMS has released payer, large provider, small provider, vendor-to-provider, and vendor-to-payer checklists to assist these…
Omnibus Government Spending Signed to Fund HHS, Other Departments
President Obama has signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014, which provides $1.012 trillion in discretionary funding for the operations of the federal government through September 30, 2014. In addition to setting overall funding levels for HHS agencies, the law specifies funding for numerous HHS policies and initiatives, such as additional funding…
OIG Concludes OCR Slow to Enforce HIPAA Security Rule and Comply with Cybersecurity Requirements
The OIG has concluded that the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is not adequately overseeing and enforcing the HIPAA Security Rule. In short, the OIG found that OCR failed to provide for periodic audits, as mandated by HITECH, to ensure that covered entities were in compliance with the Security Rule, and instead continued to…
Congressional Hearings Focus on HealthCare.gov Enrollment, Other Policy Issues
Congressional committees continue to focus on the experience of consumers and insurers since the HealthCare.gov insurance portal launched on October 1, along with potential issues related to the security of personal data transmitted through the site. For instance, House hearings this week include an Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on “ObamaCare Implementation: The Rollout…
Congressional Health Policy Hearings
Recent Congressional hearings on health policy issues include the following:
- A House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee a hearing entitled “PPACA Pulse Check: Part 2,” focusing on ACA readiness and implementation issues (Part 1 of the hearing was on August 1, 2013).
- A House Homeland Security Cybersecurity Subcommittee hearing on “The Threat to Americans’ Personal
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July Health Policy Hearings
Recent Congressional hearings have addressed the following health policy issues:
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee has held hearings on Medicaid reform, implementation of the ACA, and reform of drug compounding regulations. An August 1 hearing entitled “PPACA Pulse Check” will feature testimony by CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.
- The Senate Finance Committee held two hearings
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Health Policy Hearings
A number of recent Congressional hearings have focused on health policy issues, including the following:
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee held hearings on bipartisan proposals to redesign the Medicare benefit structure and challenges facing businesses under the ACA. A June 28 hearing will focus on Medicare Part B drug program reforms.
- House Ways and
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CMS Call on Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs and Certified EHR Technology (June 27)
On a June 27, 2013 call, CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will provide an overview of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, including the use of certified EHR technology to meet meaningful use.
HHS Update on HIT Activities
CMS and ONC have posted a fact sheet that details progress HHS has made in promoting the growth of health information technology since the enactment of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH). The fact sheet addresses, among other things, statistics on participation in the Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs and electronic…
CMS Meeting on Billing and Coding with Electronic Health Records (May 3)
On May 3, 2013, CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) are hosting a meeting to discuss electronic health records, the increase in code levels billed for some Medicare services, and appropriate coding in an increasingly-electronic environment. The meeting, which is aimed at providers, health information technology vendors,…
Congressional Health Policy Hearings
Recent Congressional hearings have addressed a number of health policy issues. For instance, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a series of hearings on health information technologies, covering the Administration’s perspectives on innovation and regulation (including a discussion of the Administration’s policies on regulation of mobile medical apps), how innovation benefits patients, and “harnessing…