Sign posts on the journey to HIEs
Only he that has traveled the road knows where the holes are deep - Chinese proverb
"Traveling Twice the Speed of Sound..."
ED. NOTE: Another installment on the road to EHR adoption. In this edition, we report on updates posted by Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
In their 1977 classic, "A Song Before I Go," Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sing, "traveling twice the speed of sound, it's easy to get burned." This lyric comes to mind when reading Dr. David Blumenthal's recent blog. Because when it comes to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) could it be too much, too soon? Time will tell. One would agree, however, from his posting that much is going on at the ONC these days on the road to EHR adoption that, by the way, is still projected for 2014. He acknowledges as much when he says there's an entire organization plus numerous collaborating agencies "working harder, and faster than ever, to get the right pieces into place to meet very aggressive timelines."
Here's a quick update:
Meaningful Use:
The much mulled over "meaningful use" criteria for EHRs is expected to be here in a "matter of weeks" from CMS, he notes. CMS, as you recall, was authorized by the ARRA to provide reimbursement incentives for "eligible professionals and hospitals who are successful in becoming ‘meaningful users' of certified EHR technology." The payments are scheduled to begin in 2011. In 2015, providers, according to CMS, are expected to have adopted a certified EHR in compliance with "meaningful use" or will be subject to financial penalties under Medicare.
Regional Extension Centers
Blumenthal says they're getting ready to establish the Regional Extension Centers and State Health Information Exchange program established early in 2010. In fact, 30 Regional Center awards are expected to be made next month with the remainder due in March. The HITECH Act authorizes a Health Information Technology Extension Program. The extension program consists of Regional Extension Centers and a national Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC).
The regional centers will offer technical assistance, guidance, and information on best practices to support and accelerate health care providers' efforts to become meaningful users of EHRs. The extension program will establish an estimated 70 (or more) regional centers, each serving a defined geographic area. The regional centers will support at least 100,000 primary care providers, through participating non-profit organizations, in achieving meaningful use of EHRs and enabling nationwide health information exchange
He also notes that there will be "other awards and programs rolling out between now and the end of the first quarter."
The Beacon for EHRs?
Last week during a meeting of the HIT Policy Committee, Blumenthal updated members on the Beacon Community Program - one that would make available $235 million to accelerate and demonstrate the ability of health information technology to transform local healthcare systems. The Beacon Community Program will include $220 million in grants to build and strengthen health IT infrastructure and health information exchange capabilities, including strong privacy and security measures for data exchange, within 15 communities. An additional $15 million will be provided for technical assistance to the communities and to evaluate the success of the program funded by ARRA.
In the same meeting, Blumenthal also told members that the ONC has more than a dozen new programs totaling $2 billion, including Regional Extension Centers, Health Information Exchanges, Workforce Training and the Beacon Communities' project.
The ONC has much ground to cover in a short amount of time, according to Blumenthal's pronouncements. For a governmental entity they seem to traveling fast. So far, no burning sensation, but things are heating up.