HIMemo

Report examines home health care response in a flu pandemic

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on July 8 issued a report offering potential strategies to help home health care agencies prepare for a flu pandemic. The report emphasizes the potential for home health providers to help handle a surge in patients, and the need to involve them in local planning and coordination. It also explores the potential use of technology to monitor patients at a distance, the legal and ethical considerations of providing care under emergency conditions, and workforce issues such as training and the ability to report to work.

The strategies and recommendations are based on key issues and challenges raised by an expert panel convened last summer.

[ via AHA News Now ]

CCHIT approves final criteria, accepting applications

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) has published its 2008 approved final criteria for certification of inpatient and emergency department EHR products, according to a June 20 announcement on its Web site.

CCHIT will accept the first round of applications for certification under the new criteria August 1–14, the organization said in its announcement. A public comment period will continue through July 20. Additional information and documents for comment are available at www.cchit.org.

Click here to read the CCHIT announcement.

[ via EHR Connection ]

New PHR framework to enhance public trust

A group of technology companies, health care providers, insurers, and consumers groups have endorsed a personal health record (PHR) framework that would increase privacy and consumer control, according to a June 25 Connecting for Health press release.

Connecting for Health is a public-private collaboration that developed the PHR framework with input from the Markle Foundation.

The framework includes four overviews and 14 specific technology and policy approaches for consumers to perform the following functions:

• Access health services
• Obtain and control copies of personal health information
• Authorize sharing of personal health information with others
• Review sound privacy and security practices

“This collaboration lays out specific practices that all PHRs and related services can use, whether they are covered by federal privacy rules or not, so they can enhance public trust,” Steve Findlay, a healthcare analyst for Consumers Union, said in the press release.

To read the press release, click here.

To read the framework, click here.

[ via HIPAA Weekly Advisor ]

House subcommittee approves EHR privacy bill

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee approved a health IT bill that would increase EHR privacy protections, Government Health IT reported June 25.

The Protecting Records, Optimizing Treatment and Easing Communication Through Healthcare Technology Act of 2008 (H.R. 6357), now advances to the full committee.

The bill’s marketing and consent provisions remain subjects of debate. The marketing provision would prohibit companies from using health records to market products and services to individuals and the consent provision would prohibit providers from using or disclosing PHI for healthcare operations purposes without patient consent.

Government Health IT saysthe bill also seeks to:

• Establish in law the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT
• Create a health IT policy advisory committee and another health IT standards advisory committee
• Require federal agencies to use official standards in new or upgraded health IT systems
• Create several grant programs
• Strengthen enforcement of current privacy provisions and extend them to partners who receive healthcare information from medical professionals

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) sponsored the bill, which has bipartisan support.

Click here for additional information.

[ via HIPAA Weekly Advisor ]

CCHIT seeks candidates for board

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology seeks senior health care executives to serve as commissioners on its 21-member board. Applications for 13 two-year terms beginning in October will be accepted throughout July.

The board oversees IT certification criteria developed by voluntary work groups, provides strategic direction, and ensure the objectivity and credibility of the commission. Applications are invited from health care providers, vendors, payers, consumer organizations, and quality improvement and standards organizations.

Interested candidates should submit their resumes to candidates@cchit.org. Appointments will be announced in September. For more on the commission, visit www.cchit.org.

[ via AHA News Now ]

Groups endorse framework for PHR privacy, consumer control

A variety of technology companies, health care providers, insurers and consumer groups on June 25 endorsed a framework for increasing privacy and consumer control over online personal health records. Developed by Connecting for Health, a public-private collaborative led by the Markle Foundation, the framework identifies technology and policy approaches that help protect personal information and enhance consumer participation in online PHRs, the group said. Many new PHR services – like those offered by Google, Microsoft and WebMD – are not covered under the HIPAA privacy rule.

“This collaboration lays out specific practices that all PHRs and related services can use, whether they are covered by federal privacy rules or not, so they can enhance public trust,” said Steve Findlay, a health care analyst for Consumers Union.

[ via AHA News Now ]

Reports look at benefits, barriers to e-prescribing

A new report from the Center for Health Transformation looks at the benefits of electronic prescribing and barriers to its widespread adoption. Among other actions, the report calls for a physician payment model that rewards physicians who use information technology; finalizing e-prescribing standards for prior authorization, patient instructions and drug name; and regulatory changes to allow e-prescribing of pain and other controlled medications.

The paper was written collaboratively by center members. According to a similar report released June 11 by eHealth Initiative and the Center for Improving Medication Management, more than 35 million prescriptions were processed electronically in 2007. That’s 170% more than in 2006, but only 2% of eligible prescriptions, the authors said.

[ via AHA News Now ]

HHS issues health IT strategic plan

The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a five-year federal plan to promote widespread use of electronic health records and health information exchange. “Together with our colleagues in the private sector, we will assure that health IT can enable patient-focused health care and improve population health,” said Robert Kolodner, M.D., national coordinator for health information technology.

The plan details federal goals and strategies to achieve a national, interoperable health IT infrastructure as well as progress since 2004, when President Bush called for most Americans to have access to EHRs by 2014.

[ via AHA News Now ]

Alliance publishes report identifying key IT terms

The National Alliance for Health Information Technology released a final report providing consensus definitions for six key health information technology terms, according to the American Hospital Association. The defined terms include electronic medical record, electronic health record, personal health record, health information exchange, health information organization and regional health information organization. The initiative was funded by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to address the need to clarify terminology used in health IT policy, regulation, contracts and other initiatives. “We have developed what we believe to be clear, consistent definitions that offer both immediate and longer term practical benefits,” said Jane Horowitz, the Alliance’s chief marketing officer, who led the project.

[Via AHA News Now]

Google Goes Live With Online Personal Health Record Service

After about 18 months of development, Google on Monday unveiled its personal health record service, called Google Health, to the public, the New York Times reports (Lohr, New York Times, 5/20). Google Health allows users to create an online health profile by importing health records from organizations such as pharmacies and lab testing companies and enter health information themselves.  Google Health allows users to search for medical information and use other online health care tools(Vascellaro, Wall Street Journal, 5/20). The service also includes a "virtual pillbox," which notifies patients when they need to take their medications and can warn them of possible dangerous drug interactions (Krasner, Boston Globe, 5/20). 

For the full story, via iHealthBeat, click here.