Health IT Journey - Stories from the Road


Joint Hearing to Conceptualize Clinical Quality for Meaningful Use Stage 3
Tuesday, June 19th, 2012 | Posted by: Kevin Larsen, M.D., Medical Director of Meaningful Use | Category: HIT Policy Committee, HIT Standards Committee

Recognizing the importance of evolving quality concepts within the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, two ONC federal advisory committee workgroups jointly held a full day hearing on June 7, 2012 to identify ways in which Meaningful Use Stage 3 may advance the consistent delivery of high quality care in diverse care settings. Experts from health care delivery organizations, quality improvement organizations, industry, and academia shared insights regarding how clinical decision support, quality measurement, and the use of clinical data can improve care. Participants encouraged an increased focus on the dynamic ability to ask questions and get answers about patient populations, the use of clinical decision support as an “in-the-moment quality improvement” mechanism, and a transition from retrospective reporting to prospective identification of care improvement opportunities. (more…)

The HIT Standards Committee’s Implementation Workgroup Seeks Comments on the EHR Temporary Certification Program, Stage 1 Meaningful Use, by June 17, 2011
Thursday, May 12th, 2011 | Posted by: Judy Murphy and Liz Johnson Co-Chairs HIT Standards Implementation Workgroup | Category: FACA, HIT Standards Committee

I. Background

The Health Information Technology Standards Committee (HITSC) is a federal advisory committee that advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) on federal HIT standards issues, including electronic health record (EHR) certification criteria and implementation specifications for the meaningful use of EHRs for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. Eligible professionals (EP) and eligible hospitals (EH) who seek to qualify for incentive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs are required by statute to use Certified EHR Technology.  Once certified, Complete EHRs and EHR Modules can be used by EPs and EHs, or be combined, to meet the statutory requirement for Certified EHR Technology. (more…)

ONC Seeks Comment on Standards and Interoperability Framework Initiatives by December 23, 2010
Friday, December 10th, 2010 | Posted by: Jonathan Perlin MD and John Halamka MD Chair Co-Chair HIT Standards Committee | Category: FACA, HIT Standards Committee

Standards & Interoperability Framework Initiatives

The Health IT Standards Committee (HITSC) would like your thoughts and comments on new initiatives being considered by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) through the Standards and Interoperability (S&I) Framework. (more…)

HIT Standards Committee 6/30: Meeting Summary
Monday, July 12th, 2010 | Posted by: Judy Sparrow | Category: HIT Standards Committee

On June 30, the HIT Standards Committee held a meeting in Washington, DC. The meeting began with opening remarks made by Committee Chair, John Perlin and John Halamka, Harvard University. (more…)

Enrollment Workgroup solicits your help with information on moving government into the 21st century
Monday, June 21st, 2010 | Posted by: Judy Sparrow | Category: HIT Policy Committee, HIT Standards Committee

In January 2010, at the White House Forum on Modernizing Government, President Obama noted that, “Improving the technology our government uses isn’t about having the fanciest bells and whistles on our websites – it’s about how we use the American people’s hard-earned tax dollars to make government work better for them.” Now, six months later, the newly formed Enrollment Workgroup of the Health IT Policy and Standards Committees has begun the discussion of how to bring eligibility determination and enrollment in health and human services programs into the 21st century. (more…)

HIT Standards Committee 5/26: Meeting Summary
Friday, June 4th, 2010 | Posted by: Judy Sparrow | Category: HIT Standards Committee

On May 26th, the Health IT Standards Committee held a virtual meeting to discuss ongoing communications, alignment of the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) and current privacy and security standards activities. Chair, Jonathan Perlin opened the meeting. (more…)

HIT Standards Committee 4/28: Meeting Summary
Monday, May 10th, 2010 | Posted by: Judy Sparrow | Category: HIT Standards Committee

On April 28th, the HIT Standards Committee held a meeting in Washington, DC. To begin, Dr. Doug Fridsma spoke on behalf of Aneesh Chopra, Implementation Workgroup chair and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Chief Technology Officer, giving an update from the Implementation Workgroup Report on their desire to make toolkits, accelerators, and best practices available via the Web.  Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health IT, offered comments on health reform legislation asking members to start developing standards for exchanging eligibility information, “Think of this in the same way that we are facilitating better healthcare through standards and interoperability, we have the opportunity to facilitate better coverage through standards and interoperability” (more…)

HIT Standards Committee 3/24: Meeting Summary
Thursday, April 1st, 2010 | Posted by: Judy Sparrow | Category: FACA, HIT Standards Committee

On March 24th, the HIT Standards Committee held a meeting in Washington, DC. To begin, Elizabeth Johnson, Implementation Workgroup member and Tenet Healthcare Corporation’s Vice President of Applied Clinical Informatics, gave an update from the Implementation Workgroup Report on the Implementation Starter Kit Hearing. (more…)

HIT Standards Committee Implementation Workgroup 3/8: Hearing Summary
Monday, March 15th, 2010 | Posted by: Judy Sparrow | Category: FACA, HIT Standards Committee, Vocabulary Task Force

On March 8th, the HIT Standards Committee Implementation Workgroup held a hearing in Washington, DC, on strategies, opportunities, and challenges to the implementation of EHRs. Aneesh Chopra, the Chair of the Implementation Workgroup and the White House Chief Technology Officer, opened the session by setting the goals of the meeting – listening to success stories from panelists in the public and private sectors that could spur meaningful use of EHRs. (more…)

HIT Standards Committee 2/24: Meeting Summary
Friday, February 26th, 2010 | Posted by: Judy Sparrow | Category: FACA, HIT Standards Committee

On February 24th, the HIT Standards Committee held its tenth meeting in Washington, D.C. Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, opened the meeting with an acknowledgment of how busy the ONC has been over the last few months, “not just on the rule writing front, but also on the grant making front.” Dr. Blumenthal told listeners that the next few months would mark announcements of additional programs, “designed to support the provider and patient community to make the best use of health IT and to build on the foundation of standards and certification criteria.” (more…)