A Week in Review

Roberta | June 28, 2009 More

Since we did not post on individual events this week, here is the week in review.

HIT Standards Committee

The HIT Standards Committee met on June 23, 2009. The three workgroups were introduced and gave presentations on their progress. These are the workgroups.

Clinical Operations Workgroup

Broad Charge – Make recommendations to the HIT Standards Committee on requirements for standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria related to EHRs and clinical operations.

Specific Charge:

• Make recommendations to the HIT Standards Committee on the role of EHRs and e-prescribing, clinical summaries, laboratory and radiology report functionality within two (2) months of the workgroup’s first meeting. The workgroup will also take into consideration the eight (8) areas listed in Section 3002(b)(2)(B) when developing recommendations for the committee.

Clinical Quality Workgroup

Broad Charge – Make recommendations to the HIT Standards Committee on quality measures that should be included in the Meaningful Use definition and for future EHR requirements. Make recommendations to the HIT Standards Committee on requirements for standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria related to EHRs and clinical operations.

Specific Charge:

• Make recommendations to the HIT Standards Committee on specific quality measures that should be included in the definition of Meaningful Use for 2011 within two (2) months of the workgroup’s first meeting. The workgroup will also take into consideration the eight (8) areas listed in Section 3002(b)(2)(B) when developing recommendations for the committee.

Privacy and Security Workgroup

Broad Charge – Make recommendations to the HIT Standards Committee on privacy and security requirements for standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria.

Specific Charge:

• Make recommendations to the HIT Standards Committee on specific privacy and security safeguards that should be included in the definition of Meaningful Use, with a specific focus on the eight (8) areas listed in Section 3002(b)(2)(B), within two (2) months of the workgroup’s first meeting.

CCHIT Town Hall Meetings

CCHIT released its three certification approach to replace the current one. There will be no 2009 certification program. This fall they will launch the three 20011-2012 ARRA certifications.

EHR-C, a rigorous certification for comprehensive EHR systems that will exceed minimum Federal standards requirements. It will target providers who want maximum assurance of EHR capabilities and compliance
EHR–M, a modular certification program for electronic prescribing, personal health records, registries, and other technologies. This will focus on basic compliance with Federal standards and security. It will be offered at lower cost and accommodate a variety of specialties. It will target providers who prefer to combine technologies from multiple certified sources.
EHR–S, a site-level certification for providers who self-develop or assemble EHRs from non-certified sources.

CCHIT held two Town Hall web conference meetings, “New Paths to Certification”. The first meeting’s audience was the open source community. Its focus was on certification concerns of applications licensed under open source models. The discussion was from the perspective of technology developers. The second meeting was open to a general audience and the discussion explored all of the new certification programs and their intended goals.

Recordings and slide presentations are available here.

TCBI – Sixth Annual Healthcare Unbound Conference & Exhibition

It was advertised as a conference and exhibition on the “convergence of consumer and healthcare technologies to facilitate participatory medicine with a special focus on innovative remote monitoring, home telehealth, and eHealth for chronic care management and wellness promotion.” Eleven keynote speakers from all corners of the industry with key topics on the impact of the economic stimulus and government initiatives, implications of the patient centered medical home, the evolving role of wireless technologies, and new developments in aging-in-place technologies.

Blogging rumors from the conference say ONC Blumenthal will be meeting in July with groups with expressed interest in starting certification organizations to compete with CCHIT. People who know Blumenthal are not surprised.