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Documents and Articles on Issues Related to the ARRA Stimulus Package

• Preparing to Implement HITECH: A State Guide for Electronic Health Information Exchange, issued by the National Governors Association, August, 2009.
  HITECH sets a new direction that greatly expands the role of states in fostering health information exchange and the adoption of EHRs. This guide recommends actions states should begin to ensure successful implementation of HITECH. http://www.sftvision.com/8_09NGA%20HIE%20Report.pdf

• Migrating Toward Meaningful Use: The State of Health Information Exchange A Report Based on the Results of the eHealth Initiative's 2009 Sixth Annual Survey of Health Information Exchange, August 2009 http://www.sftvision.com/2009SurveyReportFINAL.pdf

  The sixth annual survey of health information exchanges by eHealth Initiative provides extensive information of what is working and where it is working. eHI documents 193 active initiatives with 57 of these being in the operational stages. The report contains charts on what HIEs are operational, what information is being exchanged, what functionalities are being provided, and how the HIEs are being funded. For the first time in six years, initiatives identified “addressing privacy and confidentiality issues” as the most pressing challenge they face, surpassing “developing a sustainable business model”. At the eHI web-site users can download maps, charts and a directory of all of the reporting HIEs. The 8/4/09 webinar presentation of this report contains many of these highlights.

• The Impact of Federal Stimulus Efforts on the Privacy and Security of Health Information in California, published May 2009 by the California Healthcare Foundation. http://www.sftvision.com/CHF_PrivacyHealthInfo_5-09.pdf

  ARRA includes a number of provisions related to health privacy law that go beyond those of HIPAA. This Issue Brief by the California Health Foundation examines how the ARRA provisions impact California.

• HHS American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) Implementation Plan Health Information Technology – Medicare and Medicaid Incentives and Administrative Funding, issued May 22, 2009, by HHS. This in-depth document describes the timelines, milestones, and allocated dollars for providers and administrative funding of these provisions of ARRA. http://www.sftvision.com/CMS%20hit_implementation%205-22-09.pdf

• HHS Outlines Plans for Health IT Incentive Payment Program, iHealthBeat May 21, 2009, article that outlines the timelines and milestones for HHS to implement the Medicare/Medicaid “meaningful use” incentives to providers. http://www.sftvision.com/HHS-Outlines-Plan%205-21-09.pdf

• Health Information Technology American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) Implementation Plan, Issued May 18, 2009 by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. This ONC operating plan includes its funding table for the dollars received from ARRA and an outline of the immediate actions it will undertake to meet statutory requirements. The plan also includes ONC’s current performance measures. http://www.sftvision.com/onc_hit_plan%205-18-09.pdf

• Achieving the Health IT Objectives of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: A Framework for ‘Meaningful Use’ and ‘Certified or Qualified’ EHR Meaningful Use, by the Markle Foundation, April, 2009. This in-depth article explores four critical issues of the ARRA legislation:

  • Regulatory and technical guidance for the new privacy and security provisions
  • Discussion of the “Meaning Use” provision under the Medicare/Medicaid incentive plan
  • Discussion of the validation criteria for the “Meaningful Use” provision
  • Discussion of the “Certified or Qualified” technology and the role of certification

  The article also makes recommendations for HHS initial interoperability certification. http://www.sftvision.com/20090430_meaningful_use.pdf

• An Unprecedented Opportunity: Using Federal Stimulus Funds to Advance Health IT in California by the California Health Foundation, February, 2009.
  Although directed specifically at the state of California, this article is an excellent summary of the HITECH Act and how it can be utilized by states. The narrative contains:

  • charts that show the flow of dollars from the Act and the HIT Policy and Standards Process
  • a discussion of the federal privacy framework provided in the Act
  • a summary of the Medicare Incentive Payment Provisions
  • a discussion of the newly established Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC) and the regional extension centers that are to provide communities with technical assistance and disseminate best practices
  • an overview of the Workforce Training Grants that are available http://www.sftvision.com/AnUnprecedentedOpportunity%20CHF%202-09.pdf

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act General Overview of the Act, eHI Summary of ARRA, a PowerPoint review from this eHealth Initiative Webinar Series. February 18, 2009. This is an easy to read summary of the key healthcare IT provisions of ARRA.

• http://www.sftvision.com/eHI_Overview_American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Act_02-17-09.pdf

• eHealth Initiative Analysis of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Health Information Technology Provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, eHI’s Overview of the February 17, 2009, Act. http://www.sftvision.com/eHISummaryofARRA2%2018%2009.pdf
  

Articles Related to Other Aspects of Healthcare Information Technology

• Congress of the United States, The Congressional Budget Office, “ Evidence on the Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology,” published May, 2008. http://cbo.gov/ftpdocs/91xx/doc9168/05-20-HealthIT.pdf

• Francois De Brantes et al., “The Potential of HIEs as Infomediaries” Journal of Healthcare Information Management, Vol. 21, No. 1, February, 2008. http://www.himss.org/content/files/jhim/21-1/14_OC_Potential.pdf

• Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, “The ONC-Coordinated Federal Health IT Strategic Plan: 2008-2012”, June 3, 2008. http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_10741_848083_0_0_18/HITStrategicPlan508.pdf

• eHealth Initiative and The Center for Improving Medication Management, “Electronic Prescribing: Becoming Mainstream Practice,” published June 10, 2008. http://www.sftvision.com/eHI_CIMM_ePrescribing_ReportBecoming%20Mainstream_6-10-08.pdf

• eHealth Initiative, “Financial Sustainability Toolkit,” July 2007. Connecting Communities sustainability module that includes a business plan template, a value and sustainability model, a market readiness assessment tool, etc. The complete toolkit is free with registration on the site at: http://www.ehealthinitiative.org/welcome-ehealth-initiative-toolkit.html

• eHealth Initiative et al., “A Clinician’s Guide to e-Prescribing” published on line October 7, 2008. http://www.sftvision.com/ClinicianGuie-e-prescribing.pdf

• eHealth Initiative, "Migrating Toward Meaningful USE: The State of Health Information Exchange, A Report Based on the Results of the eHealth Initiative's 2009 Sixth Annual Survey of Health Informatin Exchange" http://www.sftvision.com/2009SurveyReportFINAL.pdf

• eHealth Initiative, “5th Annual Survey of Health Information Exchange at the State and Local Levels, Overview of 2008 Findings,” September 2008. http://www.sftvision.com/eHealthInitiativeResults2008SurveyonHIEs.pdf

• Foundation of Research and Education of American Health Information Management Association, “State Level Health Information Exchange, Final Report: Part II, Coordinating Policies That Impact Access, Use and Control of Health Information, Executive Summary,” prepared for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), March 2008. http://www.slhie.org/Docs/ExecutiveSummaryPart2.12.pdf

• Foundation of Research and Education of American Health Information Management Association, “State Level Health Information Exchange: Roles in Ensuring Governance and Advancing Interoperability Final Report Part I”, prepared for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), March 2008. http://www.slhie.org/Docs/FinalReportPart1.8.pdf

• Foundation of Research and Education, American Health Information Management Association, “State-level HIE Value and Sustainability - Interim Report,” November 5, 2008. http://www.slhie.org/work.asp

• Federico Girosi, Robin Meili et al., “ Extrapolating Evidence of Health Information Technology Savings and Costs,” RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif., 2005. http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG410

• Joy M. Grossman, Kathryn L. Kushner Kathryn L., et al., “Creating Sustainable Local HIEs: Can Barriers to Stakeholder Participation Be Overcome?” Center for Studying Health System Change, Research Brief #2, February 2008. http://www.hschange.org/CONTENT/970/

• Blackford Middleton MD, MPH, MSc, Michael Fleming MD, FAAFP, et al., Best Practices for Community Health Information Exchange, Volume 1, Center for Community Health Leadership, 2007. http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/white_papers/26441-1.html

• Robert H. Miller Ph.D. and Bradley S. Miller M.D., M.B.A., “The Santa Barbara County Care Data Exchange: Lessons Learned,” California HealthCare Foundation, August 2007. http://www.chcf.org/topics/view.cfm?itemID=133404

• Julia Adler-Milstein, Andrew P. McAfee et al., “The State Of Regional Health Information Organizations: Current Activities And Financing,” Health Affairs, the Policy Journal of Health Sphere, published online December 11, 2007. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.27.1.w60v1

• National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO), “On the Road to RHIO: What State CIOs Need to Know,” July 27, 2007. http://www.nascio.org/publications/documents/NASCIO-OnTheRoadToRhio.pdf

• Eric Pan MD, MSc, Douglas Johnston, MA, et al., The Value of Healthcare Information Exchange and Interoperability, Center for Community Health Leadership, Wellesley, Mass.: 2004. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w5.10/DC1

• Beckie Kelly Schuerenberg, “RHIOs Struggle to Find a Map to Success,” Health Data Management, February 1, 2008. http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/issues/2008_45/25619-1.html