Download - Legislative/Executive Branch Update
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Legislative/Executive Branch Update
Thomas M. LearyDirector, Federal Affairs
September 23, 2005
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Federal Government PrioritiesRemainder of 2005-2006
• Congress– National Priorities
• Supreme Court Nominees• Hurricane Relief • Appropriations/Continuing Resolution
– Health Related Priorities• Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate • Healthcare IT
– HIT in Appropriations Bills – Making Sense of the 11 HIT bills
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Federal Government PrioritiesRemainder of 2005-2006
– Federal Agencies• Biosurveillance and Disaster Management• Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
– E-Prescribing• Integration and Interoperability• Standards Harmonization• Certification• Making strides toward a National Health
Information Network
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FY06 HIT Funding
• U.S. Senate approved $95.2 million of the President's $125 million Budget Request for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). – Increase of $21 million over the FY 2005 level of funding. – $45.2 million goes to fund ONCHIT initiatives and $50 million is
for AHRQ. • U.S. House of Representatives funded entire $125 million
requested in President's Budget. • Because of the two different levels of funding, this item
will have to be worked out in conference committee between the House and Senate later this year.
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Executive Branch Update• ONCHIT Organizational Structure: Announced in August 2005. Although
ONCHIT has been in existence since April 2004, federal agencies have the responsibility of turning the intent of an executive order into a functioning office.– Immediate Office of the NC with four director-led offices:
• Office of Health Information Technology Adoption • Office of Interoperability and Standards• Office of Programs and Coordination • Office of Policy and Research
• Response to Hurricane Katrina: The ONCHIT has established KATRINA HEALTH (www.katrinahealth.org) a multi-organization response team that is addressing legal and technical aspects of evacuee registration/information access, field medical records development and deployment, dissemination and communications, as well as privacy, security and authentication components.
– Go to field solution being developed that has the best interest of the affected states at its center.– Rebuilding the healthcare structures with a short term goal of helping the evacuees and long
term goal of moving the communities into the electronic era.
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Executive Branch Update (cont.)
• American Health Information Community (AHIC): HHS Secretary Leavitt announced the formation on June 6, 2005. AHIC has been described as a public-private entity that will advise HHS on specific actions necessary to achieve a common interoperable framework and serve as a forum for a wide range of healthcare industry constituencies. – The AHIC will be chaired by Secretary Leavitt and will have an integral
role in developing the work products from the four RFPs. – Nominations sought through the Federal Register. Thousands of names
received for 8 slots. – Public Meeting October 7, 2005
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Executive Branch Update
• 4 RFPs associated with AHIC– Standards Harmonization: Award expected before 9/30/2005– Certification of EHR products: Award expected before 9/30/2005– Privacy and Security: Award expected before 9/30/2005– Prototypes for a National Health Information Network: Award
expected in FY2006
• Medicaid Advisory Commission: Commission established by HHS to address cost and quality of the Medicaid program. The Commission is co-chaired by former governors Don Sundquist (TN) and Angus King, (ME). Two-phased reporting process with – Phase 1 Report (September 1, 2005) Addresses potential $10B in savings
over 5 years– Phase 2 Report (December 31, 2006): Long term recommendations on the
future of the Medicaid program.
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Executive Branch Update
• Military Health System CIO– Carl Hendricks has been named the new CIO.
– He takes over for Jim Reardon, who retired in April 2005.
• Medicare Regions RFP
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U.S. Congress
• Legislation– H.R. 3617; Medicare Value-Based Purchasing for Physicians’ Act
(Johnson)
– S. 4; Healthy America Act of 2005 (Frist)
– S. 1356; Medicare Value Purchasing Act of 2005 (Grassley-Baucus)
– S. 1418; Wired for Healthcare Quality Act (Enzi-Kennedy-Frist-Clinton)
– S. 1503; Healthy America Act of 2005 (Frist)
– Markey Amendment to FY06 Appropriations
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U.S. Congress (cont.)
• Congressional Organizations– 21st Century Health Care Caucus
– Senate Steering Committee on Telehealth and Healthcare Informatics
– Senate Health Care Quality Improvement and Information Technology Caucus
– New Democrats Coalition
– Senate Centrist Coalition
– Republican Main Street Partnership
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Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (P.L. 109-41)
• First Introduced in 108th Congress by Senator Jeffords
• Re-introduced in 109th Congress
• S. 544
• Fast tracked by both Houses
• HIT and most key provisions watered down
• Signed into law on July 29, 2005
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Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (Key Provisions)
• Patient safety data is designated privileged and confidential
• DHHS Secretary to designate/certify patient safety organizations and maintain patient safety network of databases
• No definition of “medical error”• Secretary to develop or adopt voluntary national standards
to promote electronic exchange of healthcare information• Secretary to contract with a research organization to study
impact of medical technologies and therapies of healthcare• No funding is provided for implementation
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Value-based Purchasing (“Pay For Performance”)
• Two versions:– H.R. 3617; Medicare Value-Based Purchasing for
Physicians’ Act of 2005 (Johnson)– S. 1356; Medicare Value Purchasing Act of 2005
(Grassley-Baucus)– Promotes Value Based Purchasing– House bill promotes improvements to Medicare
reimbursement payment system to physicians and resolves sustainable growth rate dilemma
– Senate bill only promotes quality improvements
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Contact Information for HIMSS –Washington, DC
Thomas M. Leary Director of Federal Affairs
Direct: 703.837.9814 Email: [email protected]
HIMSS Website
www.himss.org