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Legislative/Executive Branch Update. Thomas M. Leary Director, Federal Affairs September 23, 2005. Federal Government Priorities Remainder of 2005-2006. Congress National Priorities Supreme Court Nominees Hurricane Relief Appropriations/Continuing Resolution Health Related Priorities
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Legislative/Executive Branch Update Thomas M. Leary Director, Federal Affairs September 23, 2005
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
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Contact Information for HIMSS –Washington, DC Thomas M. Leary Director of Federal Affairs Direct: 703.837.9814 Email:tleary@himss.org HIMSS Website www.himss.org