(meta-data) “TAG, You-Are-It” (ONC, CMS, DHHS) ! This December 2010, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (“PCAST”) released its Report titled “Realizing the Full Potential of Health Information Technology to Improve Healthcare for Americans: The Path Forward,”...
ACOs – Progressive HIEs, or Clinical Integration Déjà vu? During my (long) flight back from the Southwest yesterday, an article in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye. It was entitled “Embracing Incentives for Efficient Health Care” and prompted me to think about similarities...
Another Kind of HIE — Health Insurance Exchanges & Recent NPRM The Affordable Care Act (ACA), enacted in March 2010, requires states to establish Health Insurance Exchanges through which individuals and small businesses can purchase affordable insurance. Under the ACA, a state...
OPM May Delay Launch of Massive Fed Health Database In response to mounting privacy concerns, the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may delay the proposed November 15th launch date of its Health Claims Data Warehouse. In early October, the OPM’s notice in the Federal Register...
NCVHS Defines What Sensitive Info HIEs Should Sequester Prepared by Krystyna Nowik, Esq. The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) released an advisory letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on November 10 addressing recommendations for the...
ACLU Lawsuit Continues . . . Want Detailed Regulations Surrounding HIE Privacy The Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) suit against the Rhode Island Department of Health (RI-DOH) remains in litigation, awaiting completion of discovery. The ACLU alleges that...
Drug and Alcohol Treatment Info “Ok” to Go Over the summer, the ONC and SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) held a session to discuss the application of the Substance Abuse Confidentiality Regulations to electronic health information exchange through HIOs...
HIE Liability and Insurance Liability continues to be a central concern for HIEs and their stakeholders. In general, liability may arise from the acts or omissions of a party that fails to meet a responsibility or legal duty. Last year, I discovered an excellent resource that...
The 800-Pound HIE Gorilla Tiger in “Meaningful Use” There has been a lot of discussion around the Meaningful Use (MU) criteria. CMS has an entire website dedicated to the subject, as does ONC. Although the clinical criteria of MU may garner much of the attention, the privacy and...