IHIT is pleased to report that NoMoreClipboardis being recognized for its leadershipin promoting health information exchange (HIE) across providers. NoMoreClipboard has been instrumental in partnering with IHIT as part of an ONC Challenge Grant to promote secure exchange of personal health records among Indiana providers.  NoMoreClipboard recently announced that it will be working to advance electronic patient engagement across the State of Kansas.

The Kansas Health Information Network (KHIN), the health information organization providing technology infrastructure for electronic medical record sharing for the entire state of Kansas, recently announced it has selected NoMoreClipboard to configure and deploy a personal health record (PHR) that will connect patients and clinicians and improve care coordination for more than 2.7 million people in the state.They will benefit by having all of their health information in one location. A list of medications, allergies, procedures, lab results and health conditions will be available to them when the KHIN PHR is fully deployed in 2014. For the first time, Kansas patients will also be able to securely and electronically communicate with all of their health care providers, view and share their visit summaries and obtain relevant educational information using their computers and smartphones. For Kansas providers, this partnership will help them meet the patient engagement meaningful use requirements necessary to receive Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments. This is a huge step forward for healthcare in Kansas."

To learn more about NoMoreClipboard and its efforts with the State of Kansas, click here.

ONC's Office of the Chief Privacy Officer (OCPO) recently released a Guide to Privacy and Security of Health Information,which was developed with assistance from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Foundation.  This instructional guide is designed to help healthcare practitioners, staff, and other professionals better understand the important role privacy and security play in the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and Meaningful Use. The guide is a comprehensive, and easy-to-understand tool to help providers and professionals integrate privacy and security into their clinical practice and includes sections addressing:  

• Privacy, Security and Meaningful Use 
• Security Risk Analysis and Management Tips 
• Working with EHR and Health IT Vendors 
• A Privacy & Security 10-Step Plan 
• Health IT Privacy and Security Resources

To view  the full Guide to Privacy and Security of Health Information, click here

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Exchange (ONC) recently released its State HIE Bright Spots Synthesis report on e-prescribing, one of the 15 core objectives of meaningful use of health information technology.  The document is intended to help readers:

·        Understand and leverage the data ONC used to learn about progress on   e-prescribing.

·        Get a sense of the successful and innovative approaches grantees, sub-state exchanges and other stakeholders are engaged in that might be worth replicating.

·        Make connections and reach out to other grantees that have witnessed significant increases in pharmacy adoption.

The Bright Spots report shows Indiana with a 3.40% increase in active e-prescription pharmacies from June 2010 to February 2012 with 92.17% of the 1239 pharmacies in the state actively using e-prescribing.  Indiana’s numbers have improved further according to the Surescripts data reported as of March 2012:

IHIT’s goal is to have 98% of the state’s pharmacies connected and actively e-prescribing by July 1, 2012. 

Click here to view a full copy of ONC’s report, State HIE Bright Spots Synthesis.

The Indiana HIMSS chapter and the Indiana Hospital Association are co-hosting an all-day medical informatics summit on Wednesday, May 23, 2012, at The Fountains, Carmel, Indiana.   Andy VanZee, IHIT Statewide Health IT Director, will join speakers from Indiana and around the country who will address a wide range of topics including: ACO payment reforms, Clinical Innovation, Consumer Engagement, Medical Homes and Meaningful Use.

To view and/or download the flyer for this event and to register, click here 

IHIT Increases Incentive Reimbursement for Labs

In an effort to encourage Indiana laboratories, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, to establish connections with an existing Indiana Health Information Organization (HIO), Indiana Health Information Technology, Inc. announces an increase in the reimbursement amount now available under the HIE Connective Incentive Program

IHIT will provide incentives for up to 12 laboratories to establish connections with an existing HIO. The incentive reimbursement will be up to $25,000 per laboratory entity

For more information about enrolling in this incentive program, please click here

As IHIT’s 2011 annual report shows, steady progress is being made towards advancing sustainable, secure, standards-based health information exchange throughout Indiana’s rural communities and underserved populations.

Highlights of 2011 include:

·         101 of 123 acute hospitals have committed to a Health Information Organization

·         2532 active participants  for directed exchange (Push)[includes unique ambulatory providers and individual labs]

·         5511 active participants for query exchange (Pull) )[includes unique ambulatory providers and individual labs]

·         13,365,891 transactions sent (Directed/Push) [includes lab results, discharge summaries, public health results, visit summaries]

·         1,205,317 transactions for patient record inquiries

Click here Annual Report to view the complete annual report which includes information regarding IHIT’s financial statement and project updates.

Great strides are being made in furthering the use of health information technology both locally and nationally.

On February 17, 2012 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the number of hospitals using health information technology (IT) has more than doubled in the last two years from 16 to 35 percent and 85 percent of hospitals now report that by 2015 they intend to take advantage of the incentive payments made available through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.HHS also announced new data showing nearly 2,000 hospitals and more than 41,000 doctors have received $3.1 billion in incentive payments for ensuring meaningful use of health IT, particularly certified Electronic Health Records (EHR).

HHS’ announcement details information from a new survey conducted by the American Hospital Association and reported by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.The announcement also highlights new data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) detailing $3.12 billion in incentive payments the agency has made to physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers who have started to meaningfully use EHRs to improve the quality of patient care. In January alone, CMS provided $519 million to eligible providers. EHR incentive payments can total as much as $44,000 under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program and $63,750 under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.

IHIT has expended more than $2.05M to date to further Indiana’s efforts towards enabling connectivity of hospitals, labs and physicians for meaningful use of health IT. The numbers below show the progress being made in Indiana:

 
For more information on how health IT can lead to safer, better,  and more efficient care, click here.

For more information about the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, click here.

For more information about the HHS Recovery Act Health IT programs, click here.

The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Task Force on Delivery System Reform and Health IT recently released a set of recommendations for the most effective use of health IT dollars to support delivery system and payment reforms to achieve improved health, better health care, and reductions in the cost of care.  The Health Project is co-led by former Senate majority leaders Tom Daschle and Bill Frist and includes a broad range of nationally respected experts and leaders from many sectors of health care. The Task Force on Delivery System Reform was created to focus on two primary goals: 

•      Identify real-world examples and best practices that facilitate coordinated, accountable, patient-centered care; and

•      Make recommendations for ensuring that current health information technology (IT) efforts support delivery system and payment models shown to improve quality and reduce costs in health care, in ways that best utilize scarce public and private resources.

The report’s findings that health information technology (health IT) “plays a critical role in supporting new models of care and payment designed to achieve health care’s triple aim: improve health, improve the experience of care for patients and families and reduce the cost of care.”  ONC agrees that continued rapid progress on ensuring the adoption and meaningful use of health IT will be aided by, among other things: ongoing progress in the secure exchange of health information, even greater availability of consumer-oriented health IT tools, and building on the already rapid progress on adoption of electronic health records.

These recommendations are supportive of ONC’s vision and efforts to encourage and coordinate adoption of health IT and are consistent with State HIE program activities.

To read the full report, click on the link to take you directly to BPC’s website.

Transforming Health Care: The Role of Health IT

The numbers are in and IHIT, with the help of Indiana’s five regionally-based Health Information Organizations (HIO’s), is making steady progress towards advancing sustainable, secure, standards-based health information exchange throughout Indiana’s rural communities and underserved populations.

Some highlights as of December 31, 2011:

• 101 of 123 acute hospitals have signed contracts with a HIO
• 2532 active participants  for directed exchange (Push)[includes unique ambulatory providers and individual labs]
• 5511 active participants for query exchange (Pull) )[includes unique ambulatory providers and individual labs]
• 13,365,891 transactions sent (Directed/Push) [includes lab results, discharge summaries, public health results, visit summaries]
• 1,205,317 transactions for patient record inquiries

As the numbers show, Indiana is well on its way towards securely moving electronic health data in a meaningful way to improve coordination among health providers to help them achieve improved health outcomes for their patients.