Bringing Health Information to Life DAVID BLUMENTHAL, MD, MPP National Coordinator of Health Information Technology US Department of Health & Human Services

The Federal Government’s Response: HITECH ACT Part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Addresses major barriers to adoption, and much more. – Money, market reform. – Technical assistance, support. – Health Information Exchange – Privacy and security. 2

Financial provisions: Medicare/Medicaid incentives: $9-27 billion starting – Reward the “MEANINGFUL USE” OF EHRs – Physicians: $44,000/$63,750 over 5-10 years. Penalties starting in – Hospitals: $2M bonus plus extra DRG payments. Support for adoption: – $2 billion to Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). 3

Technical Assistance with Adoption $693 million – 62 Regional Extension Centers covering entire U.S. – Health Information Technology Research Center. $118 million – Training over 40,000 new health IT support personnel – First class graduated 9/10 from UT Austin. 4

Health Information Exchange $564 million – Promote HIE through State leadership Other ONC Programs and Policies – Regulation specifying standards and certification criteria – Regulation creating certification process 36 certified by three certification bodies, and more coming. – Development of technical basis for a Nationwide Health Information Network 5

Privacy and Security as a Foundation. Privacy & Security Health IT Outcomes 6

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S ROLE: Privacy & Security Banned sale of health information without consent. Federal activity in enforcement Expanded patient rights to access their information Improved encryption technology to prevent breaches MORE to COME 7

HITECH FRAMEWORK: MEANINGFUL USE 8