Washington Debrief: Think Tank Develops Health IT Safety Framework

Spending on Medicare, Medicaid Declines Again – Is Delivery Reform the Cause? Spending on Medicare and Medicaid has slowed significantly in each of the last four years.  Now, economists and policymakers are trying to figure out why.  According to a rash of statements made by administration officials and the non-partisan Congressional Budget, the answer may be, in part, due to changes to delivery and payment reform.  The CBO projects that spending on Medicare & Medicaid in 2020 will be about $200 billion, or 15 percent, less than it projected three years ago.  Part of the slowdown stems from “the recession and the loss of income and wealth” causing people to cut back on healthcare, Douglas W. Elmendorf, the director of the CBO, said. But he added that a “significant part” of the slowdown “probably arises from structural changes in the healthcare system.”  Later in the week, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, “There's growing evidence that the slowdown isn't just the result of the ongoing economic recovery, but a reflection of a fundamental transformation in care delivery across the country,” while addressing attendees at the American Medical Association’s advocacy conference.

AHRQ to Study Workflow Impacts of Patient-Reported Data In continuing a string of research on the impacts of health IT on workflow, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced plans to focus on patient-reported data.  According to the Federal Register, the AHRQ project “will fill the gaps in the current literature by exploring the influence of sociotechnical factors—for clinicians and their office staff, and for patients—in capturing and using patient-reported information in ambulatory health IT systems and associated workflows.”  The goal of the project is to answer the following questions:

·  How does the use of health IT to capture and use patient-reported information support or hinder the workflow from the viewpoints of clinicians, office staff, and patients?

·  How does the sociotechnical context influence workflow related tothe capture and use of patient-reported information?

·  How do practices redesign their workflow to incorporate the capture and use of patient-reported information?

The study will look at three small practices and three medium-sized practices to identify current workflows related to patient-reported information, and determine the work system factors that influence workflows (barriers and facilitators).  The report will focus on the workflows required to capture, process, and make use of information that patients report to their care providers, the AHRQ announcement said.

Calendar of Upcoming Policy Events

CHIME has several upcoming events and new documents to highlight.  See below for further information.

**SAVE THE DATE** CHIME Public Policy Monthly Briefing: A look at ONC’s Patient Safety Action & Surveillance Plan – February 20, 2103 @ 2pm ET – REGISTER HERE!!

**SAVE THE DATE** CHIME StateNet: HIE 1.0 versus hie 2.0: The Current State of Health Information Exchange – February 27, 2103 @ 2pm ET – REGISTER HERE!!

CHIME / HIMSS CIO Forum @ NOLA

Recent Public Policy Comments & Policy Documents

CHIME Response to ONC’s Patient Safety Action & Surveillance Plan (February 2013)

**NEW** Summary of HIPAA Omnibus Rule by HPA on Behalf of CHIME (January 2013)

CHIME Comments on Stage 3 Meaningful Use (January 2013)

CHIME Comments on EHR-Generated Inpatient Quality Reporting Readiness (January 2013)

Edited by Gabriel Perna