HIMSS’ Priorities for the New Congress

Today is the start of the two-year 112th Congress of the United States. While there is much pomp and ceremony at the start of any new Congress, this one in particular has grabbed the nation’s attention. The new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives has called for an up or down vote to repeal healthcare reform prior to the President’s State of the Union address later this month.  In addition to the healthcare reform legislation, there are a number of themes and health IT initiatives that we believe should be prominent in the 112th Congress.

First, we must ensure that health IT remains a bipartisan issue. HIMSS members are working round the clock to make sure that all stakeholders understand that health IT can positively impact all Americans – and the US economy – regardless of political persuasion.

Second, all of us must work tirelessly to ensure that political change at the federal or state level does not stop or impede the financial incentives to meaningfully use EHRs for eligible providers, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals that will start to be reimbursed in 2011.

In addition, there are a number of priorities that our members think should be addressed, including:

• Supporting the National Quality Forum’s National Priorities Partnership;
• Ensuring a consolidated communications tool and comprehensive roadmap for meaningful use;
• Defining each new meaningful use stage at least 18 months before the beginning of the next stage;
• Establishing grievance processes for providers for meaningful use;
• Developing an open and transparent EHR certification criteria process;
• Supporting the establishment of an informed patient identity solution;
• Expanding and making permanent the current Stark exemptions and anti-kickback safe harbors for EHRs;
• Eliminating the Business Associate Agreement (BAA) requirement;
• Providing grants and other incentives to establish health IT action zones; and
• Aligning federal policy to facilitate electronic business processes.

As healthcare reform and methods to transform healthcare are sure to be a top priority in 2011 – 2012, it is essential that the 112th Congress and the Administration support federal health IT initiatives, as well as heighten their awareness and understanding of the benefits that health IT holds for the entire healthcare community. 

Do your priorities match HIMSS’ cause-focused and member-created priorities for the 112th Congress? Let us know your thoughts!