Is “Meaningful Use” defined in ARRA?

“Meaningful Use” is not defined in ARRA. However, ARRA creates 2 new federal advisory committees:  HIT Policy Committee and HIT Standards Committee.  These 2 committees were just staffed last week and will be meeting for the first time this week.  Working to advise the Office of National Coordinator (ONC), the trio will be looking to formally define “meaningful use.” 

Under ARRA, do MDs will have a choice of incentive programs?

Under ARRA, MDs will have to choose either Medicare or Medicaid incentive programs

• Choosing Medicaid means you “waive” your right to a Medicare incentive
• Physicians under Medicaid incentives can receive up to $25,000/provider year 1 and up to $10,000/provider for 4 additional years to support “meaningful use” of an EHR.

What is the role of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)?

The Secretary is the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and a member of the President’s Cabinet. This position advises the Present on matters of health, welfare, and income security programs. The secretary must be confirmed by the Senate Health, Education and Pensions Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over CMS (Medicare and Medicaid).

Under ARRA, the Secretary will be charged with detailing the requirements for HIT loans and incentive programs, as well as standards. The Secretary of HHS, who has not yet been named to the Obama Administration, will develop an initial set of relevant standards and certifications by December 31, 2009.

What is the role of the Office of National Coordinator (ONC)?

The ONC provides counsel to the Secretary of HHS and departmental leadership for HIT implementation and interoperability. This office will be responsible for endorsing standards and certification criteria and the coordination of HIT policy and programs.

Under ARRA, the ONC can recognize and direct entity(ies) to regularly update these standards, and, with the Director the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will recognize programs for voluntary certification of HIT.

What is the role of the HIT Policy Committee?

The HIT Policy Committee is a federal advisory committee that will make recommendations to the ONC for areas in which standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed for the electronic exchange and use of health information for purposes of adoption. This committee shall recommend an order of priority for the development, harmonization, and recognition of such standards, specifications, and certification criteria. This will include named standards, architectures, and software schemes for the authentication and security of individually identifiable health information and other information as needed to ensure the reproducible development of common solutions across disparate entities.

What is the role of the HIT Standards Committee?

ARRA creates the HIT Standards Committee to recommend to the ONC standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange and use of health information for purposes of adoption in accordance with policies developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Under ARRA, duties shall include: updating standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria; pilot testing of standards and implementation specifications; and ensuring consistency with standards for information transactions and data elements adopted by the Social Security Act.

This committee is charged with developing a schedule for the assessment of policy recommendations from the HIT Policy Committee not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this title (90 days from February 17, 2009). The HIT Standards Committee will conduct open public meetings for comment and recommendations.

What is the definition of a  "certified EHR technology"?

According to the PRO(TECH)T Act of 2008 the term "certified EHR technology is defined as qualified electronic health record that is certified pursuant to section 3001(c)(5) as meeting standards adopted under section 3004 that are applicable to the type of record involved (as determined by the Secretary, such as an ambulatory electronic health record for office-based physicians or an inpatient hospital electronic health record for hospitals).^{Source - Library of Congress}

What is a "Qualified Electronic Health Record"?

According to the PRO(TECH)T Act of 2008 the term "Qualified Electronic Health Record" is an electronic record of health-related information on an individual that:

1. includes patient demographic and clinical health information, such as medical history and problem lists;
2. and has the capacity:
   1. to provide clinical decision support;
   2. to support physician order entry;
   3. to capture and query information relevant to health care quality;
   4. to exchange electronic health information with, and integrate such information from other sources.