American College of Cardiology

Stark Introduces HIT Bill
House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Chair Pete Stark (D-Calif.) last week introduced the “Health-e Information Technology Act of 2008” (H.B. 6898), which would increase incentives for the adoption and use of health information technology (HIT) and disincentives for health care providers who fail to use HIT. The incentives would occur in the form of Medicare bonus payments, the size of which could range from $40,000 over five years to several million for practices and hospitals that use certified electronic medical records (EMR). However, practices and hospitals that have not adopted an EMR would be subject to reduced Medicare payments if they are not utilizing a certified system by 2016. The bill also would increase privacy protections by strengthening and extending the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, while requiring that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) create a low-cost, open-source, standards-compliant HIT system available no later than mid-2012.

In related news, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) last week release a report finding that while HHS has made some progress in addressing privacy concerns in HIT, there is more progress to be made. The GAO reviewed HHS documents that describe the agency’s privacy-related HIT activities to determine that HHS needs to create a process for ensuring that privacy principles and challenges are completely addressed. The report is available here.

ACC Holds Briefing with Congressional Staff

The ACC on September 23 held a briefing on Capitol Hill for congressional staff on the topic of “Realigning Payment to Improve the Quality of Patient Care.” Speaking at the briefing was ACC CEO Jack Lewin, M.D., Bob Berenson, M.D., Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute, and Gail Wilensky, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at Project HOPE. During the briefing, the ACC promoted a demonstration project that would move away from volume-focused payment, instead focusing on improved outcomes and better patient care. Dr. Berenson and Ms. Wilensky discussed different payment models that could correct some of the problems with the current system, including bundled payments and models that encourage appropriate care. The ACC looks forward to working with Congress in the future on much-needed payment reform.

Build Legislative Momentum by Contacting Your Lawmakers
About 250 ACC members gathered in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 14-16 to educate Congress about ACC’s important work in improving quality and promoting evidence-based care. Participants held nearly 250 meetings with their national representatives to discuss the need for health system reform and incentives to encourage the adoption of health information technology (HIT). In addition, participants communicated the importance of long-term reform to the Medicare physician payment system.

The ACC encourages its members to contact their lawmakers to build on the momentum of the conference. Visit the CardioAdvocacy Network Web site to contact your lawmakers on the topics of HIT, health care reform and Medicare reform. Or, call the toll-free Grassroots Hotline at 800-210-7193. To learn more about the issues and the conference, view a CVN video, or listen the ACC CEO Jack Lewin discuss Quality First and health care reform on Kaiser Family Foundation’s “Viewpoints” program.

Medicaid ‘Transformation’ Requires HIT, Weems Says
A total makeover of the Medicaid program would require the use of health information technology (HIT) instead of paper-based records, acting Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Kerry Weems said at a conference intended to find ways to modernize Medicaid and sponsored by the Center for Health Transformation. Weems discussed other ways to reform the Medicaid program, such as realigned financial incentives, measurable quality indicators and state-level innovations. However, the success of all of these rely on having HIT, Weems said. Read more at Modern Healthcare.

New AHIC Secures Board of Directors

The new American Health Information Community (AHIC) Successor, Inc., has established a board of directors to lead its efforts to accelerate the adoption of a nationwide, interoperable health information system. The original AHIC was established in 2005 to unite the public and private sectors in a cooperative effort to provide the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary with recommendations to accelerate the adoption of health information technology, and will complete its work by the end of this year. The 15 members of AHIC Successor, Inc., board of directors represent a broad range of stakeholders from the health care and information technology communities. HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt and Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake will serve as federal liaisons to the board. More information on the AHIC Successor, Inc., including a list of its board of directors, is available.

NQF to Vote on Measures for Outcomes, Efficiency Standards

National Quality Forum (NQF) members will vote by October 15 on two draft readmission measures for inclusion in its outcomes and efficiency standards. The draft measures would provide guidelines for 30-day readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction and readmission rates following a pneumonia hospitalization. The draft measures, which are the first phase in the forum’s hospital outcomes and efficiency standards, were suggested by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and would become part of NQF’s National Voluntary Consensus Standards program. Meanwhile, the NQF is soliciting feeding on revisions to its Safe Practice program, which is also part of the national consensus standards. The program will be endorsed again in 2009 with significant changes to existing practices. The revisions will be open for public comment until October 3 and to members until October 10. The draft measures are available here and the Safe Program revisions are available here.

CV Business Features Quality First in ‘ACC Corner’

Cardiovascular Business, a bi-monthly magazine focused on CV patient-, practice- and technology-management, in September featured its first-ever “ACC Corner.” In this column, ACC CEO Jack Lewin, M.D., discussed the principles of Quality First, the College’s health care reform campaign. Dr. Lewin writes, “When it comes to the health care system, quality cannot be an afterthought, but rather it must be embedded in everything we do. We have a responsibility to provide care that is patient-centered, evidence-based and cost-effective. While it’s not an easy task, it is one that is necessary for the future of health care in America.” In future issues, “ACC Corner” will be devoted to other topics in health care reform and practice management. View Dr. Lewin’s column here.

ACC PAC Has a New Web Site

The ACC’s Political Action Committee (PAC) has a new Web site, with a new look and feel! Visit the redesigned Web site at http://www.accpacweb.org to learn more about the PAC and its activities or to contribute!