Please make plans to join us this Friday, April 30 from 10:00 – 11:00 for a complimentary webinar regarding the upcoming HIMSS Policy Summit and National Health IT Week scheduled for the week of June 14-18 here in Washington, DC. Registration information is provided below. Please contact Dan Blum at danielblum@aol.com if you have any questions or require additional information.
Now More than Ever - You Need to Attend
National Health IT Week and HIMSS Policy Summit!
HIMSS will host a complimentary webinar on Friday, April 30 from 10:00 – 11:00 am ET highlighting why you should attend National Health IT Week and HIMSS Policy Summit in Washington, D.C.
In the wake of economic stimulus and healthcare reform, now is the time for the entire health IT and management systems community to come together. Don't miss this Webinar that gives you an overview of National Health IT Week 2010, along with the robust educational agenda for the Policy Summit.
Mark your calendars and register today.
REGISTER TODAY
HIMSS Policy Summit
Where Policy Meets Action
June 16-17, 2010
Be at the epicenter of it all! Attend the HIMSS Annual Policy Summit and let your voice be heard with top policy makers and healthcare stake holders.
Register Today.
National Health IT Week
One Voice, One Vision: Transforming Health
and Care
June 14-18, 2010
Now is the time for the health IT community to come together to examine the current policy landscape and raise awareness. Find out how to participate.
Advocacy: Notes and Comments from Dan Blum our Advocacy Chair
The challenge is to stay informed during this time of great opportunity and impending action.
If you want the HIMSS summary of the economic Stimulus package, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and the implications for HIT go to: www.himss.org. The front web page offers you a number of options. You can see the summary of the document and or listen to archived briefings on the Act itself.
Additionally, if you want to understand the priorities of the Executive Branch, in a presentation to health insurers March 10, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag outlined four strategies that he said are key to the president's health reform efforts:
(1) Health information technology: The recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) calls for a $19 billion investment in health IT. The investment, he explained, will move the country toward a universal health IT system through which information about patients, their treatment and outcomes would be accessible to care providers. Such a system also would reduce errors and slash the amount of paperwork patients are asked to complete.
(2) Comparative effectiveness research: ARRA dedicates $1.1 billion to comparative effectiveness research funding to help determine the best drugs, devices and procedures based on cost and overall effectiveness. Orszag told attendees that the investment will arm doctors, hospitals and health plans with credible information about what works and what doesn't.
(3) Provider incentives: About 18% of Medicare beneficiaries are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, Orszag said, adding that many readmissions could be avoided. Readmissions and subsequent treatments account for about $12 billion in Medicare costs annually, according to CMS. President Obama's fiscal year 2010 budget proposal calls for "bundled" payments to providers that would cover hospitalizations as well as some post-acute care. And hospitals with high rates of readmission would be paid less for patients who are readmitted within a 30-day period. "There isn't a strong incentive for hospitals to make sure patients do things post-discharge that will help avoid readmission," Orszag said.
(4) Prevention and wellness: A $1 billion investment in preventive care and wellness — called for in ARRA — will help the system move beyond treating the sick to preventing illness and improving health. Much of the funding will go toward immunizations. "The ultimate goal is healthier Americans," Orszag said.
Orszag spoke at a conference sponsored by the trade group America's Health Insurance Plans.
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