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Registration for EHR Incentive Programs Starts January 3, 2011

By HawaiiEHR on 27 December, 2010 in , ,

Registration for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs

administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, begins January 3, 2011. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs are providing incentive payments to eligible health care professionals and hospitals as they demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.

Visit the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) website to read Dr. Blumenthal’s letter on why eligible health care professionals and hospitals should participate, and how to get started.

Important Dates

  • October 1, 2010 – Reporting year begins for eligible hospitals and CAHs.
  • January 1, 2011 – Reporting year begins for eligible professionals.
  • January 3, 2011 – Registration for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program begins.
  • January 3, 2011 – For Medicaid providers, states may launch their programs if they so choose.
  • April 2011 – Attestation for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program begins.
  • May 2011 – EHR Incentive Payments expected to begin.
  • July 3, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals to begin their 90-day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program.
  • September 30, 2011 – Last day of the federal fiscal year. Reporting year ends for eligible hospitals and CAHs.
  • October 1, 2011 – Last day for eligible professionals to begin their 90-day reporting period for calendar year 2011 for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program.
  • November 30, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals to register and attest to receive an Incentive Payment for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2011.
  • December 31, 2011 – Reporting year ends for eligible professionals.
  • February 29, 2012 – Last day for eligible professionals to register and attest to receive an Incentive Payment for calendar year (CY) 2011.

The Medicare EHR Incentive Program 

  • The Medicare EHR Incentive Program will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and CAHs that demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
    • Participation can begin as early as 2011.
    • Eligible professionals can receive up to $44,000 over five years under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. There’s an additional incentive for eligible professionals who provide services in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HSPA).
    • To get the maximum incentive payment, Medicare eligible professionals must begin participation by 2012.
    • Incentive payments for eligible hospitals and CAHs may begin as early as 2011 and are based on a number of factors, beginning with a $2 million base payment.
    • Important! For 2015 and later, Medicare eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and CAHs that do not successfully demonstrate meaningful use will have a payment adjustment in their Medicare reimbursement.
  • Note: If you are a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO), please visit our Medicare Advantage page.

The Medicaid EHR Incentive Program

  • The Medicaid EHR Incentive Program will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and CAHs as they adopt, implement, upgrade, or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology in their first year of participation and demonstrate meaningful use for up to five remaining participation years.
    • The Medicaid EHR Incentive Program is voluntarily offered by individual states and territories and may begin as early as 2011, depending on the state.
    • Eligible professionals can receive up to $63,750 over the six years that they choose to participate in the program.
    • Eligible hospital incentive payments may begin as early as 2011, depending on when the state begins its program. The last year a Medicaid eligible hospital may begin the program is 2016. Hospital payments are based on a number of factors, beginning with a $2 million base payment.
    • There are no payment adjustments under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.
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SENATE PANEL APPROVES $218 MILLION FOR DEFENSE PROJECTS IN HAWAII

By HawaiiEHR on 18 September, 2010 in

Hawaii will receive $218 million under the FY2011 Defense Appropriations Bill

Defense projects in Hawaii including upgrades to the electrical grid at Hickam Air Force Base, refurbishments at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, school repairs, tactical weapon systems development and the enhancement of space situational awareness capabilities will receive $218 million after the FY2011 Defense Appropriations Bill was approved by the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Chairman Daniel K. Inouye  announced today.

“The defense projects approved by the Appropriations Committee will strengthen our military and help Hawaii’s economy,” said Senator Akaka.

Here are the projects receiving funding:
OAHU/STATEWIDE

Hawaii Federal Health Care Network (AKAMAI II) $25 million
Supports applied research, development and deployment of telehealth and biotechnology to improve access and the quality of care to active duty military families and impacted communities.  Akamai continues on a transition path toward competitive grants for Hawaii companies in support of DOD health requirements.

Akamai is run by PICHTR:

Collaborating Agencies

Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii (EDAH)

Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI)

Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.

High Technology Development Corporation (HTDC)

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA)

Pacific Telehealth and Technology Hui

Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii (RCUH)

State of Hawaii – Dept. of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) Energy, Resources, & Technology Division

Hawaii Technology Development Venture $12 million
Provides competitively awarded grants to companies developing advanced technologies in support of Department of Defense requirements. See their 2009 FINAL DUAL USE STRATEGIC PLAN 2009 UPDATE REPORT. (PDF)

Center of Excellence for Research in Ocean Sciences (CEROS)  $10 million
The appropriation provides competitively awarded grants for innovative concept and technology development in ocean and marine research for the Department of Defense.

Bow Lifting Body Ship Research       $9 million
Develops, builds, and tests a 160-foot Bow Lifting Body vessel to support advanced bow lifting body ship technology transition to the Navy.
Electrical Distribution Upgrade at Joint Base Hickam   $8.5 million
This funding continues and completes the repair of Hickam’s base-wide electrical distribution system. This project will provide reliable backup power to support the Joint Air Operations Center, the Hawaii Air National Guard, and strategic life missions.

Pearl Harbor Navy Shipyard       $5.8 million
Funding will procure a pure water delivery trailer, a pure water polishing trailer, and two dive boats for the Pearl Harbor Navy Shipyard. In addition, funding will develop a comprehensive plan for the future Shipyard suite of industrial corporate applications since the current suite requires a technology refresh.

Eagle Vision for the Hawaii Air National Guard    $5.5 million
Funding will upgrade the Hawaii National Guard’s Eagle Vision system to increase its access to commercial satellite imagery.

Joint Venture Education Program          $5.5 million
Funding will go toward education programs, school repair and technology innovation to support military families.

Army Conservation and Ecosystem Management    $5 million
Funds support the U. S. Army efforts to be good stewards of their lands through tested conservation practices, monitoring for ordnance, fire control management, and community outreach.  Of the amount, $1.75 million will be set aside for initiatives related to military munitions, particularly along the Leeward Coast.

Intelligent Decision Exploration       $5 million
This project provides a planning tool to enhance interoperability with coalition partners, develops 3-D visualization of the battle space, map interface, and improved sensor fidelity to improve operations of unmanned vehicles, and creates visualization of  network traffic to improve computer network defense.

Virtual Secure Enclave        $5 million
Supports a Joint Concept Technology Demonstration for computer network defense that uses the virtual secure enclave concept to provide network defense-in-depth protection for the U.S. Pacific Command.

Vigilance Assistance in Screening, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance  $4.5 million
Funds will be used to develop a system to augment intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and security systems where humans are required to make decisions.

Airborne High Gain UHF ESA       $4 million
This project will support the development of the next generation of airborne surveillance and battle management command and control systems to build upon the current state-of-the-art radars and antennas using electronically steered antenna technology.
Reconnaissance and Data Exploitation (REX) System    $4 million
Funding will be used to improve intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tools by leveraging existing technology into a transitional program for immediate deployment opportunities and warfighter impact.
Hawaii Undersea Military Munitions Assessment    $3 million
This project assesses the location, condition, and potential risk to human populations and the environment of discarded military munitions, including chemical munitions, disposed off of Oahu between 1933 and 1946.

Hawaii Event Response Command Center     $3 million
Enhances multi-level coordination and enables expanded service and capabilities for timely and effective event response and provides relevant, real-time situational information to all levels of command from the Hawaii National Guard to Hawaii State Civil Defense, and to civilian responders in the field.

Hawaii National Guard Counterdrug      $3 million
Funding for this ongoing program will be used to enhance drug interdiction
activities at Hawaii’s ports of entry, support anti-drug programs targeting youths, and eradicate marijuana and crystal meth labs.

Wind-Powered Autonomous Unmanned Surface Vehicle (AUSV)  $3 million
Funding will be used to continue and accelerate the development of a new-technology wind-powered AUSV as a cost-effective, high-endurance reconnaissance and surveillance system.

Emergency Communications System      $3 million
Provides assured interoperable emergency communications capabilities for emergency responders in the event of natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or cyber incidents.
NetCentric Intelligence Node-Pacific      $3 million
Focuses on the rapid collection, organization and fusion of a wide variety of data sources to provide tactical understanding and actionable intelligence for the Department of Defense in areas such as maritime domain awareness, counter terrorism, counter piracy, and cyber threats.

Pacific Island UXO Detection and Munition Study    $3 million
Develops detection technologies that can rapidly narrow the search and detection of unexploded ordnance to reduce the amount of time to delineate areas for remediation. This project will integrate airborne and ground techniques to identify UXO for remediation with a focus on detecting UXO in wet, highly weathered, and densely forested environments.

Toxic Chemicals and Hazardous Material Improvement and   $3 million
Remediation
Funds a pilot project to provide empirical data necessary for DOD to assess the efficiency and cost effectiveness of a new polymer based hydrogel that has shown significant capabilities in cleaning up a wide range of hazardous materials to a degree not possible with current methods.

Immersive Group Simulation Virtual Training System   $2.5 million
for Hawaii Army National Guard
Funding will provide additional training opportunities for the Hawaii Army National Guard by using virtual reality to supplement live training exercises.

4-D Data Fusion Visualization       $2 million
This funding continues development of capability to process, fuse and rapidly visualize very large amounts of spatial and temporal data in an immersive environment to facilitate situational awareness and understanding of the battlespace.

Managing and Extending DoD Asset Lifecycles     $2 million
Funding for this program will be used to develop technologies to prevent and mitigate corrosion of DoD infrastructure and equipment.

Virtual Onboard Analyst for Multi-Sensor Mine Detection   $1.5 million
This program develops a self-learning, adaptive, multi-sensor, knowledge-based fusion decision-aid capability and creates a means to fuse knowledge-based information with multi-sensor data through a virtual onboard analyst that replicates the capabilities and flexibility of an experienced mine countermeasures analyst.

Cosite Interference Mitigation Suite       $1.5 million
Provides a response to a Joint Urgent Operational Needs Statement submitted by U.S. Central Command, to simultaneously operate the Counter IED Electronic Warfare (CREW) system and Blue Force radios in theater. Funding will mature digitally tunable RF absorptive filter technology and complete test and evaluation and independent validation and verification in preparation to install these components on fielded systems.

Covert Sensing and Tagging System      $1 million
The funding develops a covert, low-cost and expendable unattended sensor system for special operations forces for use in any tactical environment.

Internet-based Installation Environmental Management   $1 million
Information System
The funding will help resolve many of the Marine Corps’ challenges associated with ever-increasing needs to reduce energy use, prevent pollution, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.


MAUI

PanSTARRS   $9 million
Funding will continue development of a telescope system that combines relatively small mirrors with very large digital cameras to observe the entire sky several times each month in order to discover and characterize Earth-approaching objects and enhance space situational awareness capabilities. The Maui Space Surveillance System, the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy, and the Maui High Performance Computing Center are cooperating on this initiative.

LIDAR Applications for Vehicles with Analysis    $6.5 million
Funding will continue to enhance the space situational awareness capabilities of the Maui Space Surveillance Site and provide state-of-the-art intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to the warfighter. It will also provide the capability for immediate, real-time kill assessment of a missile intercept and enhance space situational awareness utilizing hyper-dimensional digital snapshots.

High Accuracy Network Determination System-Intelligent   $5 million
Optical Network for Space Situational Awareness (HANDS-IONS)
Funding continues work on the HANDS-IONS project, which uses a relatively low-cost, innovative network of telescopes to provide greater accuracy in tracking space data for the Air Force to enhance its space situational awareness mission


Real-time Optical Surveillance Applications  $5 million
This program provides pathfinder research, technologies, and demonstrations for the next generation of space situational awareness electro-optical assets.

FLASH Hyper-dimensional Imaging for Near Space  $4 million
Surveillance and Ballistic Missile Defense
This project continues development of a capability to enhance the immediate, real time threat assessment of a missile intercept and significantly improve space situational awareness.

Hawaii Advanced Laboratory for Information Integration (HALI’I) $3.7 million
The HALI’I project will enable intelligence information across disparate classification domains and network interfaces to be exchanged by the intelligence community.  HALI’I will use the U.S. Pacific Command theater of operations to develop and validate technologies associated with information fusion, dissemination, and protection.

Wave Energy Conversion for Persistent Surveillance and   $2.5 million
Communications
The Navy has developed a compact wave energy harvesting device based on a rotary motor design that produces 10-100 Watts of power, which provides enabling technology for persistent ISR and communications in a maritime environment. This funding will further refine the engineering, integrate the platform with sensors and conduct long term sea trials in order to transition the technology.

KAUAI

Hawaii Surveillance Initiative       $19 million
Develops target identification techniques, advanced radar processing, radar transmitters, and open architecture environment for maritime domain awareness.

Strategic Materials   $5 million
Funding supports efforts to advance technology to chemically grow extremely pure silicon carbide for critical defense applications.  This material is ideally suited to a range of optical applications, including space surveillance and seeker optics, fast
steering mirrors, and other dual-use items.

Multiple-Target-Tracking Optical Sensor-Array Technology (MOST)  $5 million
MOST technology will benefit test and evaluation of missile defense systems by providing enhanced data on missile intercepts.

Pacific Region Interoperability Test and Evaluation    $5 million Capability
This project creates a developmental and operational testing environment in the Pacific that is interoperable with other Defense Department test facilities.

Chemical Vapor Composite Silicon Carbide and Silicon Carbide   $4 million
Corrugated Mirror Processes for the SM-3Block IIA Telescope
Seeker telescopes are currently made from Beryllium, a hazardous and toxic metal. This project will ultimately replace the Beryllium with Silicon Carbide (SiC), which has no handling or environmental restrictions. The Chemical Vapor Composite SiC has superior optical properties, it is proven to be radiation hard, stiff and thermally stable.

COMPETITIVE FUNDING INITIATIVES
The Committee also supports a wide variety of competitively-awarded funding increases in areas that are of interest to the military and numerous organizations and companies based in Hawaii. These include:

• $75 million for test and training range upgrades

• $120 million for alternative energy research

• $50 million for clean-up of Formerly Used Defense Sites

• $25 million for the readiness and environmental protection initiative

• $10 million for the STARBASE program to help disadvantaged students

• $10 million for directed energy development and test

• $40 million for operationally responsive space launch initiatives

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Hawaii Medicaid program to get federal funds

By HawaiiEHR on 15 September, 2010 in , , , ,

Hawaii’s Medicaid program Will Receive Funds  to Implement Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program

In another key step to further states’ role in developing a robust U.S. health information technology (HIT) infrastructure, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that Hawaii’s Medicaid program will receive federal matching funds for state planning activities necessary to implement the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act).  Hawaii will receive approximately $836,000 in federal matching funds.

EHRs will improve the quality of health care for the citizens of Hawaii and make their care more efficient.  The records make it easier for the many providers who may be treating a Medicaid patient to coordinate care.  Additionally, EHRs make it easier for patients to access the information they need to make decisions about their health care.

The Recovery Act provides a 90 percent federal match for state planning activities to administer the incentive payments to Medicaid providers, to ensure their proper payments through audits and to participate in statewide efforts to promote interoperability and meaningful use of EHR technology statewide and, eventually, across the nation.

“We congratulate Hawaii for qualifying for these federal matching funds to assist its plan for implementing the Recovery Act’s EHR incentive program,” said Cindy Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid, CHIP and Survey & Certification at CMS.   “Meaningful and interoperable use of EHRs in Medicaid will increase health care efficiency, reduce medical errors and improve quality-outcomes and patient satisfaction within and across the states.”

Hawaii will use its federal matching funds for planning activities that include conducting a comprehensive analysis to determine the current status of HIT activities in the state.  As part of that process, Hawaii will gather information on issues such as existing barriers to its use of EHRs, provider eligibility for EHR incentive payments, and the creation of a State Medicaid HIT Plan, which will define the state’s vision for its long-term HIT use.

Hawaii and three other states are receiving federal matching funds for the electronic health record incentives program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says North Dakota’s Medicaid program will receive $226,000 for planning activities necessary to implement the program.

Hawaii is to get $836,000, Ohio nearly $2.3 million and Massachusetts some $3.5 million under the effort established by the federal stimulus program to make health care more efficient.

Officials say the records make it easier for the many providers who might be treating a Medicaid patient to coordinate care.

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Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs

By HawaiiEHR on 18 August, 2010 in , ,

Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record EHR Incentive Programs

There’s a lot of talk right now about electronic health records, and how health care professionals and hospitals are going to pay for them.

So you probably have a lot of questions about them as well: Am I eligible to receive incentive payments under the Medicare & Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs?  When does the programs begin? How much are the incentive payments?  What do I need to participate?

It’s important that you have a reliable resource to turn to for accurate information. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is the federal agency establishing these incentive programs.  The CMS website is the official federal source for facts about the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. The site contains up-to-date resources that will give you the insight you need to make educated decisions.

Avoid reading false or misleading information. Get the facts from the federal source – the CMS Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs website.  Visit http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms today.

The Official Web Site for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs

This official web site provides up-to-date, detailed information about the Electronic Health Record (EHR) incentive programs. Use the tabs to the left to find additional information regarding various aspects of the program.

Background

The nation’s healthcare system is undergoing a transformation in an effort to improve quality, safety and efficiency of care, from the upgrade to ICD-10 to information exchanges of EHR technology.   To help facilitate this vision, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or the “HITECH Act” established programs under Medicare and Medicaid to provide incentive payments for the “meaningful use” of certified EHR technology.  The Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals as they  adopt, implement, upgrade or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.  The programs begin in 2011. These incentive programs are designed to support providers in this period of Health IT transition and instill the use of EHRs in meaningful ways to help our nation to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of patient health care.

NOTE: This is a new program, and it is separate from other active CMS incentive programs, such as Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update (RHQDAPU) and e-Prescribing.

Establishing the New Program

CMS is establishing the EHR Incentive program through formal rule making. A proposed rule on the EHR incentive programs (and the definition of meaningful use) was published, and CMS accepted public comments for 60 days, which ended on March 15, 2010. More than 2,000 comments were received. CMS published the final rule on July 28, 2010. This rule provides many of the parameters and requirements for the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. A copy of the final rule and related documents is accessible below.

CMS’ Role in Other HITECH Areas

CMS also worked with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in developing standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for EHR technology. More information on certification can be found in the tab on the left.

Patient privacy and security is an important consideration in implementing the EHR incentive programs. CMS is also working with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and ONC to address the privacy and security protections under HITECH Act. More information on privacy and security related to the Health IT is available by clicking “Health IT/Privacy and Security” and “HHS Office for Civil Rights” in the Related Links Outside CMS section below.

Downloads
Medicaid Provisions of the EHR Incentive Program [PDF 280KB]

Medicaid Questions on the EHR Incentive Program (8/5/10) [PDF 248KB]

Related Links Inside CMS
Fact Sheet: Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs: Title IV of Recovery Act (June 16, 2009)

Press Release: CMS and ONC Final Rules to Support Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records (July 13, 2010)

Fact Sheet: Final Regulations Define Meaningful Use and Set Standards for EHR Incentive Programs (July 13, 2010)

Fact Sheet: Electronic Health Records At-a-Glance (July 13, 2010)

Fact Sheet: Medicare EHR Incentive Program Final Rule Overview (July 16, 2010)

Fact Sheet: Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Final Rule Overview (July 16, 2010)

Fact Sheet: Meaningful Use Final Rule Overview (July 16, 2010)

Health IT Frequently Asked Questions

Related Links Outside CMS
CMS Final Rule Published Through Federal Register (July 28, 2010) [PDF, 14MB]

HHS/Office of National Coordinator Health IT Web Site

Health IT/Privacy and Security

HHS Office for Civil Rights

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Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program

By HawaiiEHR on 21 June, 2010 in ,

Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched the official website for the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. This website provides the most up-to-date, detailed information about the EHR incentive programs.

The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and hospitals as they adopt, implement, upgrade, or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.

Bookmark this site and visit http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/ often to learn about who is eligible for the programs, how to register, meaningful use, upcoming EHR training and events, and much more!

Downloads
Fact Sheet: Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs: Title IV of Recovery Act

Press Release: CMS and ONC Issue Regulations Proposing a Definition of “Meaningful Use” and Setting Standards for EHR Incentive Program

Copy of Published Proposed Rule for EHR Incentive Programs and Definition of Meaningful Use [7.37 MB]

Fact Sheet: Proposed Requirements for Medicaid EHR Incentive Program

Fact Sheet: Proposed Requirements for Medicare EHR Incentive Program

Fact Sheet: Proposed Definition of Meaningful Use

Related Links Inside CMS
Health IT Frequently Asked Questions

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Hawaii Premium Plus (HPP) HMOs and Health Insurance

By HawaiiEHR on 23 May, 2010 in ,

Kaiser and HMAA Post Losses and State Offers Hawaii Premium Plus (HPP)

Pacific Business News reported that Kaiser Permanente Hawaii reported a $700,000 loss for the first quarter of 2010 compared with a $300,000 loss during the same period last year. PBN also reported that Hawaii Medical Assurance Association showed a $305,474 loss in the first quarter — which it attributes to fees and other expenses related to its acquisition of Summerlin Life and Health Insurance Hawaii. That acquisition makes it the third largest insurer in Hawaii.

Hawaii to Start Seeing Effects of Health Act

The Honolulu Advertiser reported that on June 1, HMSA will open its rolls to the young adults, allowing people who would ordinarily lose their health coverage because of age, school graduation or school status change to keep health care insurance through their parents’ policies. They won’t be eligible for the coverage if they have insurance from an employer group.

That potentially could affect health care coverage for thousands of people, said Fred Fortin, HMSA senior vice president. That’s only one of a mind-numbing number of changes within the bill. Also in June, there will be relief for 34,300 Medicare beneficiaries who fall into the so-called doughnut hole or gap in Medicare Part D coverage. These people will automatically receive a one-time payment of $250, with the first group of rebate checks being mailed on June 15, according to AARP.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 24, 2010. The Senate bill has 10 major sections and is some 2,400 pages long. Major provisions can be found here.

Hawaii Premium Plus (HPP) Started May 1

Hawaii Premium Plus (HPP) is a new, temporary program designed to stimulate the economy, decrease unemployment, create jobs and prevent individuals from needing medical or other public assistance. HPP provides a health insurance premium reimbursement to employers who increase staffing between May 1, 2010, and April 30, 2011. Some of the FAQs:

Applications must be received within two months of hiring new employees. HPP requires employers to sign an Application to Enroll Employer and Employer Participation Agreement (HPP 8000-T) and a W-9, and complete an Application to Enroll Employee (HPP 8000-U) for each new hire for whom they request reimbursement. These forms and additional information about HPP are available online at www.PremiumPlus.hawaii.gov.

Can a prospective employee be covered by more than one health plan, i.e., through the employer’s sponsored health coverage and their spouse’s?
Yes.

Are any documents required?
Yes, just the employer’s W-9 form.

Does the newly hired employee need to provide documents such as pay statements?
No.

Does the employee have to be a U.S. citizen?
No.

When does participation in Hawaii Premium Plus start?
Employers will be eligible for reimbursement as of the first day of the month in which a full month’s health coverage is provided for a newly hired employee.

Are there other on-going requirements?
Eligible employers are required to complete and submit a Quarterly Report (HPP 8000-V) within 15 days of the end of the quarter.

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ONC HITECH and NHIN

By HawaiiEHR on 14 May, 2010 in , ,

There Is No ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ in Building a Nationwide Health Information Network

A Message from Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

Private and secure health information exchange enables information to follow the patient when and where it is needed for better care. The Federal government is working to enable a wide range of innovative and complementary approaches that will allow secure and meaningful exchange within and across states, but all of our efforts must be grounded in a common foundation of standards, technical specifications, and policies. Our efforts must also encourage trust among participants and provide assurance to consumers about the security and privacy of their information. This foundation is the essence of the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN).

The NHIN is not a network per se, but rather a set of standards, services, and policies that enable the Internet to be used for the secure exchange of health information to improve health and health care. Different providers and consumers may use the Internet in different ways and at different levels of sophistication. To make meaningful use possible, including the necessary exchange of information, we need to meet providers where they are, and offer approaches that are both feasible for them and support the meaningful use requirements of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Electronic Health Record Incentives Programs. As with the Internet, it is likely that what is today considered “highly sophisticated” will become common usage. Moreover, users may engage in simpler exchange for some purposes and more complex exchange for others.

Current NHIN exchange capabilities are the result of a broad and sustained collaboration among Federal agencies, large provider organizations, and a variety of state and regional health information organizations that all recognized a need for a high level of interoperable health information exchange that avoided “one-off” approaches. Based on this pioneering work, a subset of these organizations is now actively exchanging information. This smaller group currently includes the Department of Defense, Social Security Administration, Veterans Health Administration, Kaiser Permanente, and MedVirginia. They initially came together to show, on a pilot scale, that this type of highly evolved exchange was possible. Having succeeded, they continue to expand the level of exchange among their group and with their own respective partners in a carefully phased way to demonstrate and learn from these widening patterns of exchange. The robust exchange occurring at this level has several key attributes, including the:

1. Ability to find and access patient information among multiple providers;
2. Support for the exchange of information using common standards; and
3. Documented understanding of participants, enabling trust, such as the Data Use and Reciprocal Support Agreement (DURSA).

Not every organization and provider, however, needs or is ready for this kind of health information exchange today. Nor do the 2011 meaningful use requirements set forth by CMS in the recent proposed rule require it. Direct, securely routed information exchange may meet the current needs of some providers for their patients and their practices, such as receiving lab results or sending an electronic prescription.

To enable a wide variety of providers – from small practices to large hospitals – to become meaningful users of electronic health records in 2011, we need to ensure the availability of a reliable and secure “entry level” exchange option that aligns with the long-range information exchange vision we have for our nation. Such an option should balance the need for a consistent level of interoperability and security across the exchange spectrum with the reality that not all users are at the same point on the path to comprehensive interoperability. In an effort to provide the best customer service possible, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) will consider what a complete toolkit would be for all providers who want to accomplish meaningful health information exchange.

Broadening the use of the NHIN to include a wider variety of providers and consumers who may have simpler needs for information exchange, or perhaps less technically sophisticated capabilities, is critical to bolstering health information exchange and meeting our initial meaningful use requirements. Building on the solid foundation established through the current exchange group mentioned above and the recommendations of the HIT Policy Committee (which originated with the Committee’s NHIN Workgroup), ONC is exploring this expansion of NHIN capabilities to find solutions that will work across different technologies and exchange models.

The newly launched NHIN Direct Project Exit Disclaimer is designed to identify the standards and services needed to create a means for direct electronic communication between providers, in support of the 2011 meaningful use requirements. It is meant to enhance, not replace, the capabilities offered by other means of exchange. An example of this type of exchange would be a primary care physician sending a referral and patient care summary to a specialist electronically.

We are on an aggressive timeline to define these specifications and standards and to test them within real-world settings by the end of 2010. Timing is critical so that we may provide this resource to a broader array of participants in health information exchange as a wave of new, meaningful users prepare to qualify for incentives provided for in the HITECH Act and ultimately defined by CMS. This model for exchange will meet current provider needs within the broader health care community, complement existing NHIN exchange capabilities, and strengthen our efforts toward comprehensive interoperability across the nation.

A natural evolution in NHIN capabilities to support a variety of health information exchange needs is being reinforced by trends that are leading us toward widespread multi-point interoperability. The current movement toward consolidation in health care, coupled with health reform’s encouragement of bundled payments for coordinated care, will mean more providers need it. Quality improvement, public health, research, and a learning health care system all require it. Ultimately, simple exchange will be part of a package of broader functions that allows any provider, and ultimately consumers, to exchange information over the Internet, enabled by NHIN standards, services, and policies.

Your continued input will help guide us toward and maintain a direction that is in harmony with the rapid innovations in health IT today. The NHIN Direct Project will conduct an open, transparent, and collaborative process throughout its development by using a community wiki, blogs, and open source implementation already available on the project’s website (http://nhindirect.org Exit Disclaimer). I encourage you to participate through the website, via public participation at the implementation group meetings, and by deploying and testing the resulting standards and specifications. For those of you who are participants in the current exchange group, I urge you to take every opportunity to share your experiences. Lessons learned from the NHIN Direct Project and the exchange group will inform the evolution of the NHIN as new uses and users come forward, and as continued innovation occurs to meet the growing needs of our community.

As we head into the next stage in the development of nationwide health information exchange, we should all take a moment to reflect on how far we have come and evaluate our plans for the future. ONC is committed to providing resources and guidance to stakeholders at all levels of exchange through HITECH programs, such as the Health IT Regional Extension Centers, the national Health IT Research Center, and the State Health Information Exchange Program. As you assess your own needs for exchange, please take advantage of the many Federal resources available to you on the ONC website and the online resources of the programs mentioned above, as well as through the “NHIN University Exit Disclaimer” education program hosted by our public-private partner, the National eHealth Collaborative Exit Disclaimer.

We have done a great deal of work in the short period of time since the passage of the HITECH Act. We at ONC appreciate your willingness to stay engaged and involved in every step of our journey, and we look forward to our continuing collaboration to improve the health and well-being of our nation.

Sincerely,

David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P.
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) encourages you to share this information as we work together to enhance the quality, safety and value of care and the health of all Americans through the use of electronic health records and health information technology.

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