The next meeting of the HIT Standards Committee of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will be held on October 14, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m./Eastern Time at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, NW., Washington, DC. The hotel telephone number is 202-234-0700. Interested members of the public are invited to attend. 

Created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the HIT Standards Committee is charged with making recommendations to the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) on standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange and use of health information consistent with the implementation of the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, and in accordance with policies developed by the HIT Policy Committee.   Even as Congress debates further reforms, the activities of the HIT Committee and other components of the ONC are key actors in the continuing efforts of the Obama Administration to promote health care efficiency by reengineering health care technology.

During a previous meeting on August 20, 2009, the HIT Committee finalized certain recommendations concerning meaningful use of electronic medical records, clinical quality, and privacy and security of protected health information, which are available for review here.

According to the ONC announcement regarding the upcoming meeting in today’s (September 29, 2009) Federal Register available here, the Committee plans during the meeting to:

• Discuss reports from its Clinical Operations, Clinical Quality, and Privacy and Security Workgroups
• Take testimony from invited experts in the field of security as it relates to health information technology

Interested persons may present data, information, or views, orally or in writing, on issues pending before the committee. Written submissions may be made to the contact person on or before October 6, 2009. Oral comments from the public will be scheduled between approximately 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Time allotted for each presentation may be limited. If the number of speakers requesting to comment is greater than can be reasonably accommodated during the scheduled open public hearing session, ONC will take written comments after the meeting until close of business.

ONC hopes to make background material available to the public at least two (2) business days prior to the meeting. However, if ONC is unable to post the background material on its Web site before the meeting, it will make that material publicly available at the location of the advisory committee meeting, and post the background material on ONC’s web site after the meeting here.

The designated person to contact for additional information is Jonathan Ishee, Office of the National Coordinator, HHS, 200 Independence Ave, SW., Room 729-G, Washington, DC 20201, 202-205-8493, Fax: 202-690-6079, e-mail: jonathan.ishee@hhs.gov.

If you need assistance preparing or presenting comments to the HIT Standards Committee or with monitoring or responding to other health care IT, privacy and data security, regulatory, operational, public policy or other health care concerns, please contact the author of this update, Curran Tomko Tarski LLP Health Practice Chair and Partner Cynthia Marcotte Stamer at (214) 270-2402 or via e-mail at CStamer@CTTLegal.com.

Other Recent Developments

If you found this information of interest, you also may be interested in reviewing some of the following recent Solution Law Press Updates available online by clicking on the applicable article title below:

• Advocacy Mailings As Investigation Opened Into Humana, Inc. Reform Related Communications To Beneficiaries
• Baucus’ America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 Calls For Significant Tightening of Tax Exemption Rules
• Senate Finance To Begin Markup Session on Baucus Health Care Reform Proposal On September 22
• CMS Proposes New Prospective Payment System For Renal Dialysis Facilities
• ONC Shares HIT Committee August Meeting Recommendations, Announcements Opportunity To Comment On Recommendations At September 15 HIT Committee Meeting
• DEA Seeks Comments on Standardization of Code Number For Institutionally Based Practitioners Dispensing Controlled Substances
• Two Recent Criminal Prosecutions For HIPAA Privacy Rule Violations Signal Rising Criminal Enforcement Risks
• North Texas Healthcare Compliance Professional Association September 8 Meeting Covers Provider Outreach Activities, New Data Breach Rules.
• September Declared National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2009
• Pfizer To Pay $2.3 Billion For Fraudulent Marketing In Largest DOJ Health Care Fraud Settlement
• Maximum Penalty For Patient Protection Act Confidentiality Breaches To Rise To $11,000
• Health Care Providers & Other HIPAA Covered Entities Must Comply With New Data Breach Rules By September 23
• CDC Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee Schedules Teleconference on Draft Guideline for Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections 2008
• HHS Secretary Sebelius Announces Intent to Appoint Dr. Helene Gayle as Chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

For More Information

We hope that this information is useful to you.  If you need assistance with auditing or defending these or other health care compliance, risk management, transaction or operation concerns, please contact the author of this update, Curran Tomko Tarski LLP Health Practice Group Chair, Cynthia Marcotte Stamer, at (214) 270‑2402, cstamer@cttlegal.com, Ms. Stamer has extensive experience advising clients and writes and speaks extensively on these and other health industry and other reimbursement, operations, internal controls and risk management matters. 

You can review other recent health care and internal controls resources and additional information about the health industry and other experience of Ms. Stamer here.  If you or someone else you know would like to receive future updates about developments on these and other concerns, please be sure that we have your current contact information – including your preferred e-mail – by creating or updating your profile at here, registering to receive updates in blog form here or e-mailing this information to support@solutionslawyer.net.

If you or someone else you know would like to receive future updates about developments on these and other concerns, please be sure that we have your current contact information – including your preferred e-mail – by creating or updating your profile at here or e-mailing this information here.  To unsubscribe, e-mail here.

©2009 Cynthia Marcotte Stamer.  All rights reserved.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 2:36 pm and is filed under ARRA, Doctor, Electronic Health Records, Electronic Medical Records, Health Care, Health Care Finance, Health Care Provider, Health Care Quality, Health Care Reform, Health IT, Health Plan, Health Plans, HIPAA, HITECH Act, Hospital, Laws, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Outcomes Data, Physician, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.