New This Week on HealthIT.gov

In This Issue

We apologize for the duplicate announcement, but it appears our previous message has a couple of omissions.

As the inevitable post mortem of #HIMSS14 begins, we want to thank all of the dedicated civil servants at ONC and other Federal Agencies, along with all of the experts who gave up last weekend and the lion's share of the week to explain everything that we are doing to help get the country' health-care system wired and interoperable. Thanks!

2015 EHR Certification NPRM

On Wednesday February 26, 2014, ONC published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that included proposals for the next edition (the "2015 Edition") of electronic health record (EHR) technology certification criteria. You can read the official Federal Register version or the unofficial Microsoft Word version of the NPRMon HealthIT.gov.

Public comments on the NPRM will be accepted up through April 28, 2014 and a structured comment template will be made available very soon at the healthIT.gov link above. Please submit comments on the NPRM through www.regulations.gov.

Privacy Infographic and Data Brief

Everyone has a role in protecting patient privacy, and securing health information. ONC's Health Information Technology Policy Committee (HITPC) and the Committee's Privacy & Security Tiger Team have provided guidance and value as ONC has worked to promote the secure adoption of health IT. Please take a look at the impact the HITPC's Tiger Team has had on ONC's role to inspire trust and confidence in health IT. You can view the new infographic and learn more by visiting HealthIT.gov.

We have also released a new Data Brief reporting results from the 2012 ONC Consumer Survey on Privacy and Security. The Data Brief highlights the critical role of health care providers in making sure that reasonable privacy and security protections are in place for electronic health records (EHRs) and other health IT.

Health Information Exchange

What is Health Information Exchange and how does it impact my practice? Find resources and learn more about HIE, the benefits, and how to get started on the following pages:

Blue Button Connector

Our Consumer eHealth team did a demonstration of the Blue Button Connector on Monday at #HIMSS14 (Check it out!) The Blue Button Connector aims to address the need for a single place where consumers can get started and find out where to access their personal health information online via Blue Button. It’s also useful for developers. The Connector is the first ever open data source delivered through an open API that makes transparent the health data that is increasingly available to the public. The usefulness of this site will grow as the community contributes to it. Visit the Blue Button Connector website and PLEASE give us feedback on how to make it better. Let us know if you’d like to get your organization or app listed on the website by emailing us at:bluebutton@hhs.gov.

For more context about the Blue Button Connector including how it helps developers, and our vision for its future, please read this blog post. We are hoping, with your help, to make the Connector as good and complete as possible before we market it directly to consumers later in 2014 using our Blue Button PSAs.

Health IT for Nurses Summit

Please join ONC and the American Nurses Association for "At the Crossroads of Patient Care: Health IT for Nurses and Advanced Practice Nurses" on March 21, 2014 in Glen Burnie, Maryland (12 miles south of Baltimore and minutes from Baltimore-Washington International Airport). This summit is designed to help you find useful information to improve your practice using Health IT, regardless of your setting or specialty. Speakers will address quality improvement, health-care delivery reform, and payment reform for RNs and APRNs. Attendees can participate in a series of breakout sessions showcasing how Health IT enables nurses to transform health-care delivery and improve outcomes for patients within their care setting. The event is free and the American Nurses Association will provide 5 hours of Continuing Education credit for a $25 fee. Take a look at the agenda and registration, when you get a sec.

ONC FACA Committee Openings

Are you a Health IT, healthcare, or medical professional? We are now recruiting new members for our Health Information Technology Federal Advisory Committees (FACAs): the Health IT Standards Committee (HITSC) and the health IT Policy Committee (HITPC).Learn more about these FACAs and how they are shaping health IT policy. Time is running out and we are only accepting new applications until Monday (March 3) at noon EST. We use an application database to allow anyone interested in contributing HIT expertise to apply for membership consideration. We hope to fill slots left by expiring committee members, form new workgroups, and refresh the membership of current workgroups.

The positions to be filled are as follows:

HIT Policy Committee
- Public Health Representative
HIT Standards Committee
- Consumer/Patient Representative
- Technical Expertise, Electronic Exchange
- Technical Expertise, Quality

You may create an account and submit your information for a committee application, a workgroup application, or both.

HCI-DC 2014 Webcast now available

Did you miss the chance to attend HCI-DC 2014 earlier this month? The webcast, broken down by individual panels and with session transcripts, is now available, so please take a look! If you are a new user to the webcast player, please note that you will need to register; otherwise please just login with your e-mail address. Additionally, stay tuned for a white paper summarizing key findings from the conference which will outline what stakeholders can do to continue to ignite interoperability.

Breast Cancer Startup Challenge

The Breast Cancer Startup Challenge awards ceremony will be broadcast live at 1:00 pm EST on Wednesday, March 5 via webcast at http://videocast.nih.gov. The Challenge features 10 inventions, including informatics innovations, conceived and developed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute and Avon Foundation grantees. 46 teams made up of university students competed to develop business plans to accelerate commercialization of these 10 inventions. Tune in and meet the winners and hear speakers from the Avon Foundation, the Center for Advancing Innovation and the National Cancer Institute.

What else is new?

We released a new report you might be interested in: The Role of Health IT Developers in Improving Patient Safety in High Reliability Organizations. So please peruse at your convenience and thanks for reading!