Issue Of The Week: Health IT Deadlines Near
Surf on over to CongressDaily's TechCentral for a new "Issue of the Week." Here's a taste:
The Department of Health and Human Services is getting ready to meet its first major deadline for setting up one of two key federal advisory committees established within the $19 billion health information technology section of the economic stimulus package. Members of a policy panel charged with making recommendations to the department's health IT coordinator on the implementation of a nationwide system of electronic medical records are due Friday. Thirteen of the committee's 20-plus members are appointed by GAO with additional members selected by HHS and House and Senate leadership.
The stimulus bill allows more time for the formation of the health IT standards committee, whose members are appointed by the HHS secretary with the national health IT coordinator taking a leading role. The time ahead of that deadline, which has not been announced, may help given that the Senate has yet to confirm Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's pick for HHS secretary. The Senate Finance Committee will hold its confirmation hearing for her Thursday. Under the statute, the standards committee must consist of healthcare providers, ancillary healthcare workers, consumers, purchasers, health plans, technology vendors, researchers, relevant agency representatives, and experts in healthcare quality, privacy and security. Recommendations from the policy panel dictate the work of the standards panel, which has to develop a roadmap by May.
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