ACP American College of Physicians - Internal Medicine - Doctors for Adults

Government

AHIC (American Health Information Community)

On June 6, 2005, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt announced the formation of this national collaboration. The Community mission is to help nationwide transition to electronic health records – including common standards and interoperability – in a smooth, market-led way. The Community, which has been formed under the auspices of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, will provide input and recommendations to HHS on how to make health records digital and interoperable, and assure that the privacy and security of those records are protected. The Community consists of 17 commissioners, and includes public and private sector representatives. The initial commissioners were announced on September 13, 2005.

ACP involvement: The College does not have representation among the commissioners,; our CEO, Dr. John Tooker, works closely with the physician representative, Dr. Douglas Henley from AAFP.

ONC (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology)

On April 27, 2004, President Bush issued Executive Order #13335 which established the position of National Health Information Technology Coordinator within the Department of Health & Human Services.

Mission: The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) or (ONCHIT) facilitates the effective use of information technology to improve the quality, efficiency, and safety of health care for all Americans. ONC will collaborate with the public, private, and non-profit sectors to meet the President's goal of the widespread adoption of interoperable electronic health records (EHRs) within ten years. The initial product, delivered in July 2004, is the Health IT Strategic Framework, which is meant to guide and relate all initiatives. View a complete list of Federal HIT programs and initiatives.

HITSP (Health Information Technology Standards Panel)

The Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) brings together a wide range of stakeholders to identify, select, and harmonize standards for communicating data throughout the healthcare spectrum. Stakeholders include those from the vendor, public health, standard development, provider and government domains.

Formation of the Panel was endorsed by a number of industry groups and has the oversight and backing of the Office of the National Health Information Technology Coordinator (ONCHIT).

ACP involvement: Michael Barr, MD, MBA, FACP, ACP’s Vice President for Practice Advocacy and Improvement, serves as a board member for the HITSP representing providers. ACP staff participates on the Technical Committees.

CCHIT (Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology)

A Voluntary, Private-Sector Initiative to Certify HIT Products The mission of CCHIT is to accelerate the adoption of robust, interoperable HIT throughout the US healthcare system, by creating an efficient, credible, sustainable mechanism for the certification of HIT products.

ACP involvement: MISC members Sarah Corley, MD, FACP and David W. Bates, MD, FACP are active participants within the CCHIT. Dr. Bates is a member of the CCHIT Board; Dr. Corley is a member of the Ambulatory EHR group and Foundations group. Dr. John Tooker, MD, FACP, ACP’s CEO, is on the CCHIT Board of Directors.

FHA (Federal Health Architecture)

The Federal Health Architecture Initiative (FHA) represents a unique opportunity to build partnerships across communities of interest throughout the nation's health care environment in the development of a truly integrated and effective health information exchange network. FHA will enable the employment or migration of existing systems to meet citizen-centric business activities while providing clear rules for the development of new tools for improved performance and access to health related information and services throughout the national health arena. Participants other than the Department of Health and Human Services include Department of Homeland Security, Veterans Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and Department of Energy.

NCVHS (National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics)

The NCVHS serves as the statutory [42 U.S.C. 242k(k)] public advisory body to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in the area of health data and statistics. In that capacity, the Committee provides advice and assistance to the Department and serves as a forum for interaction with interested private sector groups on a variety of key health data issues.

The Committee is composed of 18 individuals from the private sector who have distinguished themselves in the fields of health statistics, electronic interchange of healthcare information, privacy and security of electronic information, population-based public health, purchasing or financing healthcare services, integrated computerized health information systems, health services research, consumer interests in health information, health data standards, epidemiology, and the provision of health services. Sixteen of the members are appointed by the Secretary of DHHS for terms of four years each, with about four new members being appointed each year. Two additional members are selected by Congress.

ACP Involvement: MISC members representing the physicians’ perspective provide testimony as requested by the NCVHS on topics relevant to HIT.

AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

The health services research arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), complementing the biomedical research mission of its sister agency, the National Institutes of Health.

• Home to research centers that specialize in major areas of health care research:
• Quality improvement and patient safety.
• Outcomes and effectiveness of care.
• Clinical practice and technology assessment.
• Health care organization and delivery systems.
• Primary care (including preventive services).
• Health care costs and sources of payment.

A major source of funding and technical assistance for health services research and research training at leading U.S. universities and other institutions.

A science partner, working with the public and private sectors to build the knowledge base for what works—and does not work—in health and health care and to translate this knowledge into everyday practice and policymaking.

ACP Involvement: The MISC responds formally and informally to AHRQ on HIT-related issues.

National Governors Association – State Alliance for e-Health

The NGA Center for Best Practices has announced the creation of the State Alliance for e-Health, an initiative designed to improve the nation's health care system through the formation of a collaborative body that enables states to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the health information technology (HIT) initiatives they develop. The State Alliance provides a nationwide forum through which stakeholders can work together to identify inter- and intrastate-based health information technology policies and best practices and explore solutions to programmatic and legal issues related to the exchange of health information.

ACP Involvement: John R. Maese, MD, FACP, ACP Governor – NY, is serving on the Health Care Practice Taskforce.

Interest Groups

PEHRC (Physicians’ Electronic Health Record Coalition)

In July 2004, 14 preeminent medical organizations, representing more than 500,000 U.S. physicians, announced the creation of the Physicians' Electronic Health Record Coalition (PEHRC). This groundbreaking health care coalition will assist physicians, particularly those in small- and medium-sized ambulatory care medical practice, to acquire and use affordable, standards-based electronic health records and other health information technology to improve quality, enhance patient safety, and increase efficiency. The coalition is committed to taking practical steps to educate physicians about the value and best use of electronic health records (EHR), and to assist them in selection of systems, as well as to help focus the market on high-quality and affordable products.

ACP involvement: MISC members Peter Basch, MD, FACP and Sarah Corley, MD, FACP are ACP representatives on the PEHRC. Dr. Basch is a past co-chair of the group.

eHI (eHealth Initiative)

The eHealth Initiative and the Foundation for eHealth Initiative are independent, non-profit affiliated organizations whose missions are the same: to drive improvement in the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology. Both organizations are focused on engaging multiple and diverse stakeholders--including hospitals and other healthcare organizations, clinician groups, employers and purchasers, health plans, healthcare information technology organizations, manufacturers, public health agencies, academic and research institutions, and public sector stakeholders--to define and then implement specific actions that will address the quality, safety and efficiency challenges of our healthcare system through the use of interoperable information technology.

Priorities:

1. Align incentives and promote public and private sector investment in improving America’s healthcare through information technology (IT) and an electronic health information infrastructure

2. Develop the field to enable more widespread and effective implementation of IT and an electronic health information infrastructure

3. Continue to drive the adoption of standards to promote an interoperable, interconnected healthcare system through work with key partners.

ACP Involvement: John Tooker, MD, MBA, FACP, ACP’s Chief Executive Officer, is a member of the Board of eHI, as is Dr. Peter Basch of the MISC.

Connecting for Health – Markle

Connecting for Health is a public-private collaborative designed to address the barriers to development of an interconnected health information infrastructure. The ability to deliver medical information where and when it is needed in a private and secure manner will help to improve the quality of care, reduce medical errors, lower costs and empower patients.

The first phase of the Collaborative's work drove consensus on the adoption of an initial set of data standards, developed case studies on privacy and security, and helped define the electronic personal health record (PHR). Connecting for Health is currently working to develop an incremental Roadmap intended to lay out near-term actions necessary to achieving electronic connectivity. To carry out its work, Connecting for Health has organized several working groups focusing on understanding the business and organizational issues of community-based information exchange, the issues relevant to sharing electronic information with patients, and several aspects of technical interoperability.

Connecting for Health was established by the Markle Foundation and receives additional funding and support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

ACP Involvement: John Tooker, MD, MBA, FACP, ACP’s Chief Executive Officer, is a member of the Connecting for Health Steering Group.

HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society)

HIMSS is exclusively focused on providing leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology and management systems for the betterment of human health. HIMSS represents more than 13,000 individual members and some 150 member Health I.T. corporations that employ more than 1 million people. HIMSS shapes and directs healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives, which are designed to promote information and management systems' contributions to quality patient care.

EHR Vendors Association (EHRVA)

This group was formed in late 2004 within the HIMSS organization. The membership includes most of the major and significant vendors of EMR systems. The group was organized to provide vendors with a stronger and more consistent voice in the HIT policy debate.

ACP Involvement: William Hersh, MD, FACP, the current chair of the MISC, participates in periodic reviews of the EHRVA Roadmap.

AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association)

The American Health Information Management Association is a community of professionals engaged in the field of health information management. AHIMA provides support to members and works to strengthen the industry and profession. It represents more than 45,000 specially educated health information management professionals who work throughout the healthcare industry. Health information management professionals serve the healthcare industry and the public by managing, analyzing, and utilizing data vital for patient care and working to make this information accessible to healthcare providers when it is needed most.

NAHIT (National Alliance for Health Information Technology)

The American Hospital Association along with 29 other organizations created NAHIT in June 2002 to improve quality and performance through standards-based information systems. It plans to focus on projects that will contribute to the development of a viable health information infrastructure. Its initial focus has been on standardized bar codes on products used by healthcare organizations.

AMIA (American Medical Informatics)

The American Medical Informatics Association is the leading academic/scholarly organization in the United States dedicated to the research, development, and application of medical informatics in the support of patient care, teaching, research, and healthcare administration. AMIA intends to be, for medical informatics, what the ACP is for internal medicine.

AMIA's individual members are physicians, nurses, dentists, biomedical engineers, medical librarians, researchers, scientists, educators, students and other healthcare professionals who have a strong interest in medical informatics. The Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) is the premier U.S. journal in the field, and the AMIA annual meeting is the primary academic gathering for the specialty. Recently, AMIA has become active in public policy issues that have informatics components.

ACP Involvement: The College has worked with AMIA to co-sponsor a pre-session at Internal Medicine for clinicians enrolled in AMIA’s 10x10 program.

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