HIT Helpline - Your TMA Resource for HIT Questions

• TMA HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HELPLINE
  

  (800) 880-5720 
  HIT@texmed.org 

    @TexmedHIT 

HIT News

• Senators Want HITECH Act Reviewed
  Six Republican senators voiced "significant concerns" with the government's implementation of the HITECH Act and meaningful use program in a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The letter says their concerns include "the lack of data to support the Administration's assertions that this taxpayer investment is being appropriately spent and actually achieving the goal of interoperable health IT."
• Meaningful Use Audits Start
  Meaningful use audits are under way in Texas, and TMA is receiving calls from members seeking assistance. Figliozzi and Company is the designated contractor performing the audits on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
• Policy Changes to the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program
  Find out what policy changes have been made to the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program in 2013. These policy changes are effective immediately.
• Real Meaningful Use: EHRs Help Patients Quit Smoking
   
  Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin are helping practicing physicians and other health professionals use electronic health records (EHRs) to wean smokers off tobacco. That's important because UT's MD Anderson Cancer Center says patients are 30 times more likely to enroll in tobacco cessation counseling if a clinician refers them than if they merely receive information about services.
• Report: Don’t Skimp on EHR Training
  Some 60 percent of Texas physicians now use an electronic health record (EHR), according to TMA's latest survey data. However, dissatisfaction and discontent persist among some physician users of EHRs.
• Meaningful Use Means No eRx Penalty
  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS') 2013 physician fee schedule final rule says physicians who achieve meaningful use between Jan. 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, and who attest to meaningful use by Jan. 31, 2013, will not suffer the 1.5-percent Medicare e-prescribing penalty on Jan. 1.
• Meaningful Use Public Health Measures
  According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Meaningful Use Stage 1 measures, physicians must attest to at least one public health measure from the list of menu criteria in an effort to improve public health.

HIT Tools You Can Use

• Meaningful Use Achievement Toolkit - NEW!
  Have you registered for the Medicare EHR Incentive program, but you’re not sure how to meet meaningful use? Turn to TMA’s Meaningful Use Toolkit for detailed instructions about what is required, specific to your EHR product*, to meet any one of the 25 meaningful-use criteria defined by the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services.
  *The EHRs represented are e-MDs, GE/Centricity, Greenway Medical, and NextGen.
• EHR Incentive Program Eligibility Tool
  Are you eligible or exempt? Use this tool from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to determine eligibility for both programs.
• EHR Product Evaluation Tool
  

  

  Need help finding the right EMR for your practice? Texas Medical Association (TMA) physician members have overwhelmingly indicated to us they need help when it comes to health information technology. They specifically want help with electronic medical record (EMR) selection. TMA is here to help.
• Learning Modules for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program
  The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has two computer-based learning tools to help physicians and hospitals participate in the Texas Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program. The tools are interactive and self-guided with voice or closed-captioned narration.
• EHR Incentive Program Resources
  Unsure which electronic health record (EHR) incentive program is right for you? TMA has resources to help you make this important decision. Registration opened in January for both EHR incentive programs. If you are one of the many Texas physicians planning to enroll in either program, we recommend you start as soon as possible. 
• Incentive Calculator
  Calculate your incentives with this tool created by the Harris County Medical Society (HCMS).    
• EHR Buyer Beware: Issues to Consider When Contracting with EHR Vendors
  This paper discusses eight important EHR contract terms your medical practice should consider before signing an EHR contract.
• EMR Readiness Assessment
  This readiness worksheet will provide you with an overview of your organization’s ability to successfully adopt an electronic medical record (EMR) solution.
• HIT Security Risk Assessment Questionnaire (by ONC)
  The purpose of a risk assessment is to identify conditions where Electronic Protected Health Information (EPHI) could be disclosed without proper authorization, improperly modified, or made unavailable when needed. This information is then used to make risk management decisions on what reasonable and appropriate safeguards are needed to reduce risk to an acceptable level.
• Questions for EHR Vendors
  Learn some of the important questions to ask vendors during the selection process.
• Questions for EHR Vendor References
  What questions should you ask when speaking to another practice that currently uses the EHR vendor you are considering?  

E-Prescribing News