The $1 trillion omnibus spending bill discusses several aspects of health IT, including rural health IT efforts.
Health information technology (IT) continues to evolve every day, and organizations from the local up to the national level want to keep the evolution – and implementation process – as smooth as possible. With the 113th Congress coming to an end over the next week, various issues are being pushed to the forefront.
There were several health IT provisions discussed in the recent $1 trillion omnibus spending bill that funds most Congressional activities through the majority of 2015. While other healthcare issues, such as a potential ICD-10 delay, were not discussed, the bill has implications for military health IT and rural health IT efforts.
“The funds made available under this heading for Medicare rural hospital flexibility grants, $14,942,000 shall be available for the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program for quality improvement and adoption of health information technology,” the bill explained.
Moreover, $1 million was provided for interoperability measures.
“…the purchase and implementation of telehealth services, including pilots and demonstrations on the use of electronic health records to coordinate rural veterans care between rural providers and the Department of Veterans Affairs electronic health record system…”
The bill also stated that the VA and Department of Defense (DoD) must submit reports to Congress on their progress of updating their EHR systems. The DoD can also only spend 25 percent of the funding allocated to its Defense Health Program until it reports on its plan to achieve interoperability with VA’s health systems. This includes the implementation timeline and cost estimate of its new EHR system.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will also receive $1.4 billion under the proposed bill to help small, rural hospitals adopt health IT measures.
Money was also allocated for the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). Approximately $60 million will be set aside for the ONC, according to the bill, used for grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements for the development and advancement of interoperable health IT.
Furthering health IT has been a common goal for several national organizations. Earlier this month a bi-partisan bill was introduced that hopes to limit how the Food and Drug Administration regulates health IT products.
Called the Medical Electronic Data Technology Enhancement for Consumers’ Health (MEDTECH) Act, the legislation is headed by Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT). The MEDTECH Act wants to exempt low-risk medical software and mobile apps from FDA regulation. Moreover, the bill seeks to provide greater certainty regarding what software will be regulated by the agency to protect consumers.
The MEDTECH Act also clarifies certain aspects of electronic health records (EHRs) and software that assists healthcare providers in the treatment of their patients.
“Advances in technology have allowed us to continuously improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare,” Hatch explained. “This bill will give innovators the certainty they need about health IT regulation to continue pioneering medical software for consumers and healthcare professionals.”
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