eHealth Initiative conducted a series of interviews to gain insight from an industry perspective on the impact of healthcare reimbursement policies on technology. In October and November 2017, twelve executives, primarily from provider organizations and health information networks (HINs), were interviewed for this research project. Executives answered questions that aimed to establish how policies, consumerism, and patient engagement strategies influence provider decisions around the acquisition and usage of technology, while also affecting revenue.

February 2018 highlights from Manatt Insights

The Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the “Departments”) have proposed regulations to promote the sale of short-term, limited-duration insurance.

Presentation slides and recording from 2/22/18 webinar.

The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) will be finalized at the end of 2018. Please join us to gain an understanding of key focus areas to ensure TEFCA compliance and gain a wider perspective and viewpoints from the healthcare community.

This informative webinar will begin with a brief introduction of TEFCA followed by a facilitated panel discussion. We will discuss the goals and complexity of TEFCA and invite an open conversation of associated risks, interdependencies with state and federal agencies, consent and consent management, impact on the opioid epidemic, and more.

Panelists include:
- Gerard Scheitlin, Global VP, Security, Risk and Assurance, Orion Health
- Kelly Thompson, CEO, Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC)
- ONC Representative invited

Enclosed are the comments of eHealth Initiative (eHI) on the ONC Draft Trusted Exchange Framework (TEF) and the U.S. Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI). eHI is in a unique position to comment and offer insight on this issue. Our viewpoints are broad and consensus-based. We are the only independent non-profit, multi-stakeholder coalition dedicated to improving the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through the use of technology and health information. Moreover, eHI’s work and its membership have built needed coalitions and moved the health IT field forward at critical junctures.

Medicaid has entered a period of volatile change, unprecedented in its 51-year history. With 74 million members nationwide,1 Medicaid provides health coverage to more than one in four Americans, ensuring access to healthcare not only for children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with disabilities, but also for an increasing number of low-income working adults. 2017 saw repeated attempts to fundamentally restructure the Medicaid program, and although Congress is likely to turn its attention to other priorities in 2018, federal legislative efforts to revamp Medicaid remain in play. Short of congressional action, vigorous efforts by federal offi cials to use administrative authority to reshape the program is a certainty. And perhaps more than ever before, states will test the limits of their purchasing power and federal fl exibility to make changes to their programs—driven by the desire to improve value, reduce the rate of expenditure growth, and shape the program to meet their policy and political objectives. At the boundaries of these federal and state efforts, expect the courts to weigh in.

On January 25, 2018, eHealth Initiative (eHI) held its annual Government Affairs Retreat at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill. The gathering convened eHI members and policy experts to discuss the 2018 federal legislative and regulatory landscape. During this day long meeting, participants shared important, up-to-the-minute intelligence on healthcare priorities for Congress and the Administration; identified impactful federal policy and regulatory shifts; and developed policy priorities and action items for eHealth Initiative, and its members, for the upcoming year.

Over the years, the healthcare industry has moved from paper-based records to electronic records. While there have been significant investments in electronic health record (EHR) systems, the lack of interoperability between EHRs limits accuracy and efficiency when exchanging patient data across the continuum of care. In the current transition from fee-for-service models of reimbursement to value-based care, access to comprehensive patient information is increasingly important. In its quest for optimal patient outcomes, the healthcare industry is trying to improve the quality and availability of data and are using analytics as a catalyst to improve performance.
eHealth Initiative (eHI) interviewed nine executives from provider organizations and Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) to gain insight on the current state of interoperability, population health, and their future potential. In November and December 2017, executives answered questions on the types of data they collected, how it is shared and analyzed, and the successes and challenges in using data analytics for population health management.

Presentation slides from Dr. John Glaser of Cerner, from eHI's Government Affairs Retreat held on 1/25/18.