Congress may be on recess, but others have been busy. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology earlier this week named the first organizations authorized to test and certify electronic health records (EHRs). The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) and The Drummond Group were announced as the initial Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ATCBs). This step is a critical component of the federal EHR incentive program. In order to qualify for incentive payments, practitioners must be using an EHR that has been certified by an ATCB. The next step will be for CCHIT and The Drummond Group to begin certifying EHRs. Your ACC encourages practitioners who have been using CCHIT-certified EHRs to still verify that their system is certified for the federal incentive program, since certification does not automatically carry over from one program to another. For more information on the certification program, visit www.healthit.hhs.gov/certification. For more information on the ATCBs, visit www.cchit.org or www.drummondgroup.com. For more information about the federal EHR incentive program, visit ACC's Health IT resource center.
Speaking of EHRs, did you know your ACC's health IT website contains comprehensive resources designed to help you with the selection process? The EHR selection process is different for every practice, but your ACC has developed a set of key questions to help you choose the EHR that best meets your specific needs. In addition, we have vetted a group of selection consultants with experience helping cardiovascular practices navigate the sometimes complicated process. The site also contains case studies highlighting the EHR experiences of small, medium and large practices.
The Food and Drug Administration has also been busy the last few weeks. Not only has the FDA proposed withdrawing approval for the drug midodrine hydrochloride (midodrine) because the original manufacturer failed to conduct the required Phase IV trials, but it has also notified health care professionals that it is evaluating clinical trial data that suggest patients taking Stalevo (a combination of carbidopa/levodopa and entacapone) may be at an increased risk for cardiovascular events. Your ACC is closely following both issues. In the case of midodrine, which is used to treat orthostatic hypotension, the FDA advisory and ACCF Guideline information is available on CardioSource.org. In terms of Stalevo, the FDA recently posted a podcast, which is available here.
In other news ... The Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Committee on Social Security Cardiovascular Disability Criteria recently issued recommendations to the Social Security Administration about potential revisions to the Listings of Impairments. The Listing is used to determine which individuals are disabled to the point they can no longer engage in substantial work activities. The recommendations, upon which your ACC provided input, include revisions to most of the current listings, as well as new listings for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, right heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. Read the complete update.
Congress returns after Labor Day, just in time for ACC's sold-out 2010 Legislative Conference. Stay tuned to "The Advocate" and Cardiology magazine in the coming weeks for updates on the Legislative Conference and ways you can get involved, even if you aren't able to make it to Washingon, D.C.
Questions/Comments contact ACC Advocate Editor Steve Erickson at
advocate@acc.org
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