HIMSS’ three wishes of Congress
It’s health IT week on Capitol Hill, and the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is expected to present Congress with its three-point wish list to advance the field at its annual Public Policy Summit.
HIMSS will call upon Congress to act on the following three items:
- A five-year roadmap of all mandated, Department of Health & Human Services-administered health IT requirements and program changes.
- Approval of the president's FY2015 budget request for $75 million for the Office of the National Coordinator for IT, which is $14 million more than FY2014. This funding will help “achieve interoperability, improve clinical quality and ensure patient privacy and safety,” according to the association.
- Expansion of Medicare payments for telehealth services to improve patient access and outcomes and decrease healthcare costs.
The association is scheduled to make these "asks" on Thursday, Sept. 18.