There are a number of health IT-related issues on the federal government's boiler plate for the upcoming year.
Here are the top five legislative items for 2015, according to Politico.
1. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's role in regulating health IT. Last year, industry professionals discussed and debated whether the FDA should be more or less involved in regulating health IT. Some believed FDA's regulations would inhibit innovation, while others thought closer FDA oversight could help avoid potential dangers, according to the report. Politico suggests the Hatch-Bennet bill, a bipartisan bill that would expedite FDA approval to more quickly bring breakthrough drugs and treatments to patients, may be a key piece of legislation in this discussion.
2. Telemedicine. There are a number of bills right now addressing telemedicine, largely revolving around how providers will be reimbursed for offering telemedicine services and licensure. The Telehealth Enhancement Act proposes waiving Medicare restrictions for certain facilities, such as home health services, critical access hospitals and some hospice care. The Medicare Telehealth Parity Act would expand coverage of certain telehealth services to federally qualified health centers and clinics. The TELE-MED Act would allow physicians to treat Medicare patients across the country with just one medical license.
3. Interoperability. In the midst of meaningful use and pushes for electronic information exchange, interoperability has become a top-of-mind issue in the healthcare industry. In December, Congress' omnibus bill requires the ONC to report on interoperability progress, even going so far as to suggest, "ONC should use its authority to certify only those products that clearly meet meaningful use program standards and that do not block health information exchange."
4. Meaningful use. On Dec. 31, HHS filed a proposed rule establishing policies for stage 3 of meaningful use with the Office of Management and Budget. In addition to waiting for the finalization of the proposed rule, lawmakers are also reviewing the FLEX-IT Act, which would shorten the meaningful use reporting period from one year to 90 days, according to the report.
5. 21st Century Cures. In May, members from the House Energy & Commerce Committee launched 21st Century Cures, an initiative bolstering and accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of new treatments to patients. Now, initiative leaders have to figure out how to pay for it, according to Politico.
6. Privacy and data issues. Given the growing number of data breaches, it isn't surprising that legislation regarding the protection of patient data and information is a hot topic for the upcoming year. Politico mentions the possibility of Congress exempting certain types of research from HIPAA regulations so researchers don't have to obtain patient consent for each study.
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