News & Updates
February 18, 2021
Events
Understanding the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Proposed Rule: This Member's Only virtual session will be February 25th from 3-4ET.
Key learning points include:
  • How to use population health data to collaborate and embark upon place-based interventions to increase population-level health improvements.
  • Learn about a new framework for advancing racial justice and equity in health care.
  • Learn about coded data elements needed for interoperability using nationally recognized terminology standards and HL7 FHIR-based open APIs.
WEDI Appoints Robert Tennant as
Vice President, Federal Affairs
As Vice President, Federal Affairs, Tennant will support WEDI’s government affairs functions on regulatory and legislative matters with a focus on HIT issues for the organization. He will also assist with the development and implementation of the policies and positions adopted by the WEDI board and its committees. In addition to focusing on policy related initiatives, Tennant will work alongside other staff with the development of educational programs that support the organization’s initiatives, policies, and committees.
2021 ONC Annual Meeting
March 29-30 from 12-5ET
OCR Announces Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Use of Online or Web-Based Scheduling Applications for the Scheduling of COVID-19 Vaccination Appointments
HHS and OCR will exercise its enforcement discretion and will not impose penalties for violations of the HIPAA Rules on covered health care providers or their business associates in connection with the good faith use of online or web-based scheduling applications (collectively, “WBSAs”) for the scheduling of individual appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency. This exercise of enforcement discretion is effective immediately, but has retroactive effect to December 11, 2020.
Surgeon General Releases First Report Focused on Community Health and Economic Prosperity
The report is designed to reach an audience of business leaders and contains dozens of examples of businesses implementing policies, practices and decisions that strengthen community health while solving business problems or increasing the business bottom line.
Health IT Advisory Committee
Wednesday, 03/10/2021, 9:30-2:30
Considerations for Health Plans as we approach
ACA 2.0 and Bidencare
This article is based on personal experience from working with dozens of high-performing health plans to help you make the most of the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) and know what’s important about ACA 2.0. The new 3-month (SEP) and a renewed Affordable Care Act has created a unique opportunity for Health Plans. They can expand their footprint and provide a best-in-class consumer experience to millions of Americans.  
HHS Announces New Synthetic Health Data Challenge
Synthetic health data is realistic (but not real) health record data that contains a complete medical history from birth to death. This data can be used without cost or restriction and is intended to support the specific interests of researchers and developers for testing the effectiveness of tools, algorithms, and disease modeling approaches. The Challenge, part of ONC's Synthetic Health Data Generation to Accelerate Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) project, invites participants to create and test innovative and novel solutions that will further cultivate the capabilities of SyntheaTM, an open-source synthetic patient generator that models the medical histories of synthetic patients.
Episode 23: Where ISN’T Mobile Today? Greg Jones, Chief Technology Officer MobileSmith Health
HHS Awards Funds to Expand Immunization Information Sharing Collaboration
The new investments will provide opportunities to track vaccination progress, help clinicians contact high-risk patients, and help identify patients due to receive the second dose of the vaccine. It will also help provide a statistically and clinically robust way to measure vaccination outcomes. In collaboration with HIEs, the ability to individually correlate every patient who has received the vaccine with all of their clinical data both pre- and post-vaccination could offer more detailed insight into any adverse events and long-term health outcomes than is currently possible.
Health Equity Epilogue
Free for WEDI Members
HHS Invests $8 Million to Address Gaps in Rural Telehealth through the Telehealth Broadband Pilot Program
Through the new program, $6.5 million was awarded to the National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center (TTAC), based out of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. The TTAC works in the area of technology assessment and selecting appropriate technologies for a variety of telehealth services. TTAC will implement the TBP in four state community locations, including Alaska, Michigan, Texas and West Virginia. 

HRSA's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) also awarded the Telehealth-Focused Rural Health Research Center through the University of Arkansas $1.5 million to evaluate the TBP program across all participating communities and to serve as a resource on telehealth for rural communities around the nation.
Resources for You
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Join the Genomics Workgroup
The next Genomics Workgroup meeting will be February 23rd at 1ET.
The group will be reviewing the first draft of a survey to capture the range of business and technological issues that impede the implementation of patient clinical genomics.
WEDI workgroups provide thoughtful leadership and common-sense approaches that enhance the exchange of clinical and administrative healthcare information. They collect input, exchange ideas, and make recommendations that inspire impactful and far-reaching change in our industry.
WEDI | www.wedi.org