The Government gets out of the way go Health Information Exchange Development

Last week the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (The ONC) made an important announcement. After conducting an RFI they have decided NOT to continue with creating regulations for Trusted Exchange of Patient Information. 

http://www.healthit.gov/buzz-blog/electronic-health-and-medical-records/enabling-trusted-exchange-governing-nationwide-health-information-network/

This is akin to the government stepping back from building traffic lights at an intersection where the roads have yet to be built. This is good news. We all know that when Roadworks start everything slows down or people find alternate routes. 

This is a development that should be applauded. But it comes at a price. The Health Care industry can't settle back into complacency. Instead we should re-double our efforts to push forward with initiatives that promote Trusted Health Information Exchange.

We should remain mindful that regulations will eventually appear so we need to build with sensible security, auditability and traceability in mind. In so doing we can work with the ONC to highlight best practices with the potential that those best practices may ultimately form the backbone of a future regulatory approach.

This is common sense and I find it very encouraging, especially when I look around at all the great talent that is currently focusing on the issues of creating flexible, open yet secure approaches to Health Information Exchange. 

I expect some of this to come up at the Consumer Health IT Summit at the Department of Health and Human Services that is being held today - September 10th. I will be at the event because HealthCamp was asked by the ONC to facilitate one of the discussion streams this afternoon. If you are at the event come and say hello! Better yet - jump in to the HealthCamp Sessions this afternoon and join in the discussions that are helping to reshape healthcare.

http://www.cvent.com/events/2012-consumer-health-it-summit-expanding-access-to-health-information/event-summary-0771fbd69e4f41c39e415f922bcf4d33.aspx

The plenary session from 10:00am to 1:00pm Eastern will be live streamed.  Please visit www.hhs.gov/live to view the webcast.  No registration is required.

Here is the Agenda:

2012 Consumer Health IT Summit September 10, 2012 #HealthIT4U

10am - Welcome, Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health IT, ONC 

10:10am - Blue Button: The Early Days, Randy Watson, Veteran and Peter Levin, Chief Technology Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs

10:20am - ONC’s Strategy for Engaging Consumers, Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health IT, HHS and Lygeia Ricciardi, Acting Director, Office of Consumer eHealth, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS

10:40am - Blue Button: What Lies Ahead, Todd Park, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, Peter Levin, Chief Technology Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health IT, HHS

11am - Federal Initiatives to Liberate Health Data Discussion Panel

Todd Park, U.S. Chief Technology Officer (moderator)
Leon Rodriguez, Director, Office for Civil Rights, HHS
Niall Brennan, Director, Policy and Data Analysts, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS
Anne Schuchat, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS
Brad Hesse, Chief, Health Communications and Informatics Research Branch, National Cancer Institute

11:30am - Success and Innovation in the Private Sector: Making Health Data Available and Encouraging Consumers to Use IT Discussion Panel 

Lygeia Ricciardi, Acting Director, Office of Consumer eHealth, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS (moderator) 

Bill Feller, Vice President of Innovations, UnitedHealth

Clay Patterson, Vice President and General Manager, Cerner

Becky Sykes, Chief Information Officer, Catholic Health Partners
Susie Hull, Consumer e-Health Engagement Task Force, Alliance for Nursing Informatics
Alan Blaustein, Founder, CarePlanners
Loyce Pace-Bass, Director of Policy, LIVESTRONG

12:30pm - Closing Remarks, featuring Dr. Bill Moreau, Managing Director of Sports Medicine, United States Olympic Committee and Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health IT, HHS

1pm - Adjourn Webcast

1pm - 1:45pm - Lunch and Transition to Breakout Sessions Working Sessions (for in person attendees only):

1:45pm - 3:30pm Working Sessions

Track 1 – Reaching Audiences Effectively: Outreach, Engagement and Communications for Consumers and Others—Room 325A, 

Led by Jenna Bramble, NeHC; Marsha Dolan, AHIMA; and Jeff Sovel, Patient

Track 2 – Supporting Provider Implementation: Making Meaningful Use Real—HHS Auditorium, 

Led by Eva Powell, National Partnership for Women and Families; Peter Basch, MedStar Health; Rob Anthony, CMS; and Regina Holliday, Patient Advocate

Track 3 – Poised for Growth: Paving the Way for Technical Improvements and New Consumer Markets for Apps and Tools—Switzer A&B, 

Led by Pierce Graham-Jones, HHS; Ryan Panchadsaram, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow; Mary Anne Sterling, Patient Advocate

Track 4 – Unconference – a Participant Driven Meeting—Great Hall, 

Facilitated by Mark Scrimshire, 3M; Content led by you –you help to create the agenda 

My only challenge with the working sessions is that there are some great sessions planned alongside the HealthCamp track. But that is always the way. There is so much good discussion going on at every HealthCamp. 

If you want to experience this for yourself you can come to one of these HealthCamps (or check out the calendar as we plan 2013):

• HealthCamp/Boston on Friday September 14th at the Microsoft NERD Campus in Cambridge, MA
• HealthCamp/KansasCity on Sunday September 23rd at CERNER in Kansas City, MO
• HealthCamp/SFBay on Friday October 5th at Kaiser Permanete's Garfield Innovation Center in San Leandro, CA