JANUARY 2012 HL7 Is Foundational To Achieving Meaningful Use By Gora Datta, HL7 Ambassador; Group Chairman and CEO, CAL2CAL Corporation; Martin Entwistle, MD, HL7 Ambassador; Executive Director, Druker Center for Health Systems Innovation, Palo Alto Medical Foundation; and Grant Wood, HL7 Marketing Council Co-Chair; Senior IT Strategist, Intermountain Healthcare Gora Datta After the plenary session in Boston in October of 2010, the first half- day session on “HL7 and Meaningful Use (MU)” was hosted by the HL7 Ambassador program. The meeting was standing room only, as over 100 people attended. Presentations followed on the HL7 standards that have been adopted as part of MU Stage 1 – Version 2; Version 2 Lab and Public Health Reporting; Clinical Document Architecture (CDA®); Continuity of Care Document (CCD®), and certified Electronic Health Records (EHRs) based on the EHR-S Functional Model. Grant Wood In 2011, the efforts to communicate HL7’s critical role in Meaningful Use increased dramatically. Chuck Jaffe presented on the topic at the HIMSS conference in February 2011. Formal courses were offered at the Educational Summit in March and in April, an Ambassador webinar was presented by Martin Entwistle, MD, and Gora Datta, which was attended by 218 individuals. With the need and interest growing, a second session on “HL7 and Meaningful Use” was held during the September 2011 Plenary in San Diego, and once again, over 100 people attended. Martin Entwistle, MD The objectives of the event were to help people learn more about: • How HL7 is foundational to achieving Meaningful Use, using certified EHR technology • How HL7 standards are key for providers submitting data to public health agencies for surveillance reporting, laboratory reporting and submission to immunization registries • Benefits and challenges to providers achieving Meaningful Use objectives & incentives The program began with an introduction to the various US national health IT programs and then focused on quality measurement/reporting and clinical decision support as fundamen- tal to the success of these programs. Key initiatives, such as clinical document exchange, laboratory reporting, public health surveillance and immunization reporting, were discussed. continued on next page ® Health Level Seven and HL7 are registered trademarks of Health Level Seven International, registered in the US Trademark Office In This Issue... HL7 is Foundational continued from page 1 HL7 Foundational to Achieving Meaningful Use.................................... 1-2 Letter from the CEO................................ 3 Finally, a panel of experts presented “experi- • Better access to information – the abil- ences from the field” – how small, medium ity to share critical clinical information Update From Headquarters.................. 4-7 and large providers are achieving Meaning- among providers leading to better coordi- 2011 Ed Hammond Volunteer of the Year Awards.............................. 8-9 ful Use objectives and incentives as well as nation of care. exploring “What is Next for Meaningful Use.” • Patient empowerment – Structured Mark Your Calendars for May 2012 in Vancouver, BC..................................... 9 This included a discussion on the role new comprehensive information empowers News from the PMO and Project and developing HL7 standards (QRDA, HQMF, patients to take a more active role in their Services Work Group....................... 10-11 HL7 EHR-S FM, HL7 PHR-S FM, HL7 Family health and in the health of their families. Upcoming International Events............. 11 History, etc.) are likely to have on supporting Quest to Bring HL7 to Blood Banking the future requirements for Meaningful Use. However, they are not available for all provid- Inspired by Financial Services......... 12-13 ers and patients as many health care provid- International Affairs: While the requirements of eligible hospitals ers still use medical record systems based on The HL7 IMATF...................................... 13 and eligible providers to comply with Mean- paper. In addition, not all medical records HL7 Pakistan Celebrates First ingful Use Stage 1 are clear, operationalizing systems, or more specifically EHR systems, Anniversary of its Affiliation............. 14-15 the necessary processes can be challenging. meet currently accepted standards for storage HL7 International eLearning Course– For small and medium sized providers, access and sharing of information. Recent govern- Keys to the Success.......................... 16-17 to timely informational technology help, edu- ment initiatives are incenting providers across HL7 Pledges to Empower Patients........ 17 cation and guidance are critical to adopting the country to make the switch to electronic An Update on HL7’s Tooling Strategy MU objectives and measures. Large organiza- health records. from the CTO........................................ 18 tions need to achieve efficiency, so seek to Tooling Work Group Response to establish standard routines and consistency The Health Information Technology for HL7’s Tooling Strategy........................... 18 of process. This can prove problematic in Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, A Fresh Look......................................... 19 the event that there is variation in recording which was enacted as part of the Ameri- News from the PBS Metrics Team.... 20-21 or storage processes between departments, can Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Best Practices for HL7 Working units or regions. Other challenges experienced (ARRA), provides the Department of Health Group Meetings.................................... 22 include addressing the differing requirements and Human Services (HHS) with the author- Six Questions to Consider About for reporting to state and Federal authori- ity to establish programs to improve health Merging a CCD.................................... 23 ties and technical challenges in being able care quality, safety, and efficiency through the Where Are All the Standards?.......... 24-25 to make electronic public health measure promotion of health information technology Pharmacy in Paris: First Joint Meeting submissions. HL7 has much to offer by way of (HIT), including EHRs and private and secure of HL7 and IHE Work Groups............... 25 support for solutions: electronic health information exchange. Ten Years of Patient Care in The Netherlands.......................... 26-27 • Improving quality of data collection, Under HITECH, eligible health care profes- 2011 Asia-Pacific HL7 Conference on Health Information Standards............... 27 and storage sionals and hospitals can qualify for Medicare Certification Exam Congratulations...... 28 • Facilitating extraction and reporting of and Medicaid incentive payments when they key measures adopt certified EHR technology and use it to HL7 Benefactors................................... 29 • Improving HIE interface capabilities achieve specified objectives. HL7 Croatia Welcomes New Chair......... 29 • Improving data transfer capabilities Affiliate Contacts................................... 30 The specified objectives are defined in two reg- Organizational Members.................. 31-33 Why Meaningful Use ulations that have been released. One defines 2012 Technical Steering the “meaningful use” objectives that providers Committee Members ............................ 34 Electronic health records can provide many must meet to qualify for the bonus payments; Steering Divisions................................. 34 benefits for providers and their patients: the other identifies the technical capabilities HL7 Work Group Co-Chairs..............35-37 required for certified EHR technology. • Complete and accurate information – a HL7 Facilitators............................... 38-39 complete clinical history available at the continued on page 7 HL7 Staff Members................................ 40 finger-tips of providers for when they 2012 Board of Directors....................... 41 need it. Educational Summits.............................42 Save the Date for HIMSS 2012.............. 43 Upcoming Working Group Meetings............................................... 44 is the official publication of: Health Level Seven International 3300 Washtenaw Avenue, Suite 227, Ann Arbor, MI • 48104-4261 USA Phone: +1 (734) 677-7777 • Fax: +1 (734) 677-6622 • www.HL7.org 2 Mark McDougall, Publisher • Linda Jenkins, Managing Editor • Karen Van Hentenryck, Technical Editor Letter from the CEO By Charles Jaffe, MD, PhD, HL7 CEO Charles Jaffe, MD, PhD The creative force of Steve Jobs has already become a enough. He did not confuse the pursuit of perfection with vital component in the history of both information tech- perfection. Jobs would never sacrifice quality improve- nology and marketing. His role is difficult to quantify and ment for time to market. nearly impossible to explain. He set a new standard for usability and intuitive functionality. His accomplishments Delight your customer. Under Jobs’ leadership, every- have redefined technical innovation, marketing savvy and thing Apple made was meant to exceed the expectations strategic vision. What can we learn from his legacy? of his customer. Even the product packaging delivered a message. His team spoke to customer focus as part of Never build something you wouldn’t want to use your- their everyday language. At Cupertino, nothing seemed self. Does your solution truly solve the problem it is to get out the door that was a compromise to marketing trying to address? Does