The Institute of Medicine (IOM) will conduct a 1-year study aimed at ensuring that health information technology (HIT) will achieve its full potential for improving patient safety in health care. The study will be carried out under a $989,000 contract announced today by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), which is charged with coordinating federal efforts regarding HIT adoption and meaningful use.

"Since 1999, when the IOM published its ground-breaking study To Err Is Human, the Institute has been a leader in the movement to improve patient safety," said David Blumenthal, M.D., national coordinator for health information technology. "This study will draw on IOM's depth of knowledge in this area to help all of us ensure that HIT reaches the goals we are seeking for patient safety improvement."

The study will examine a comprehensive range of patient safety-related issues, including prevention of HIT-related errors and rapid reporting of any HIT-related patient safety issues. It will make recommendations concerning the potential effects of government policies and private sector actions in maximizing patient safety and avoiding medical errors through HIT. Highlights of the study will include:

• Summary of existing knowledge of the effects of HIT on patient safety;
• Identifying approaches to promote the safety-enhancing features of HIT while protecting patients from any safety problems associated with HIT;
• Identifying approaches for preventing HIT-related patient safety problems before they occur;
• Identifying approaches for surveillance and reporting activities to bring about rapid detection and correction of patient safety problems;
• Addressing the potential roles of private sector entities such as accrediting and certification bodies as well as patient safety organizations and professional and trade associations; and
• Discussion of existing authorities and potential roles for key federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

"The IOM is pleased to have the opportunity to add its expertise and convening power in helping to achieve the goals of improved safety through HIT-assisted care," said IOM President Harvey Fineberg, M.D.

Donald Berwick, M.D., CMS administrator and a national leader on patient safety, said, "Improving patient safety in health care depends on thoroughness in planning and execution, to find problems systematically and correct them decisively. We have high expectations for patient safety improvement through HIT, but achieving those goals will require the same careful and vigorous approach that is needed to improve safety in any enterprise. The IOM can help us identify a productive path to better patient safety with the help of HIT."

Substantial funding under the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will support the adoption and meaningful use of HIT, especially through incentives for the adoption and meaningful use of certified electronic health records. In July, CMS announced regulations outlining the initial requirements that eligible health care providers must meet to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology for the Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments program, which CMS will administer. Also in July, ONC announced regulations completing the adoption of an initial set of standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria to enable the testing and certification of EHR technology for meaningful use Stage 1. Earlier this month, ONC named initial testing and certifying bodies.

More information about HIT and support for adoption and meaningful use can be found on the web at healthit.hhs.gov.

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

HHS Press Office
202-690-6343

According to the timeline at Healthcare.gov, at least a half dozen new health care laws go into effect Thursday. The fact that there is even such a transparent timeline on a website is one of the cornerstones of the efforts Todd Park is undertaking as chief technology officer of the Department of Health & Human Services.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded funding for 94 projects totaling $42.5 million to state, tribal, local and territorial health departments to improve their ability to provide public health services. This funding, made possible through the new Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act, will be distributed through cooperative agreements to 49 states, eight federally recognized tribes, Washington, D.C., nine large local health departments, five territories, and three Affiliated Pacific Island jurisdictions to maximize public health efforts.

“Investing in public health builds a foundation for a strong and healthy society and contributes to lowering the cost of health care. Investing in proven preventive services and strong policies helps us to avoid unnecessary costs later”

“These funds will help health departments around the country to improve the quality and effectiveness of the critical health services that millions of Americans rely on every day,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Strengthening our public health system through better coordination and collaboration will help to deliver higher quality health care more efficiently.”

This new 5-year cooperative agreement program, entitled Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure for Improved Health Outcomes, will provide health departments with needed resources to make fundamental changes in their organizations and practices, so that they can improve the delivery of public health services including:

• Building and implementing capacity within health departments for evaluating the effectiveness of their organizations, practices, partnerships, programs and use of resources through performance management
• Expansion and training of public health staff and community leaders to conduct policy activities in key areas and to facilitate improvements in system efficiency
• Maximizing the public health system to improve networking, coordination, and cross-jurisdictional cooperation for the delivery of public health services to address resource sharing and improve health indicators
• Disseminating, implementing and evaluating public health’s best and most promising practices
• Building a national network of performance improvement managers that share best practices for improving the public health system.

“Investing in public health builds a foundation for a strong and healthy society and contributes to lowering the cost of health care. Investing in proven preventive services and strong policies helps us to avoid unnecessary costs later,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.

“These funds are a down payment on improving public health services across the nation,” said Dr. Judith A. Monroe, CDC’s deputy director for state, tribal, local and territorial support. “With these funds, we will help our nation’s public health departments work more effectively and efficiently to detect and respond to public health problems. This program will strengthen the nation’s public health system and our ability to improve the health and well being of all Americans.”

In response to the CDC’s original funding announcement Public Health Systems and Infrastructure projects in July 2010, CDC received more than 140 applications from health departments seeking funds through this cooperative agreement. For more information, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/ostlts

Public Health Systems and Infrastructure awardees and funding levels are:

• $200,000 to Alabama State Department of Public Health
• $100,000 to Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
• $100,000 to Alaska State Department of Health and Social Services
• $100,000 to American Samoa Government Department of Health
• $289,586 to Arizona State Department of Health Services
• $200,000 to Arkansas State Department of Health
• $2,060,128 to California State Department of Public Health
• $1,760,128 to Cherokee Nation
• $200,000 to City of Chicago
• $300,000 to Colorado State Department of Public Health and Environment
• $100,000 to Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Health
• $200,000 to Connecticut State Department of Public Health
• $100,000 to Dallas County Health and Human Services (TX)
• $100,000 to Delaware State Department of Health and Social Services
• $100,000 to District of Columbia Department of Health
• $100,000 to Federated States of Micronesia
• $2,060,128 to Florida State Department of Health
• $399,836 to Georgia State Department of Community Health
• $100,000 to Gila River Indian Community
• $100,000 to Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services
• $1,100,000 to Hawaii State Department of Health
• $200,000 to Houston Department of Health & Human Services
• $200,000 to Idaho State Department of Health & Welfare
• $400,000 to Illinois State Department of Public Health
• $300,000 to Indiana State Department of Health
• $200,000 to Iowa State Department of Public Health
• $200,000 to Kansas State Department of Health and Environment
• $200,000 to Kentucky State Cabinet for Health and Family Services
• $1,859,950 to Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
• $200,000 to Louisiana State Department of Health and Hospitals
• $1,758,786 to Maine State Department of Health and Human Services
• $199,434 to Maricopa County (AZ)
• $300,000 to Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• $1,960,128 to Massachusetts State Department of Public Health
• $400,000 to Michigan State Department of Community Health
• $99,866 to Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians
• $1,960,128 to Minnesota State Department of Health
• $199,585 to Mississippi State Department of Health
• $300,000 to Missouri State Department of Health and Senior Services
• $100,000 to Montana State Department of Health and Human Services
• $100,000 to Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council
• $100,000 to Navajo Nation Division of Health
• $1,200,000 to Nebraska State Department of Health and Human Services
• $200,000 to Nevada State Department of Health and Human Services
• $100,000 to New Hampshire State Department of Health and Human Services
• $1,638,751 to New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services
• $199,877 to New Mexico State Department of Health
• $2,060,128 to New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• $400,000 to New York State Department of Health
• $1,903,858 to North Carolina State Department of Health and Human Services
• $100,000 to North Dakota State Department of Health
• $100,000 to Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board
• $394,111 to Ohio State Department of Health
• $200,000 to Oklahoma State Department of Health
• $1,860,128 to Oregon State Department of Health Services
• $1,660,128 to Pacific Island Health Officers Association
• $400,000 to Pennsylvania State Department of Health
• $1,118,493 to Philadelphia Department of Public Health
• $200,000 to Puerto Rico Department of Health
• $100,000 to Republic of Palau Ministry of Health
• $100,000 to Republic of the Marshall Islands Ministry of Health
• $99,738 to Rhode Island State Department of Health
• $100,000 to San Antonio Metropolitan Health District
• $100,000 to San Diego County Department of Health and Human Services
• $200,000 to South Carolina State Department of Health and Environmental Control
• $100,000 to Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium
• $1,296,995 to Tennessee State Department of Health
• $400,000 to Texas State Department of Health Services
• $200,000 to Utah State Department of Health
• $1,100,000 to Vermont State Department of Health
• $100,000 to Virgin Islands Department of Health
• $300,000 to Virginia State Department of Health
• $299,981 to Washington State Department of Health
• $1,200,000 to West Virginia State Department of Health and Human Resources
• $1,960,129 to Wisconsin State Department of Health Services
• $100,000 to Wyoming State Department of Health

More information about the CDC is available at www.cdc.gov

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news

John Donvan and Caren Zucker wrote a great piece in The Atlantic: "Autism's First Child." Watch below as Mr. Donvan discusses the piece on Good Morning America:

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