As part of the recent National Health IT  (NHIT) Week, HIMSS, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, made several formal requests to Congress to advance the state of health IT.  The organization presented its so-called “Congressional Asks” on Thursday, September 18, 2014.  

The actionable requests, presented to Congress at the annual HIMSS Public Policy Summit during NHIT Week, included the following items:

  • A five-year roadmap of all mandated, HHS-administered health IT requirements and program changes.
  • Approval of the president’s 2015 budget request for $75 million for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology—$14 million more than was allotted in FY2014—to achieve interoperability, improve clinical quality, and ensure patient privacy and safety.
  • Expansion of Medicare payments for telehealth services in order to improve patient access and outcomes and decrease healthcare costs.

For more details on the policy requests, visit the HIMSS blog.