HL7 – HLN Consulting, LLC

CMS IPPS Proposed Rule Could Benefit Public Health

by Lux Phatakon July 12, 2021

In May 2021 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed revision to the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) for operating and capital-related costs of acute care hospitals. The key recommendation from a public health standpoint is the requirement that all four core public health measures – Syndromic Surveillance Reporting; Immunization Registry Reporting; Electronic Case Reporting; and Electronic Reportable Laboratory Result Reporting – all become required measures starting in calendar year 2022.

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Towards a National COVID-19 Vaccine Credential Strategy in the US

by Noam Arzton May 28, 2021

I have been monitoring the vaccine credential effort for a long time and watching various initiatives worldwide with a particular focus on what might be done in the United States. In a series of blog posts over the past several months I have described at length how the situation in the US differs from the situation in many other countries. In this post I will review the “facts on the ground” as I see them and offer a way forward for the US.

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Some side effects of COVID-19 Immunization Data Submission

by Noam Arzton January 20, 2021

Now that COVID-19 doses administered data are flowing to Immunization Information Systems (IIS), we are noticing some unintended side effects from the data management component of the vaccination program. Here are a few that have bubbled up from the jurisdictions we support:

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ONC Releases Pediatric Health IT Developer Informational Resources

by Noam Arzton June 30, 2020

In June 2020 the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released a Pediatric Health Information Technology: Developer Informational Resource. The primary purpose of the guide is to assist electronic health record (EHR) software developers in improving their products to better support pediatric health requirements. The origin of this initiative is the 21st Century Cures Act which is Section 4001 calls on ONC to, “make recommendations for the voluntary certification of health information technology for use by pediatric health providers to support the health care of children.”

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Senate White Paper: Preparing for the Next Pandemic

by Noam Arzton June 22, 2020

On June 10, 2020 the US Senate released a white paper titled “Preparing for the Next Pandemic” under the signature of Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. The white paper has five recommendations to address future pandemics based on lessons learned from COVID-19 and the past 20 years of pandemic planning. “The five recommendations…along with a series of questions at the end of this white paper, are intended to elicit recommendations that Congress can consider and act on this year,” Alexander said in a statement, adding that “I am inviting comments, responses, and any additional recommendations for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to consider. This feedback will be shared with my colleagues, both Democrat and Republican.” This feedback from the public will be accepted until June 26, 2020 and can be submitted to PandemicPreparedness@help.senate.gov.