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AMIA Public Policy News

AMIA Co-sponsors Capitol Hill Steering Committee on Telehealth and Healthcare Informatics Educational Series

Program materials (including many presentations) are Available Here.

Don Detmer presents informatics workforce issues to the AHIC Electronic Health Records Workgroup
September 25, 2007

The American Health Information Community (the Community) recommended that Electronic Health Records (EHR) adoption be its top priority. On September 25, 2007, Don Detmer AMIA President and CEO participated in a panel discussion about work force issues.

Topics discussed included:

  • What are the skills and competencies needed?
  • What is the current number in the workforce that possesses those skills? (i.e. availability)
  • Where the gaps between what is needed and what is currently available?
  • What efforts are in the pipeline to increase the availability?
  • How do we transition the current workforce to be HIT competent? How long will it take? (Situation: the need for rapid IT adoption to improve quality and lower costs has a limiting factor in the state of the U.S. healthcare workforce).
Meeting Materials
Joint Statement: The Value of Personal Health Records
- a joint statement with the American Health Information Management Association
February, 2007
Joint Statement: Health Information Confidentiality
– a joint statement with the American Health Information Management Association
September 6, 2006

Press release: AMIA and AHIMA Release Basic Principles for Ensuring Confidentiality of Personal Health Information
Press release: AMIA and AHIMA Provide PHR Guidance to Consumers
August 29, 2006
AMIA Congratulates the House for Passage of HR 4157 (pdf)
July 28, 2006
AMIA President & CEO Co-Authors Report on Global Lessons for National IT Programs
March, 2006

AMIA President and CEO, Don Detmer along with AMIA Editorial and Research Consultant, Elaine Steen, MA co-authored the AARP Research Report Learning from Abroad: Lessons and Questions on Personal Health Records for National Policy. The status of personal health record adoption in Australia, Canada, England and New Zealand is described in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper, concluding that differences between the U.S. health care system and those in the nations studied preclude wholesale borrowing of ideas and approaches, they identify areas of common focus and shared purpose, including recognition of the need to improve health care quality and safety, the need for robust information infrastructures, and the importance of designing patient-centric systems.

More information on the report
Read the complete report (pdf) (81 pages) (Publication ID: 2006-10)
Copies available by request at: ppi@aarp.org or by calling 202-434-3840.
Press - Read the complete interview by Colleen Egan, iHealthBeat Associate Editor (Subscription Required)
AMIA Joins Leading Healthcare Associations in Congratulating Chairman Thomas on Approval of H.R. 4157 (pdf)
June 28, 2006
AMIA and AHIMA Announce Support for New Work Force Bill (pdf)
June 9, 2006
AMIA Joins Leading Healthcare Associations in Urging Congress to Update Health Coding System

Read the Press Release (pdf)
Read the Joint Statement: Summary of Joint Position on Adoption of ICD-10 (pdf)

AMIA President and CEO, Don Detmer, MD, MA Testifies Before Congress March 16, 2006
AMIA President and CEO Don E. Detmer, MD, MA testifies before the committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health and urges Congress to adopt legislation that aims to facilitate movement toward a ‘smarter’ health care system through the promotion of widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) and personal health records (PHRs), highlighting three important issues:
  • first, the critical need for ongoing Federal leadership in encouraging and shaping a national health information system that benefits all stakeholders, especially patients;
  • second, a prudent assessment of “lessons learned” from the rollout of HIPAA standards to date and identify issues to be considered as additional health information standards and initiatives are developed and disseminated;
  • and, third, to address some current disincentives – both real and perceived – that slow the implementation of health information technologies in our healthcare system, the most information-intensive enterprise in our economy.

Dr. Detmer’s testimony was delivered at the Rayburn House Office Building, March 16, 2006 at 10:00 AM.

Read the full text of the testimony (pdf)
Review the complete Witness List & Prepared Testimony panel.
Read the transcript of this hearing (should be available within 60-90 days of the conclusion of the hearing).
AMIA Joins Health Care Coalition in Letter Urging President, Congress to Increase Public Health Funding in FY07 February 1, 2006
The American Medical Informatics Association joins a coalition of health care organizations and associations in a support of a letter requesting increased funding for public health through the Function 550/discretionary budget allocation in Fiscal Year 2007.

Read the Entire Letter (pdf)

Building the Work Force for Health Information Transformation February 9, 2006
Report from AHIMA and AMIA Outlines National Action Agenda

Press Release (pdf)
Complete Report (pdf)

Health Information Associations Urge President to Support Key Actions to Accelerate EHR Adoption, Interoperability February 3, 2006

Read the press release (pdf)
Read the letter (flash)

AMIA Joins Coalition in Advertisement to Promote Health IT to Congress November 1, 2005
AMIA is a co-sponsor of an ad designed by Intel to promote the adoption of health information technology. The advertisement appeared in the November 1 copy of Roll Call newspaper, a publication of Congressional news.

View the advertisement (pdf).

Commission on Systemic Interoperability Issues Final Report
Don E. Detmer, AMIA President and CEO among commissioners.

Complete Press Release (pdf) Complete Report