- Mission [1]
- The Department’s mission is to protect the health of all Americans and provide essential human services, especially to those
who are least able to help themselves. The development and dissemination of timely and high quality data and information is
a critical component of the missions of many HHS programs, as well as those of HHS partners in the health and human services
communities. NCVHS supports the Department's mission through its role as a statutory public advisory body on health data,
statistics and national health information policy. As specified in its charter, and in alignment with the Department’s strategic
plan, NCVHS serves as a national forum on health data and information systems, to accelerate the evolution of public and private
health information systems toward more uniform, shared data standards, operating within a framework protecting privacy and
security. The Committee encourages the evolution of a shared, public/private national health information infrastructure that
will promote the availability of valid, credible, timely and comparable health data. With sensitivity to policy considerations
and priorities, the Committee provides scientific, technical advice and guidance regarding the design and operation of health
statistics and information systems and services, and the coordination of health data requirements. The Committee also assists
and advises the Department in the implementation of the Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and ePrescribing provisions of
the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) and informs decision making about data policy by HHS,
states, local governments and the private sector. NCVHS topic areas for concentration directly relate to specific Department
initiatives. For example, the Subcommittee on Standards prepares recommendations to address standards for administrative transactions
and code sets, patient medical records information (PMRI), industry implementation of HIPAA standards—all in line with the
HIPAA Administrative Simplification Initiative. With the passage of PPACA, the Standards Subcommittee was targeted with making
recommendations on a Unique National Health Plan Identifier and operating rules, essential elements to establish more uniform
standards and requirements for electronic transmission of health information. These requirements are also intended to reduce
the clerical burden on patients, health care providers and health plans. Letters developed from information obtained in hearings
(July 2010) were submitted for review and approved September 2010. An intensive series of additional hearings were conducted
in 2011 to address even more detailed standards on Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) and
Acknowledgement transactions, also noted in PPACA. The impact and role of NCVHS in providing expert advice and public testimony
about these very detailed and complex topics cannot be overstated. The evolving set of Operating Rules and clear standards
on health plan identifier, EFT, ERA and acknowledgments are the core functionality to support the electronic health care system.
The Subcommittee on Privacy, Confidentiality and Security. While the members continue to consider issues from its hearings
on privacy in “Personal Health Records,” and “Sensitive Information in the Medical Record,” the Subcommittee is also collaborating
with the Populations Subcommittee on a major health information project. The two Subcommittees jointly conducted Workshops
in February and May 2011 to obtain information on Community Health Data (described below). The May session focused on privacy
considerations of community health data, and was organized to demonstrate efforts to engage the communities, data management,
governance and uses, and communicating results.Recent letters and reports developed by the Subcommittee have led to extension
by Congress of HIPAA protections to business associates; provided further definition of health care operations and limitations
on data used for these purposes; accomplished ongoing study of segmentation technologies for HIE; complied with Congressionally
mandated study of extension of privacy protections to non-HIPAA covered entities; and enhanced enforcement by OCR.The Subcommittee
on Population Health. Currently, as noted above, the Population Health Subcommittee is working with the Privacy Subcommittee
on a Community Health Data Initiative, and is taking the lead in developing a report with a thematic analysis of the two Workshops,
which will include a small-scale environmental scan to place the issues, and interviews with key presenters. Crucial to this
project is the understanding that when it comes to population health, the community is a perfectly modeled learning system,
because health is affected by multiple determinants¯economic status, education, transportation, physical activity, food quality,
environmental quality, to name a few. With assistance, guidance, and support, community initiatives can address many determinants.
The Subcommittees is developing a draft report, The Community as a Learning System for Health, and will review the concepts
at the September 2011 meeting, with intention to submit for Committee review and action in November. The Committee is also
continuing its focus on facilitators and barriers to data linkage at state and local levels as a critical part of health information
infrastructure, specifically linking EHR data with existing administrative and local survey data, while addressing the growing
needs for public education on health data and electronic health records, and novel approaches in using social media as an
educational resource. The Committee’s concept paper, “Toward Enhanced Information Capacities for Health,” developed by the
Population Health Subcommittee affirms that national information capacities should be comprehensive and accessible, protective
of privacy, and standardized. They should enable not only better clinical care but also more complete population health services
and assessmentThe Quality Subcommittee continues to function as a pivotal point of reference for the Committee in that its
topics intersect and overlap with all of the other subcommittees. The Quality Subcommittee is also becoming more recognized
as a nexus point in supporting the Department’s efforts promoting quality of care measurement. The Subcommittee built on its
2009 hearing on the Meaningful Measures Supply Chain, conducted a subsequent hearing October 2010, and approved a letter on
the development of meaningful measures—Aligning Quality Measurement with Needs of Health Reform (February 2011). The focus
was on leveraging both existing and emerging data sources (e.g., patient-generated data, remote monitoring, personal health
records), and in particular identifying significant opportunities and gaps, thus, providing input in the creation of a "quality
measure roadmap" by obtaining input from measure developers, endorsers, and other stakeholders. The information is expected
to be valuable considering the heavy reliance on measures of “meaningful use” to allocate the distribution of funds under
the HITECH provisions of ARRA. NCVHS continues to have a significant impact as an instrumental influence in health policy
throughout the Department, federal agencies and private entities. A recent example can be seen in the newly evolving concepts
of the Learning Healthcare System, organized by the IOM, where key aspects of the strategic framework were derived directly
from NCVHS concepts. NCVHS hearings, meetings and deliberations assure deliberate public engagement for issues, important
to improving awareness and facilitating transformation to a Learning Healthcare System, a pathway for systems to evolve and
support quality improvement and meaningful use in EHRs. The NCVHS 60th Anniversary as Program Evaluation – In addition to
the fanfare of celebrating the NCVHS sixtieth anniversary, the occasion provided an opportunity to reflect on the Committee’s
role and accomplishments over sixty years. Activities were organized and conducted all year that manifested aspects of the
Committee’s expansive areas of interest and range of capacities, contributing to its effectiveness analysis. Extensive activities
were conducted throughout FY 2010, and extended into FY 2011 with the: U.S. NCVHS: Advancing Health Information Management
Priorities for 60 Years, paper that was presented by Executive Secretary at 16th Congress of International Federation of Health
Records Organizations (November 2010)The NCVHS Anniversary History “Sixty Years of Making a Difference” was printed as a stand-alone
document last fiscal year and continues to serve as a valuable reference. It highlights how the four years since the last
biennial report have witnessed extensive strides in electronic health information technology, an intensive exploration and
interest in electronic health records, and an unprecedented influx of funding provided in the ARRA to accomplish many HIT
goals.
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