WASHINGTON – Following the November mid-term elections, experts say healthcare IT is so heavily favored by both parties that it will continue to have support from lawmakers.
Healthcare IT is “absolutely critical” going forward, said David Merritt, executive vice president and director of National Health Policy at the Center for Health Transformation, at a December 7 news briefing.
“In order to be as efficient as possible, we will have to have healthcare IT,” he said. “Even though healthcare reform and the stimulus package were signed a year apart, there is a very clear tie between the two.”
According to Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and founder of the Center for Health Transformation, for the road will be rocky for healthcare reform over the next several years.
“Regulatory oversight is going to be one of the major themes of this Congress,” he said.
Gingrich predicts the new Republican majority in the House will repeal the healthcare reform law by late this spring, potentially re-passing aspects of the law that are worth keeping.
Merritt said the new federal innovation center, established under the healthcare reform law, would be piloting bundled payment, accountable care organizations and value-based purchasing.
Quality reporting will be required, and electronic health records will be needed for all the requirements coming up, Merritt said. “Healthcare IT is going to be absolutely required,” he added.
Bonuses from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for healthcare IT adoption will be “a game changer,” Merritt added, and it will make dealing with the health reform law much easier.
Merritt said a new white paper released by the center, along with support from Siemens and NextGen Healthcare, should offer some help to providers. The paper, titled “Navigating the Perfect Storm,"” describes the new models that care providers can expect to see in the future.
Charlene Underwood, senior director of government and industry affairs with Siemens, said as providers look through the lens and try and navigate the storm, they would have to closely follow new regulations to understand the implications of the healthcare reform law.
“Become aware of it and participate,” she recommended. People in the trenches will be the best resource for lawmakers, and providers can help put some “real solutions” on the table, she said.
