Health care reform will impact almost every American. Implementation looms large, and will challenge agencies at all levels of government. Over $19 billion has been invested through the Recovery Act with the expectation that health IT systems will yield significant savings while enhancing patient care and improving outcomes. This track will address key questions raised by these reform initiatives, including how government and industry are deploying, managing and securing health IT, and will examine the promising possibilities for health data sharing to enhance medical care and improve public health.
8:30 AM-9:15 AM: Track 1 Introduction
Todd Park, Chief Technology Officer, Department of Health and Human Services
9:15 AM -10:30 AM; Track 1, Panel 1
Health IT to the Rescue – Encouraging Health IT Investments and Implementing Health Care Reform
This session will explore the role of HITECH and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in expanding adoption of health IT, and in supporting the implementation of healthcare reform. Attendees will learn about the various programs and incentives that have been put into place to enable health information technology usage on a broad scale, and will learn about what role each government agency has in ensuring the success of health IT investments.
Moderator: Todd Park, Chief Technology Officer, Department of Health and Human Services
Panelists:
Roger Baker, Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology, Department of Veterans Affairs
Kerry Weems, SVP & GM, Health Solutions, Vangent
Learning Objectives:
- How will government encourage health care providers to adopt health IT systems to manage records more efficiently and share information more effectively to enhance patient care while significantly reducing the cost of health care delivery?
- What role will tax and financial incentives play in getting private sector providers implement IT systems to improve health care delivery and administration?
- What change management strategies will the government employ to convince techno-phobic practitioners and providers to embrace automation and IT in managing health care delivery?
- How does the government plan to implement different aspects of PPACA?
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM; Track 1, Panel 2
Harnessing the Power of Health Information Exchange
Participants in this session will learn more about the steps that VA, DOD and HHS are taking to link together their systems and exchange information with other providers, using the NHIN and other health information exchange methods. The session will discuss some of the innovative programs and acquisition strategies being used by agencies to implement new capabilities and modernize existing systems to meet the demands of healthcare reform.
Moderator: Dr. Bart Harmon, Chief Medical Officer, Harris Corporation
Panelists:
Michael Carleton, Chief Information Officer, Department of Health and Human Services
Peter Levin, Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs
Capt. Michael Weiner, CAPT MC (FS/DMO) USN Director, EHR Way Ahead, Department of Defense
Dr. Teresa Cullen, Chief Information Officer, HHS/IHS
Learning Objectives:
- What steps will the government need to take to rationalize health IT systems across VA, DoD, DHHS and other federal agencies involved in the health enterprise?, in order to promote information exchange?
- How will Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (PPACA) be supported by the IT resources of federal agencies?
- How will government agencies use their acquisition processes to drive adoption of automation and IT?
- What are some of the innovative methods in which federal agencies are currently exchanging health information?
1:45 PM -3:00 PM; Track 1, Panel 3
An Untapped Well of Potential: Extracting Healthcare Data for Current Federal Systems
The pot of gold at the end of health care reform should be from exploiting what we can learn from healthcare data that has been collected over time by the federal government in its role administering and delivering healthcare. This session will explore the tremendous potential this data offers for a broad array various innovative applications, as well as some of the concerns that arise from its future use.
Moderator: Dixie Baker, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Healthcare, SAIC
Panelists:
Amy Burnett, Program Director, CDC INFO, Center for Disease Control
Eric Brinsfield, Director, Life & Sciences, SAS Institute
Dr. Doug Fridsma, Director, Office of Information Standards, HHS/ONC
Dr. Caterina Lasome, Chief Operating Officer, NIH/NCI
Learning Objectives:
- How will healthcare data be extracted from current systems to support improved delivery of care?
- What are the challenges involved in extracting large amounts of data from current systems?
- What impact will patient privacy and security concerns have on the ability to collect, analyze and share health data for public health, cost control and improved service delivery?
3:15 PM – 4:30 PM; Track 1, Panel 4
Going Viral: Using Social Networking to Enhance Outreach to the Public
Speakers will discuss how social networking tools are being creatively and effectively used to communicate key healthcare issues and concerns. Attendees will learn about some of the best practices and challenges associated with the use of social media for healthcare communication.
Moderator: Charles J. "Jack" Holt, Senior Strategist for Emerging Media, Department of Defense
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Panelists:
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Jenny Backus, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategy and Planning for Public Affairs, HHS/ASPA
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Kent Cunningham, Enterprise Technologist and Business Strategy Leader, Microsoft
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Erin Edgerton, Director, New Media and Strategic Communications at Office of National Drug Control Policy
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Kris Tremaine, Vice President, Strategic Communications Division, ICF International
- What role will social networking and other IT systems play in public health surveillance and pandemic prevention?
- How will social networking play a role in healthcare reform?
- How do federal agencies plan to manage and control social networking tools that are used in the context of healthcare communication?
- How will the federal government deal with quality control on information/misinformation? That may be disseminated through social media?
- How are social media issues associated with privacy being addressed by federal agencies?