Exciting news this month in health care was the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's (ONC) release of the final temporary certification rule. To receive stimulus incentives, providers must use electronic health records (EHR) certified by an authorized testing and certification body (ATCB). Those previously certified by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) will need to re-certify. So, since CCHIT was not automatically named as an ATCB, there will be no previous certifications grandfathered in. The government has not yet recognized any bodies to perform the certifying, but CCHIT has made it known it will apply to become authorized. A final rule for a permanent certification program is expected to be issued by this fall and you can be sure vendors will be busy getting tested. For more information check out INPUT's latest analysis report: Electronic Health Record Incentive Funding and Certification Program. Speaking of EHRs, a notable acquisition in June was the announcement that Allscripts will buy a competitor, Eclipsys, for $1.3 billion.

As the summer months heat up, so does legislative activity around the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. The nutrition programs are currently operating under an extension through the Agriculture Appropriations bill that runs through September 2010. In February, President Obama proposed an additional $10 billion over 10 years be invested in child nutrition through the reauthorization. Bills have been introduced in the Senate (S. 3307, The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010); the House (HR 5504, Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act) introduced a bill on June 10, 2010. These bills reauthorize the programs and provide additional money, but neither provides funding at the level the president proposed.

There has been continued activity around projects for Medicaid systems as states aim to support their Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS). The state of Washington's Department of Social and Health Services awarded SysTest Labs in the amount of $420,800 for its Medicaid Information Technology Architecture State Self-Assessment. Texas released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consultant services for design, development and implementation of its replacement MMIS. Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration, posted a Request for Information (RFI) for MMIS independent verification and validation, and South Carolina has a RFI for a requirements management tool to support its MMIS project.

Other upcoming projects across the states include:

• Tennessee - The Office of e-Health released an enterprise medication management and ePrescribing RFI on behalf of Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina
• Colorado - The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing may release a solicitation for a statewide health claims database

• Montana - The Department of Public Health and Human Services released a RFP for electronic benefits transfer planning services for its Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program
• Pennsylvania - The state is looking for IT support and services for its Department of Public Welfare
• Alaska - The Department of Health and Social Services released a RFP for WIC State Agency Model transfer services and WIC IT quality assurance

Notable awards:

• South Dakota - The Department of Social Services awarded Health Info Design Inc. for the Medicaid Drug Prior Authorization Initiative
• Colorado - The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing has awarded Clifton Gunderson LLP in the amount of $63,656 for the Single Entry Point Program Financial Compliance Reviews RFP
• Alabama - Department of Finance awarded the Fiscal Agent MMIS RFP on June 14, 2010, to HP for $111,364,813
• Illinois - Northern Illinois University released the awards for health IT Consulting Services. Vendors awarded a contract include Tri-Rivers Partners LLC for $248,400; Beacon Partners Inc for $115,000; E-Code Solutions for $248,400; E-Medapps Inc for $115,000; IFMC-IL for $115,000; and Connected Healthcare Solutions for $115,000

Later this month, join INPUT for a seminar featuring CIO for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Michael Carleton. The event will provide a venue to discuss health IT and the impact of health care reform legislation. Also, join us on July 27, 2010 for an INPUT webinar previewing our latest social services vertical offering, the WIC Program.