Wondering how the newly enacted health insurance reform law will impact health IT? So were we.

Fortunately, Brian Ahier, health IT evangelist for information systems (yes, that's his title) at Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, Ore., is studying the bill so you--and we--don't have to, and summarizing it for the world to see at the O'Reilly Radar blog.

Though these aspects haven't garnered much press, the legislation contains sections on quality reporting and administrative simplification (given the administrative complexity that the earlier HIPAA "administrative simplification" regulations have created, we'll believe that when we see it in practice). The law also creates the position of assistant HHS secretary for health information and establishes a National Medical Device Registry and a Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research, Ahier reports.

The assistant secretary for health information will, according to the legislation, work "in consultation with the Director of the Office of Minority Health, and the Director of the Office [for] Civil Rights, of the Department, develop standards for the collection of data on health and healthcare with respect to primary language." And here's the important part: The assistant secretary also will coordinate with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology "to ensure optimal use of health information technology," Ahier says. Hopefully, the job will complement rather than conflict with that of the ONC coordinator.

Under administrative simplification, HHS has 180 days from passage of the law to develop, in conjunction with the Health IT Policy Committee and HIT Standards Committee, "interoperable and secure standards and protocols" to help people enroll in federal and state health programs. Since we're potentially looking at a big expansion of Medicaid to cover millions of currently uninsured children, that sounds like a good start.

For more information:
- read Ahier's post on the O'Reilly Radar blog

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