Elizabeth Hyman Posts

A look at the week of April 18 in public advocacy for the IT channel   This week, President Obama signed the bill repealing the much-debated 1099 tax provision.  The federal government will be closing a third of its data centers and shifting agency programs to the cloud in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency.  Farzad Mostashari, the new health IT coordinator, is beginning his position in a much different political environment than his predecessor and faces signif ...

Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, eligible healthcare professionals and hospitals can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments when they adopt certified electronic health records (EHR) technology and use it to achieve specified objectives.  Two regulations have been released, one of which defines the “meaningful use” objectives that providers must meet to qualify for the bonus payments.  This year, t ...

The CompTIA mission is to advance the global IT industry. A cornerstone of that mission is to support a national network for career training and education. Tomorrow’s IT entrepreneurs may be today’s student or dislocated worker that needs access to training and knowledge. Hence our deep engagement and support for federal, state and local programs that meet these objectives.On April 15th the President signed into law H.R. 1473, the long-term continuing resolution that will fund the federal govern ...

A look at the week of April 11 in public advocacy for the IT channel   This week, the Senate finally voted to repeal the much-debated 1099 provision, which now heads to the President for his signature.  The new health IT coordinator plans to keep the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) on the same path set by his predecessor, David Blumenthal.  A new report from the Ponemon Institute shows that energy and utility company infrastructure is inadequate to defend against c ...

A look at the week of April 4 in public advocacy for the IT channel   Cybersecurity experts are beginning to feel that attackers have an edge on the government and are stressing the importance or collaborating with the private sector in fending them off.  H-1B visa reform is being pressed by tech companies, despite the persistently high US unemployment rate.  This week, the VA is taking steps to transfer its leading EMR system to an open source format. Cyber Attackers Have ...

On March 25, the Office of National Coordinator at the Department of Health and Human Services announced the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, which was last updated in 2008.  The plan is being updated in order to reflect the impact of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and the Affordable Care Act.  The plan focuses on implementing key healthcare IT policies over the next five years through coordination between government agencies, ...

A look at the week of March 28 in public advocacy for the IT channel   The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has released a strategic plan to carry out mandates in the HITECH Act.  The Pentagon has revised its cyber budget and is now asking for an extra billion dollars to protect its networks.  Sen. Robert Menendez has sponsored an amendment asking the Obama Administration to study the 1099 repeal. Healthcare IT Strategic Plan Unveiled — A draft of the ...

A look at the week of March 21 in public advocacy for the IT channel  This week, a comprehensive cybersecurity bill was introduced in the House.  Democrats plan to offer a different way to pay for the 1099 repeal.  Cyber attacks are both increasing in number and becoming more serious, according to a White House report.Rep. Langevin Introduces Cybersecurity Bill — Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) unveiled a comprehensive cybersecurity bill that would create a national office to coordinate responses to In ...

When President Obama announced the formation of a Council on Jobs and Competitiveness (Jobs Council) in January, CompTIA was alarmed that none of the 23 members appointed by the president currently run a small business. In response, CompTIA’s public policy team reached out to Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)  to share data on who makes up the IT industry and encourage her to contact the White House to ask that the Jobs Council include a representative from the small IT business community.  T ...

A look at the week of March 14 in public advocacy for the IT channel   This week, Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) will try to pass 1099 repeal legislation as part of an authorization bill to fund the Small Business Administration (SBA).  Industry groups are urging the government to forgo cybersecurity legislation in favor of public-private incentives and cooperation.  New studies on implementing electronic health information systems suggest that the technology benefits healthcare professionals.Johanns ...