Federal Healthcare IT Strategic Plan Unveiled

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 federal healthcare IT strategic plan for 2011-2015 provides a roadmap for the next national coordinator for healthcare IT. According to GovInfoSecurity.com, the plan aims to inspire confidence and trust in healthcare IT by improving patient safety through data integrity and new technologies, as well as other privacy and security projects.

Pentagon Seeks $3.2 Billion for Revised Cyber Budget — Protecting military networks in fiscal 2012 would cost nearly $1 billion more than the Pentagon publicly reported last month. According to agency officials, the increase reflects the growing number of programs being re-categorized as cybersecurity-related. Pentagon officials told Nextgov.com that the total request for boosting cybersecurity initiatives is $3.2 billion, including information assurance activities, program elements dispersed across the Defense services and agencies, and non-information assurance initiatives that are critical to the department's cyber stance.

Sen. Menendez Seeks Study on 1099 Repeal — Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) has crafted a second-degree amendment to Nebraska Republican Sen. Mike Johanns’ 1099 repeal amendment requiring the Obama Administration to study how the Johanns amendment would affect small businesses’ premium prices and access to coverage. If the study finds that the Republican pay-for increases costs or reduces access, the 1099 repeal would go into effect but it would not be paid for, says Politico. The second-degree amendment gives Democrats cover to vote on the Johanns amendment while most likely not allowing it to go into effect.