FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shelly Spiro
703-599-5051; shelly@PharmacyHIT.org
May 15, 2017
Pharmacy Value Sets Public Comments Requested
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia – The Pharmacy HIT Collaborative has released a revised draft version of pharmacy value sets and is seeking public comments on these revisions. The 30-day comment period will begin on May 15 and close June 15. All comments will be reviewed and considered prior to the publication of the revised version value sets.
The revised draft pharmacy value sets for review and comment are accessible from the Pharmacy HIT Collaborative website. Clinicians, administrators, health information technology (IT) professionals, and other interested stakeholders are encouraged to review the value sets and submit feedback using the Pharmacy HIT Collaborative online submission form. The most current version of value sets is accessible from the Value Set Authority Center (VSAC) hosted by the National Library of Medicine.
The initial release of pharmacy value sets are being implemented by 12 pharmacy management system vendors participating in the Pharmacist eCare Plan pilot and five Medicare Part D plans participating in the Medicare Part D Enhanced MTM Model. Both programs are funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center. “These important pilot programs are driving implementation of SNOMED CT and other health IT standards within the pharmacy profession and stimulating widespread adoption across the country,” said Spiro.
Updates to the value sets are part of the continuous maintenance process managed by the Collaborative to ensure codes are available to document problems, interventions, outcomes, and other clinical information required to study pharmacist-provided services impact on outcomes and cost. “Demonstrating superior outcomes at the local or regional level, with payers involved, is vital to establishing value-based payment models for pharmacists,” said Samm Anderegg, project manager, at the Pharmacy HIT Collaborative.
About SNOMED CT
SNOMED CT is a coding terminology used for clinical documentation and a federally recognized standard for health information technology in the United States. SNOMED CT codes are used for patient care data, including general findings, problems, interventions, and outcomes. Codes are organized into value sets, or unique groups of codes, to aid implementation into electronic systems and support effective health information exchange and quality reporting.
About the Pharmacy HIT Collaborative
The Pharmacy HIT Collaborative is a coalition of nine professional pharmacy associations and additional stakeholders representing the pharmacy profession in all matters related to health information technology.
Additional implementation resources are available on the Resource Center page of the Pharmacy HIT Collaborative website.