Could Health IT Progress Stall Given Recent Events?

It's been a busy time in the health information technology sphere. National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal announced that he plans to step down from his post as the country's health IT chief in April. The news of Blumenthal's departure came just 10 days after Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) introduced a bill (HR 408) aimed at cutting $2.5 trillion in federal spending over 10 years partly by eliminating funding for the meaningful use incentive program. Under the meaningful use incentive program, included in the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of electronic health records can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments. While Jordan's bill appears to have little chance of passing, it has raised concerns among health care providers who were preparing to move forward with their health IT adoption plans. At the same time, the battle over the health reform law -- which includes several health IT-related provisions, such as Web-based state insurance exchanges and online enrollment for health care and human services programs -- has heightened. Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson ruled that the reform law's individual mandate is unconstitutional, agreeing with plaintiffs in a multistate lawsuit that the provision exceeds Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce. Vinson went a step further and invalidated the entire law because he concluded that the mandate is "inextricably bound" to other provisions in the law.

So what do all of these policy developments mean? Could they slow health IT momentum and ultimately derail the meaningful use incentive program? Or are they part of the normal policymaking process?