Policy

Editors Picks

Industry Expert: A Balanced View on ACOs

Rajiv Leventhal
With the news hitting in late July that nine Pioneer accountable care organizations (ACOs) will drop out of the Pioneer program, healthcare experts have been struggling to draw conclusions about what this really means for the future of accountable care. Is it still a realistic outcome? Michael Nugent, managing director of the healthcare practice at Navigant, a Chicago-based consulting firm, answers this question while also offering advice on how ACOs could revamp their strategies to be more effective moving forward.

Top Stories

Washington Debrief: Preview of National Health IT Week

September 16, 2013     Jeff Smith, Director of Public Policy at CHIME
article
Sept. 16-20 marks the 8th Annual National Health IT Week (http://www.healthitweek.org/). During NHIT Week, hundreds of health IT stakeholders fly to Washington, DC to advocate for better health IT-related policies. Stakeholders that cannot come to DC for are encouraged to host an event locally at the state our regional level.

INDUSTRY-FIRST INTERVIEW: CHIME’s Branzell on ONC’s New Patient-Matching Initiative Launch

September 11, 2013     Mark Hagland
article
Fast on the heels of an announcement by the ONC that the agency was launching a patient matching initiative, CHIME’s Russ Branzell gave HCI’s Mark Hagland an industry-first interview regarding CHIME’s praise for ONC’s announcement, and CHIME’s response to that announcement.

ONC Announces Patient Matching Initiative

September 11, 2013     Gabriel Perna
news
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has announced a collaborative patient matching initiative, a representative for the government agency announced in a blog post this week.

The Future in Present Tense: One Industry Luminary’s Take on the Current Landscape of Healthcare

September 10, 2013     Mark Hagland
article
Micky Tripathi, Ph.D., the founding president and CEO of the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative, has been active in healthcare industry thought leadership for many years. In the wake of the recent announcement that Farzad Mostashari, M.D. would be stepping down as National Coordinator for Health IT this fall, Tripathi shared his thoughts with HCI’s Mark Hagland on a range of forward-looking topics.

HIT Policy Committee OKs Recommendations on Regulatory Framework for Health IT

September 4, 2013     David Raths
news
Sept. 4 marked the last Health IT Policy Committee meeting under the direction of Farzad Mostashari, M.D., as national coordinator of health IT. The meeting saw lively discussion on two fronts: first, recommendations regarding the development of a risk-based regulatory framework and strategy for health information technology; and second, progress on the meaningful use work group’s efforts to develop a framework for outcome-oriented measures as part of Stage 3 of meaningful use.

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Bipartisan Policy Center Comments on Potential Health IT Framework

September 4, 2013     Gabriel Perna
news
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) has submitted its response to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s request for comments on a regulatory framework for Health IT.

ACO Development in New Jersey: One CMO's Learnings from First-Stage Efforts

September 3, 2013     Mark Hagland
article
The seven acute-care-hospital, West Orange-based Barnabas Health, the largest health system in New Jersey, has been plunging headlong into accountable care development. And Anthony Slonim, M.D., the health systems vice president and CMO, has a lot to say regarding lessons learned so far in Barnabas Health's journey.

Insurer, Provider Team Up for Accountable Care in Washington

August 30, 2013     Rajiv Leventhal
news
Regence BlueShield in Seattle, Wash. and the five-hospital MultiCare Health System in Tacoma, Wash. have teamed up to launch an accountable care program. The insurer and provider aim to further enhance care and bend the medical cost curve for people in the south Puget Sound region of the state.

Survey: Physicians Mixed on Medicare Payment Data Transparency

August 29, 2013     Gabriel Perna
news
Physicians are divided on the hot-button issue of healthcare data transparency, according to a recent poll from the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE).

Crowded Plates: For CIOs, Policy Mandates are Piling Up

August 28, 2013     Gabriel Perna
article
As healthcare policy leaders wade into the thicket of issues confronting CIOs, one thing is clear: each issue has its own set of competing challenges, and there are no simple solutions. Healthcare Informatics Associate Editor Gabriel Perna recently spoke with seven industry insiders and leaders to attempt to unfurl the challenges that surround each regulatory issue and looked to answer that pervasive question: which one should come first?

Report: ACO Lowered Costs for Medicare Beneficiaries

August 28, 2013     Gabriel Perna
news
A recent research effort out of Massachusetts has determined that at least one accountable care organization (ACO) initiative was directly responsible for lower spending for Medicare patients.

Got Your "$546 Saline IV Bag" Defense Prepared Yet? I Didn't Think So.

August 27, 2013     Mark Hagland
blog
When The New York Times runs an article on page 1 of its Sunday Business section, people notice. And that goes double when the headline on the article reads, "How to Charge $546 for Six Liters of Saltwater." The bottom line? The push for transparency will only intensify in the new healthcare.
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