January 17, 2013 Gabriel Perna
news
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released an update to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), aiming to better protect patient privacy and safeguard patients' health information in the digital age, according to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
January 17, 2013 Gabriel Perna
news
According to the analytics arm of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), HIMSS Analytics, the number of hospitals adopting EHRs has increased steadily over the past year. The number of hospitals that have reached Stage 5 and 6 of HIMSS Analytics’ Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) has increased by more than 80 percent over the five most recent quarters for which data is available.
January 16, 2013 Gabriel Perna
news
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is calling on the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), to delay implementation of meaningful use Stage 3 until 2017, the association said in a comment letter to ONC National Coordinator Farzad Mostashari, M.D.
January 15, 2013 Jeff Smith, Assistant Director of Advocacy at CHIME
article
According to officials at CMS, December was the single largest monthly payout of EHR incentives in the program’s history. Roughly $1.2 billion went to eligible hospitals and eligible physicians in December, bringing the total estimated payout to $10.3 billion. The bulk of the payments went to EHs, who received $1 billion in Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments. EPs received $175 million in Medicare payments and $80 million in Medicaid payments.
January 14, 2013 Mark Hagland
news
On Jan. 14, the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) submitted formal comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), in response to the release of the Health IT Policy Committee’s proposal for Stage 3 of meaningful use.
January 14, 2013 Mark Hagland
news
On Jan. 14, the Chicago-based American Medical Association (AMA) submitted formal comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), in response to the release of the Health IT Policy Committee’s proposal for Stage 3 of meaningful use under the HITECH Act.
January 13, 2013 Mark Hagland
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As the vast UPMC health system in Pittsburgh moves forward on its big-data journey, senior vice president and CIO Dan Drawbaugh shares his perspectives on that journey exclusively with HCI’s Mark Hagland. Among the top learnings so far: the level of collaboration between and among senior clinician, administrative, and IT leaders required to achieve big-data breakthroughs will be exceptional.
January 9, 2013 Mark Hagland
article
Speranza Avram, the CEO of CalHIPSO, the largest of the 62 federally designated regional extension centers, has spent three years helping physicians in small groups to achieve meaningful use. Going forward, being able to continue to help providers beyond the end of this year will mean developing new models of sustainability.
January 8, 2013 David Raths
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At the Jan. 8 Health IT Policy Committee meeting, Farzad Mostashari, M.D., national coordinator for health IT, and Paul Tang, M.D., vice chair of the committee, outlined some priorities for the year ahead, including a glimpse of what Stage 4 of meaningful use might address.
January 5, 2013 Mark Hagland
article
In the wake of the so-called “fiscal cliff deal” that averted the effects of federal budget sequestration for two months when it was passed by Congress on Jan. 1 and signed by President Obama on Jan. 2, Blair Childs, senior vice president for public affairs at the Charlotte-based Premier health alliance, spoke with HCI Editor-in-Chief Mark Hagland about the current policy and political situation on Capitol Hill. To paraphrase Bette Davis, healthcare providers need to expect a bumpy ride throughout 2013.
January 4, 2013 Gabriel Perna
news
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has endorsed a bill announced this week in the U.S. House of Representatives that would increase federal support and payments for telehealth services. The bill, the Telehealth Promotion Act of 2012 was sponsored by Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA 1), and would establish a federal reimbursement policy, which would preclude the exclusion of service solely because it was provided via a telecommunications system.
January 3, 2013 Gabriel Perna
news
According to a request for information (RFI) document released recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is reaching out to providers, EHR vendors, and other interested parties on electronically reporting patient-level data under the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program starting in 2014.