Medicare/Medicaid

Recently, the long-awaited updates to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) were released. Most observers agree that provisions meant to move business associates and subcontractors into the world of covered entities will lead to more accountability of protected health information. But some worry that the rule does not clarify the emerging role of HIEs and population health management initiatives.

A majority of Americans put the creation of state-based health insurance exchanges at the top of the priority list for health policy in their state this year, according to a survey released on Jan. 24 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.

HIMSS Analytics' recent press release on the acceleration in the pace of EHR adoption is encouraging, but then again, the numbers could be read in different ways, depending on one's perspective

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.

Under the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans will gain access to affordable health coverage through Affordable Insurance Exchanges (also known as health insurance marketplaces) and improvements in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in 2014. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced a proposed rule that promotes consistent policies and processes for eligibility notices and appeals in Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Exchanges, and give states more flexibility when operating their Medicaid programs.