February 15, 2013 Gabriel Perna
blog
In an NCQA webinar, managing partner and CEO of Crystal Run Healthcare, Hal Teitelbaum, M.D., talked about the mentality his organization has in being an ACO. It’s clear being an ACO, and getting accreditation from the NCQA, is not something that can be done with negligence.
February 7, 2013 Gabriel Perna
blog
When it comes to patients’ skills and knowledge on their care, more equals less, according to the recently published findings of one research team. The study found the most tuned in patients cost 8-to-21 percent less than the costs of patients with the lowest level of activation. It’s just one more piece of evidence that supports this growing movement.
January 22, 2013 John DeGaspari
news
A review of the available evidence underscores the safety of the federal childhood immunization schedule, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. However, the report offers a framework for conducting safety research using existing or new data collection systems. should signals indicate the need for investigation of the schedule.
January 8, 2013 David Raths
article
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 8, 2013 John DeGaspari
news
A Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute study shows that fewer than one in five healthcare providers meet Medicare Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) requirements. Those that meet PQRS thresholds now receive a 0.5 percent Medicare bonus payment. In 2015, bonuses will be replaced by penalties for providers who do not meet PQRS requirements. As it stands, more than 80 percent of providers nationwide would face these penalties.
December 27, 2012 Mark Hagland
news
A new study is casting a harsh light on so-called “never events” in the surgical sphere, finding that such adverse events, which can include leaving a sponge inside a patient or operating on the wrong side of the body, led to malpractice litigation in more than 4,000 instances every year, and cost healthcare professionals at least $1.3 billion in malpractice payouts between 1990 and 2010.
December 10, 2012 Gabriel Perna
news
The University of Utah Health Care, a four-hospital, 10-clinic health system, announced it has added an online tool that allows patients to score their satisfaction with their physicians. The physicians will be ranked on 40,000 patient surveys based on nine questions. Utah Health Care claims it is the first system in the nation to do something like this.
December 7, 2012 Gabriel Perna
blog
In a recent webinar, an analyst for Frost & Sullivan talked about how thanks to a variety of factors, there has never been a better opportunity for mHealth applications to change the way chronic diseases are treated. After listening to this webinar, I can’t say I disagree.
November 13, 2012 Gabriel Perna
news
A few months shy of his scheduled keynote appearance at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference, former President Bill Clinton has launched a health initiative through his foundation, aimed at tackling preventable health issues. The program, the Clinton Health Matters Initiative (CHMI), will see the creation of an online platform that allows people in underserved areas to discover “local, scalable” solutions to their health issues.
November 5, 2012 Gabriel Perna
news
The National Quality Forum (NQF) Board of Directors has endorsed 10 quality measures focused on behavioral health, focused on issues such as alcohol and tobacco abuse, antipsychotic medication adherence, and post care follow-up after hospitalization for mental illness.
October 16, 2012 Gabriel Perna
blog
At the Digital Health Conference this week in New York City, hosted by the New York eHealth Collaborative, David Brailer M.D., chairman of Health Evolution Partners and the former National Coordinator for Health IT, gave a rousing speech about the past and the future of the industry.
October 16, 2012 Jeff Smith, Assistant Director of Advocacy at CHIME
article
CHIME members voiced their concern this week with congressional proposals to “immediately suspend” EHR incentive payments. In an Oct. 4 letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Ways & Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI-4), Energy & Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI-6), Ways & Means Health Subcommittee Chair Wally Herger (R-CA-2) and Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Joe Pitts (R-PA-16) voice concern that the incentive payments were being wasted because many providers continue to lack interoperability.
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