May 20, 2012
blog
I was trained to think of coding as a downstream process to care that is of little clinical significance. But, as I learned during the course of the week; I was dead wrong. Rather than simply polishing the chart, those downstream processes are intended to strengthen it. And, with the rapid evolution of MU and value care, the focus on clinical documentation integrity is moving upstream, directly to the provider.
I also found that getting the diagnosis correct, whether for coding, clinical care, quality improvement, or value-based payment is straight-forward but not at all simple.
May 17, 2012 Susan Heichert, Mary Bear-Dukes, and Dawn Mitchell
article
Some hospitals and health systems are looking to extend their own EMR solutions to independent hospitals and clinics. The practice became possible with the relaxation of anti-kickback statutes in 2006, but the sense of urgency has heightened in today’s environment. In fact, some organizations are even implementing new EMR solutions internally while extending the same solution to private practices simultaneously.
May 8, 2012
news
Along with the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the American Medical Association (AMA), the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) have submitted its comments on the proposed rule of Stage 2 of Meaningful Use to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
May 8, 2012 Jeff Smith, Assistant Director of Advocacy at CHIME
article
Despite a fairly constant flurry of news clippings regarding federal efforts to combat fraud in Medicare and Medicaid, prominent Senators want more “tangible results” from CMS to improve program integrity...Comments filed with both the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) identified concerns related to the proposed Stage 2 EHR reporting period as well as CMS’ varying approach to clinical quality measures (CQMs).
May 8, 2012
news
The Chicago-based American Medical Association (AMA) officially submitted its comments this week on the proposed rule for Stage 2 of the Medicare/Medicaid meaningful use electronic health record (EHR) program. Overall, the association said it was supportive of widespread adoption and meaningful use of EHRs by physicians, but thought the Stage 2 proposal was too cumbersome and would make successful physician participation extremely difficult.
May 1, 2012 Joe Marion
blog
A framework can build consensus and avoid misunderstandings when implementing a VNA. The framework graphs organizational focus against functional purpose, in an attempt to differentiate the particular needs, and potential emphasis of various vendors. Organizationally, initiatives can be focused around the needs of a single service area such as radiology, and primarily driven by the clinical service area.
April 24, 2012 Jeff Smith, Assistant Director of Advocacy at CHIME
article
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has published corrections to its Meaningful Use Stage 2 proposed rule in the Federal Register. Several of the changes are clerical corrections and do not substantively change the proposed measures and objectives. During a hearing this week, the first Congress has held since before Easter, the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, introduced the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act.
April 24, 2012
news
A recent poll from KPMG, an audit, tax and advisory services firm, suggests many business administrators at hospitals and health systems are expressing doubt on whether or not they can meet the new Stage 2 meaningful use requirements of EHR compliance standards. Less than half of those surveyed (48 percent) in the KPMG poll last month said they were confident in their organization’s level of readiness to meet Stage 1 meaningful use requirements.
April 18, 2012 Gabriel Perna
blog
One of healthcare’s greatest mysteries these days is patient engagement. It’s a term that’s been thrown around by providers, government agencies, insurers, and pretty much any stakeholder involved in the improvement of the industry. Yet, even though Meaningful Use Stage 2 is loaded with patient engagement initiatives, some, like David Chase, CEO of Avado.com, a start-up out of Bellvue, Wash.
April 9, 2012
blog
.....only clinician involvement can orchestrates the process by which clinicians are “integrated” in the process of delivery of quality-centered care. An obstructionist clinician team can derail an otherwise successful HIT adoption project and/or your EHR application implementation.
April 9, 2012
news
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted the clinical quality measures for Stage 2 under meaningful use of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act/Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (ARRA/HITECH). This comes approximately one month after CMS posted the proposed rules for Stage 2 around the HIMSS12 conference.
April 5, 2012 David Raths
news
The Health IT Policy Committee plans to submit its response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ meaningful use Stage 2 Notice of Proposed Rule-Marking (NPRM) by May 7. At its April 4 meeting it heard from several of its work groups about suggested tweaks and recommendations. Paul Tang, M.D., of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and Columbia University’s George Hripcsak, M.D., co-chairs of the meaningful use work group, addressed several key issues.
_0_18.jpg)
_0_16.jpg)
