Policy

HIMSS Analytics: HITECH Achieving its Intended Result

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.

Medicaid Headed for Expansion in 2014

January 14, 2013     Rajiv Leventhal
news
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.

Health IT in Obama’s Second Term

January 14, 2013     David Raths
blog
One word sums up what winning a second term means to Obama administration government technology initiatives: continuity.

HHS: Providers Partner to Form 106 New ACOs

January 10, 2013     Rajiv Leventhal
news
Doctors and health care providers have formed 106 new Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in Medicare, ensuring as many as four million Medicare beneficiaries now have access to high-quality, coordinated care across the United States, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced.

U.S. Health Disadvantage Spans Age and Socioeconomic Groups

January 9, 2013     John DeGaspari
news
On average, Americans die sooner and experience higher rates of disease and injury than people in other high-income countries, says a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. The report finds that this health disadvantage exists at all ages from birth to age 75 and that even advantaged Americans—those who have health insurance, college educations, higher incomes, and healthy behaviors—appear to be sicker than their peers in other rich nations.

Most Americans Favor More Medical Research

January 9, 2013     John DeGaspari
blog
At a time of rancorous political divisions, it’s worth noting that most Americans are deeply concerned about the quality of healthcare—in particular, medical research. In a poll by Research!America, 72 percent of respondents say the new Congress and the President should take immediate action to expand medical research within the first hundred days of the 113th Congress. Their views are relevant as Congress considers funding cuts that could affect medical research, but it also suggests that healthcare issues in general are topmost on many people’s minds.

KLAS: Providers Rethink HIM Strategies as Technology and ICD-10 Challenges Arise

January 8, 2013     Rajiv Leventhal
news
A new report from the Orem, Utah-based research company, KLAS, found that providers are reassessing their go-forward health information management (HIM) strategies accompanying ICD-10 to address new challenges around organizational consolidation or expansion, electronic medical records (EMRs) and other HIM technology implementations.

Most Physicians Do Not Meet Medicare Quality Reporting Requirements

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.

Congressional Conflicts: Premier’s Blair Childs Offers His Perspectives on The Year Ahead in DC

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.

CMS Announces Delay for Enforcing HIPAA Claims Standards

January 4, 2013     Rajiv Leventhal
news
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Office of E-Health Standards and Services (OESS) announced this week that HIPAA-covered entities will have an extra 90 days to comply with operating rules for checking eligibility for health plan coverage and the status of healthcare claims electronically.

ONC Will Accept Applications for New Patient Engagement Workgroups

January 4, 2013     Rajiv Leventhal
news
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) is now accepting applications for potential membership for two new health IT federal advisory committee workgroups focused on patient engagement.

HHS Announces That More States Move Forward to Establish Health Insurance Exchanges

January 3, 2013     Rajiv Leventhal
news
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced that more states are on track to implement the health care law and establish health insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, in their states.
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