Category: Healthcare Industry News
Report Calls for Addressing Social Risks in Medicare Payment
Date: October 19th, 2016Source: AAFP NewsTopics: Value-Based Care, Social Determinants of HealthFamily physicians take a comprehensive approach to health care, but Medicare payments do not adequately account for their attention to social determinants of health. A new report suggests ways that could change.
Read MoreHow MACRA Final Rule Promotes Secure Info Exchange
Date: October 17th, 2016Source: Gov Info SecurityTopics: HIE, EHRs, MACRA, Information BlockingOverall, I think it is also important to note that the information blocking attestation is just one of many other complex requirements and quality measurements that regulators will use to "score" healthcare providers under new MACRA payment schedules. However, the fact that the prevention of information blocking is part of payment reform potentially puts pressure on reluctant healthcare organizations to more willingly participate in secure health information exchange for the betterment of patients.
Read MoreHHS finalizes streamlined Medicare payment system that rewards clinicians for quality patient care
Date: October 14th, 2016Source: HHS.govTopics: MACRAToday, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) finalized a landmark new payment system for Medicare clinicians that will continue the Administration’s progress in reforming how the health care system pays for care.
Read MoreFinal MACRA rule expands exemptions, flexibility
Date: October 14th, 2016Source: Modern HealthcareTopics: Meaningful Use, MACRA, Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)Nearly a third of physicians could be exempt from Medicare's new merit-based incentive payment system under a final rule the CMS issued Friday for implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act.
Read MoreThree steps to ACO success
Date: October 12th, 2016Source: Health Management TechnologyTopics: Health IT, Accountable CareAll of us in healthcare share a similar fantasy: one in which babies, children, adults and the very elderly – regardless of their needs and health status – all get the right care at the right time in the right place and at the right cost. Healthcare in its current form is far from that ideal. But with the advancement of powerful information technology, we now have what we need to accomplish this laudable goal.
Read MoreCMS Timelines for Stage 3 Meaningful Use, MACRA Implementation
Date: October 10th, 2016Source: RevCycle IntelligenceTopics: Meaningful Use, MACRA, Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)CMS developed timelines for Stage 3 Meaningful Use and MACRA implementation that spell out healthcare payment incentives and penalties.
Read More3 keys to HIE implementation for nursing homes
Date: October 5th, 2016Source: Fierce HealthcareTopics: HIE, Long-Term CareWhile few nursing homes use health information exchanges (HIEs), they will have to adapt quickly to meet policy and public demands to more effectively use technology for improving communication between healthcare providers.
Read MoreProposed changes to 42 CFR Part 2 will affect providers
Date: September 30th, 2016Source: Behavioral HealthcareTopics: Behavioral Health, HIPAAAlthough the proposal is extensive[4] and still maintains HIPAA’s requirement that the individual must grant prior consent for the disclosure of his or her personal health information, the new rules would allow treatment programs to obtain a general disclosure consent from the individual—such as the name of a health information exchange or “my treating providers,” rather than requiring the individual to include the name or title of the specific individuals or organizations in a written consent form to which disclosures may be made, as is currently the case
Read MoreBy The Numbers: Our Progress In Digitizing Health Care
Date: September 29th, 2016Source: HealthIT BuzzTopics: HIE, EHRs, Meaningful Use, Health IT, InteroperabilityOver the past seven years, the United States has seen a historic health IT transformation, moving from a primarily paper-based health system to one where virtually everyone has a digital footprint of their care because of the dramatic uptake of electronic health records (EHRs).
Read MoreTop Three Ways Health Information Exchange Benefits Payers
Date: September 28th, 2016Source: Health Payer IntelligenceTopics: HIE, Accountable Care, Health PlansHealth information exchange could play a significant role in reducing overall healthcare spending among payers and providers.When health payers and providers utilize health information exchange, they will make significant gains in reducing healthcare spending, reducing duplicative testing and services, and improving their use of preventive medical services
Read MoreWhere Interoperability, Integration Fit into EHR Selection
Date: September 27th, 2016Source: HealthIT InteroperabilityTopics: EHRs, InteroperabilityAs part of its effort to improve health information sharing, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has issued new guidance for healthcare organizations to consider during EHR selection and contracting.
Read MoreElectronic health information available at a hospital near you
Date: September 14th, 2016Source: Healthcare DiveTopics: Meaningful Use, Patient EngagementIn 2015, 95% of hospitals offered patients the ability to view health information electronically, 87% offered ability to download health information, and 69% offered ability to view, download, and transmit, according to new data from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
Read MoreNearly all states reduced preventable hospital readmissions
Date: September 14th, 2016Source: Healthcare DiveTopics: Hospital ReadmissionsThe District of Columbia and 49 states reduced avoidable hospital readmission rates between 2010 and 2015, according to a Tuesday post in The CMS Blog.
Read MoreCMS will give providers flexibility on MACRA requirements
Date: September 8th, 2016Source: Modern HealthcareTopics: MACRA, Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)The CMS on Thursday announced it will allow providers to choose the level and pace at which they comply with the new payment reform model aimed at emphasizing quality patient care over volume.
Read MoreHospital ownership of medical practices grows by 86% in three years
Date: September 7th, 2016Source: Modern HealthcareTopics: HealthcareThe analysis, conducted by healthcare consulting firm Avalere Health and the not-for-profit price transparency group the Physicians Advocacy Institute, found that from 2012 to 2015, hospitals acquired 31,000 physician practices in the U.S.
Read MoreGaps In Care Persist During Transition From Hospital To Home
Date: September 6th, 2016Source: Kaiser Health NewsTopics: Hospital Readmissions, Long-Term Care, Transitions of CarePoorly managed transitions can waste medical services and increase health care costs. The federal government has estimated that nearly 20 percent of Medicare patients return to the hospital within 30 days, costing more than $26 billion annually.
Read MoreHospitals need better ways to follow patients after discharge
Date: September 2nd, 2016Source: Modern HealthcareTopics: HIE, Care Coordination, Hospital Readmissions, Transitions of CareThe new orthopedic and cardiac bundled payment programs reflect a new economic reality for hospitals, which traditionally had very little responsibility for post-acute care. In many markets across the country, they now will be responsible for the financial and clinical outcomes of patients for nearly three months after discharge.
Read MoreRole of Health Data Exchange in Advancing Care Information
Date: September 1st, 2016Source: HealthIT InteroperabilityTopics: HIE, MACRA, Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)As part of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), the advancing care information performance category will replace meaningful use for eligible clinicians — and place a strong emphasis on healthcare interoperability and health data exchange.
Read MoreInfluential healthcare leaders set principles for patient-centered care
Date: August 30th, 2016Source: Modern HealthcareTopics: Value-Based Care, Accountable Care, Patient CareA group of healthcare industry heavy hitters who want to promote value-based care have developed a set of principles to help providers make patients the top priority in everything they do. The Health Care Transformation Task Force paper includes six guiding principles, each with key questions providers can ask themselves to gauge progress in following the principle.
Read MoreHow to Get Started with a Population Health Management Program
Date: August 30th, 2016Source: HealthIT AnalyticsTopics: Population Health, Data AnalyticsGiven the fact that providers are increasingly acknowledging that they can’t escape the shift to pay-for-performance care, they are starting to turn their attention to developing the strategies and programs that will help them make the switch with the least amount of financial and operational discomfort. Population health management is at the top of that list, since it sits squarely at the nexus of health IT implementation, big data analytics, value-based reimbursement, improved operational efficiencies, and increased patient engagement.
Read MoreWhy Do We Want Interoperability?
Date: August 29th, 2016Source: HIE AnswersTopics: HIE, EHRs, Health IT, InteroperabilityA lot of time and attention has been put into the notion of interoperability by almost every stakeholder in the healthcare system. Those interested in the issue include patients, providers, vendors and the government. Why has interoperability received so much focus, though? It may be possible to answer that question by stating that interoperability contains a large element of the common good.
Read MoreUsing Health Information Exchange to Reduce Strain on EDs
Date: August 25th, 2016Source: HealthIT InteroperabilityTopics: HIE, Care Coordination, Emergency ServicesUse of health information exchanges could provide a solution to avoiding unnecessary visits to emergency departments while improving patient care, according to a recent study in the Southern Medical Journal.
Read MoreThe Impact of MACRA on Your Practice
Date: August 16th, 2016Source: RCM AnswersTopics: Meaningful Use, MACRA, Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)Encouraging physicians to switch to electronic health records (EHR) has been a long term effort from CMS ever since the January 2009 passage of the HITECH act. Over three-quarters of physicians and nearly all hospitals are using an EHR but the incentivizing structure has been hard to wade through, at best. Now healthcare professionals and physicians alike must focus their efforts on understanding the end of the SGR formula and the beginning of The Merit Based Incentive Payment System and Alternative Payment Model
Read MoreHIE offers quick access to outside info to improve ED care
Date: August 15th, 2016Source: Fierce HealthcareTopics: HIE, Interoperability, Emergency ServicesHealth information exchanges (HIE) can improve emergency department care by providing faster access to patient information from outside sources, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA).
Read MoreTips for Overcoming Health Information Exchange Challenges
Date: August 15th, 2016Source: HealthIT InteroperabilityTopics: HIE, Healthcare PolicyNumerous challenges stand in the way of effective health information exchange and those are the top of the list tend to be non-technical in nature.
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