Value Based Care Regulations Yield Physician Discontent, No Change in Behavior

Clinicians are in a knowledge management crisis – massive amounts of data but getting the right information to clinicians, IT personnel and others at the right time is the challenge. What was missing from the RAND report were biomedical informatics perspectives.

Continue ReadingValue Based Care Regulations Yield Physician Discontent, No Change in Behavior

Meaningful Use Audits, HIPAA Privacy and Security and Safeguards

The HITECH Act, which was enacted as part of ARRA, promotes the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology. Subtitle D of the HITECH Act addresses the privacy and security concerns associated with the electronic transmission of health information. While the HITECH Act mirrors HIPAA, it elaborates with specific requirements

Continue ReadingMeaningful Use Audits, HIPAA Privacy and Security and Safeguards

CMS and OIG Meaningful Use Audits Increase, HIPAA Breaches factor in. What’s your Strategy?

If your hospital is notified by CMS that is auditing your organization's  Meaningful Use (MU) attestation you will need a clear action plan and the advice of experienced people who…

Continue ReadingCMS and OIG Meaningful Use Audits Increase, HIPAA Breaches factor in. What’s your Strategy?

HIMSS 2014 Keynote – Marilyn Tavenner Speaks about ICD-10, Meaningful Use, Healthcare.gov and Quality in Healthcare

Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spoke at HIMSS 2014 in Orlando Florida spoke about interoperability, and "reduced spending in healthcare." Continue to reward programs that provide value and quality. "Linking quality data, reporting, and cost of care to outcomes, patient quality for all care settings and tie that to payments." She also spoke about ICD-10, Meaningful Use Stage 2, Healthcare.gov, interoperability and details about several quality and privacy initiatives.

Continue ReadingHIMSS 2014 Keynote – Marilyn Tavenner Speaks about ICD-10, Meaningful Use, Healthcare.gov and Quality in Healthcare

Three EHR Vendors Meet Meaningful Use 2014 Standard, Creates Challenge for EPs Wishing to Achieve Stage 2

By June 13, 2013 only three vendors are ready for inpatient, and three for ambulatory on the CMS website that shows which EHR vendors have their product certified for Meaningful Use under the 2014 Standard. This creates an issue for all Eligible Providers (EPs) who achieved meaningful use Stage 1. Unless their EHR vendor meets the Stage 2 requirements, those EPs no longer qualify for Meaningful Use stimulus dollars.

Continue ReadingThree EHR Vendors Meet Meaningful Use 2014 Standard, Creates Challenge for EPs Wishing to Achieve Stage 2

CHIME Proposed a One-Year Extension of Meaningful Use Stage 2

The College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME), proposed a one-year extension of Meaningful Use Stage 2 in response to Senators’ request for feedback on healthcare IT adoption. Note that an actual extension would requre an Act of Congress, according to the Stage 2 Final Rule.

Continue ReadingCHIME Proposed a One-Year Extension of Meaningful Use Stage 2

ICD-10 Implementation Consulting Best Practices

One strategy is to continue to move ahead on ICD-10 process impacts, systems planning, and overall budgets but depending on readiness, get your consulting firm to help with both the requirements documentation and strategies for clinical documentation that don’t’ exist now. Why? The WEDI / NCHICA timeline suggests that health care providers should have started planning for ICD-10 about 18 months before the CMS announcement of a delay.

Continue ReadingICD-10 Implementation Consulting Best Practices

Titanic Still Teaching us Lessons about Regulations

Almost everyone who studies the problem agrees that longitudinal health records are beneficial, but as I look into how HHS is hoping to do this, there are gaps that aren't being addressed.

Continue ReadingTitanic Still Teaching us Lessons about Regulations

PPACA Supreme Court Hearings Coverage in Social Media Need Holistic View

If The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is repealed it will be interesting to see if it is repealed in whole or in part. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) may excise the individual mandate requiring health insurance coverage, or it could strike it down entirely.

Continue ReadingPPACA Supreme Court Hearings Coverage in Social Media Need Holistic View

Stage 2 Meaningful Use, Interoperability of EMRs and ICD-10. What is CMS, ONC and HIPAA Impact on Accountable Care Organizations?

One of the key questions will be how the EMR provides a foundation with the Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) for comparative effectiveness data over the life span of a patient (sometimes called the continuum of care) and whether CDA standards currently proposed will accomplish that. Informatics people call this "longitudinal clinical data."

Continue ReadingStage 2 Meaningful Use, Interoperability of EMRs and ICD-10. What is CMS, ONC and HIPAA Impact on Accountable Care Organizations?