electronic health records (EHRs)
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CMS EHR Incentive Payments Flirt With $7 Billion
Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record payments are approaching $7 billion since its inception, with $6.9 billion paid out to 143,800 physicians and hospitals in total program estimates through the end of August. Read More »
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CMS Inclusion of API’s for Stage 3 Meaningful Use Rule is the Right Decision
One of these rules, the decoupling of EHR certification and meaningful use brings some hope to those looking to build upon established EHRs and other health databases. Prior to this, there has been a very tightly held belief that EHR systems would contain the answers needed to fulfill all governmental regulations, something that has not been shown to be the case. EHR’s are becoming very important tools for healthcare delivery, yet their regimented, and for the most part proprietary data storage models, do not allow for easy customization to meet the needs of our patients and the various healthcare professionals dependent upon them for day-to-day management of patients.
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CMS Launches Data Element Library To Support Interoperability
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the agency’s first Data Element Library (DEL). The DEL is a new CMS database that supports the exchange of electronic health information. Using this free, centralized resource, the public for the first time can view the specific types of data that CMS requires post-acute care facilities (such as nursing homes and rehabilitation hospitals) to collect as part of the health assessment of their patients. These assessments include questions and response options (data elements) about patients, including demographics, medical problems and other types of health evaluations. Read More »
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CMS Offers Guidance On Changes To Meaningful Use Timeline
To help clarify last week’s changes to the EHR Incentive Program timeline, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a short guide for participants explaining changes and their effects. Read More »
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CMS Supports Open Source/Modular Medicaid Information Technology
Investing in the future of Medicaid is one of the single biggest opportunities in the health care sector...Overall, CMS’ annual investment in state Medicaid Information Technology (IT) is more than $5 billion, enabling states to modernize their Medicaid IT systems to best meet their program, providers’ and beneficiaries’ needs. CMS and states are prepared to invest in innovative solutions. For this investment, we expect significant advances. Our new regulations require that states evolve their legacy Medicaid IT systems to leverage reusable solutions, and to practice industry-proven IT methods such as use of modularity, reuse, shared services (including Software-as-a-Service) by fundamentally shifting the financial incentives away from custom development. This opens opportunity to smaller vendors to develop focused solutions for use across multiple states or to introduce solutions from comparable sectors such as commercial insurance or large provider systems.
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CMS' 5 Questions On Hospital Readiness To Use EHRs For e-Reporting
Certified electronic health records will make it easier for providers to report clinical quality measures for not only meaningful use but other federal programs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to align some of those measures. Read More »
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CMS: Meaningful Use EHR Incentives Hit $12.3B In February
With some healthcare providers now into their second year of meaningful use reporting, Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record payments were estimated at $12.3 billion paid to a total of 219,000 physicians and hospitals through February since the program’s inception. Read More »
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CMS: Stage 2 And Stage 3 Of Meaningful Use Will Be Extended
CMS and the ONC have announced that the next two phases of the EHR Incentive Programs will be extended in order to provide more time for professionals to adapt to the increased requirements and give rule makers a chance to examine the industry’s progress. Read More »
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Coalition Calls For Action Against EHRs That Block Interoperability
The Health IT Now Coalition is calling on HHS to decertify electronic health record systems that require extra modules or additional costs to share data, Politico's "Morning eHealth" reports...
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Coalition: Meaningful Use Stage 3 Must Focus On Care Disparities
Last week the Consumer Partnership for eHealth — a coalition of more than 50 consumer, patient and labor groups — published an action plan aimed at ensuring that Stage 3 of the meaningful use program focuses on health care disparities, Healthcare IT News reports. Read More »
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Cognitive Medical Systems and Motive Medical Intelligence Part of VA $22 Million Clinical Decision Support Initiative
Cognitive Medical Systems, a specialist in standards-based Clinical Decision Support (CDS) software and healthcare IT infrastructure, and Motive Medical Intelligence, a leading provider of evidence-based clinical workflows, today announced that it will be a part of the U.S. Veterans Administration’s $22 million initiative. The companies will work with prime contractor B3 Group on the one-year agreement to help the VA’s Office of Knowledge Based Systems (KBS) implement Clinical Decision Support (CDS) technology within electronic health records (EHRs)...
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Combat EHR System Cost Soars By 2,233 Percent
The Defense Health Agency's electronic health record for combat troops--costing 2,233 percent more than originally estimated--topped the list of Defense information systems projects gone off track in a report from the Government Accountability Office. Cost for the system, the Theater Medical Information Program - Joint (TMIP-J), Increment 2, soared from $67.7 million in November 2002 to $1.58 billion by December 2013.
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Commentary: Concerns About Quality Improvement Organizations Actions Around Meaningful Use
The federal government is pressuring the medical community to reduce patient care costs while improving the quality of patient care to all patients, including Medicare beneficiaries. Read More »
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Commentary: Micro Vs. Macro Approach To iEHR Interoperability
There are many approaches to achieving electronic health record (EHR) interoperability. One way is to collaborate to build an entirely new EHR from the top down. In fact, this “macro level,” top down approach was attempted — but has since been scrapped — by the [VA] and [DoD]. Read More »
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Commonwealth Establishes Australian Digital Health Agency to Complement My Health Record
The federal government has announced the establishment of the Australian Digital Health Agency and an advisory board comprised of doctors, informatics specialists, digital experts, and customer service executives tasked with ensuring the nation's health system is technologically up to date. Speaking at the Health Informatics Conference 2016 in Melbourne on Monday, Minister for Health Sussan Ley said the new agency will set the national agenda for technical and data standards, promote clear principles for interoperability, and open source development within the health system...
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