Anthem Breach Reminds Many of Importance of Security

Weaknesses in cyber security surely exist and the recent Anthem breach has many believing that this is just the start of an awful trend.  As well as the actual medical and miscellaneous personal information, social security numbers and financial information (for payment to providers) are all in one place – providing the winning trifecta for hackers. 

ICD-10 Is a Go

After several delays, much debate and worry from providers across the nation, ICD-10 finally seems to have the green light, at least based on the interpretation from 2 senators of the recently released report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) feel that the conversion will meet the October 1,

EHR Certification Recommendations

Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, medical providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.  The American Medical Association (AMA) is leading a coalition of 35 medical societies and this group recently sent a letter to the National Coordinator for Health IT recommending major changes to the certification program.

Could ICD-10 Delay Be a Threat to Our National Security?

Though there have been delays and many continue to lobby for further delays citing that ICD-10 ‘costs too much’, has ‘too many codes’, and has ‘too many other mandates’, there are many that are championing the new code set.  One such advocate states that another delay could threaten national security.

Juliet Santos of consultancy Leidos Health recently published an article at ICD-10 Monitor that states,

mHealth=Mobile Health

mHealth is an abbreviation for mobile health, a term used for the practice of medicine and public health supported by mobile devices. The term is most commonly used in reference to using mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones, tablet computers and PDAs, for health services and information.  The mHealth field has emerged as a sub-segment of eHealth,

Will ICD-10 Be Delayed?

Though groups like the Texas Medical Association and the National Physicians’ Council for Healthcare Policy have been lobbying for a two-year delay for ICD-10 diagnostic and procedure codes implementation, the proposal seems to not be going forward in Congress.

House Rules Committee Chair Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) stated that the House Energy and Commerce Committee “has been working with CMS to ensure the Oct.

ICD-10 – Making the Switch

ICD-10 is the largest healthcare mandate in history and while many healthcare professionals are concentrating on ObamaCare requirements, just as many and more are focusing on ICD-10 requirements as meeting them is directly connected to their revenue stream.  Documentation requirements are high, but the shift can be made easier with proper planning and implementation.

  • Assess staff training needs –

Forces Joined for Interoperability

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is a staff division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and they are focused on implementing an interoperable and secure nationwide health information system.  The EHR/HIE Interoperability Workgroup (IWG) is a New York-led group of 19 states and 47 EHR and HIE vendors. 

The Future of the Meaningful Use Program

Recently the American Medical Association (AMA) released a letter to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) Karen B. DeSalvo and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Marilyn B. Tavenner. The 30 page letter states, “After three-and-a-half years of provider participation, we are at a critical crossroad where we believe it is important and necessary to pause and fully assess what is working and what needs improvement before moving ahead to Stage 3 of the program.”  They have released a blueprint to improve the Meaningful Use program giving 4 steps they feel need to be considered:

  • Adopt a more flexible approach for meeting Meaningful Use
  • Expand hardship extension for all MU stages
  • Improve quality reporting
  • Address physician EMR usability challenges

The AMA further states that while over 78% of office-based physicians are using an EHR,