So far, most all Electronic Health Records, Healthcare IT and Electronic Medical Record software has been focused in one direction – that of the medical provider (physician, physician practice, hospital, etc.). It is expected that there will be a major shift coming soon; a shift that puts more focus on the patient.
January 20, 2015 | By Lawrence G |
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,
January 15, 2015 | By Lawrence G |
A Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) official reported that there will be 257,000 penalties levied for failing to meet Medicare Meaningful Use and notices will begin going out January 1, 2015. The penalty letters will state that there will be a 1% reduction in Medicare payment for not meeting Meaningful Use criteria.
January 6, 2015 | By Lawrence G |
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.
December 30, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
Any provider who received electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program or the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program may be subject to an audit. According to The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website (cms.gov) Figliozzi and Company will be performing the meaningful use audits and if you are selected for an audit,
December 23, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
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.
December 18, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
On December 3rd the Tax Extenders Bill was passed by the House and it is slated to be voted on by the Senate in the coming days. If passed by Senate, the bill is expected to be signed into law by the President.
December 15, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
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.
November 21, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
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:
The AMA further states that while over 78% of office-based physicians are using an EHR,
November 17, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
Expect EHR audits in 2015. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has requested a $400 million budget for 2015. Part of this budget will be spent on 284 new full time employees to help bolster their audits and reviews with much scrutiny on IT security and electronic health records. Daniel Levinson,
November 10, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
