Will the Feds Use EHR Taxes to Raise $20B HIT Fund?

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Medical device tax could pose big costs for consumers. Now that the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) includes approximately$20 billion for healthcare IT, the administration is starting to throw a lot of money around. Just where is that $20 billion coming from? Some industry folks think it could come in the form of a new tax on medical devices. In a recent post on the Health Data Management Blog, Editor-in-Chief Greg Gillespie spotlights this new tax – a 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices set to go into effect in 2013. He says this figure hasn’t received much exposure in the media because it doesn’t sound like much – unless you’re in the medical devices market. The tax could generate almost $2 billion every year, says Gillespie.

Consumers Called to Contribute to ‘Meaningful Use’ Definition

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

0 Comments

Do providers think consumers/patients will muck up the EHR adoption process? As if the process weren’t complicated enough, the committee that advises the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is making a special effort to involve patients – also known as “consumers” of health care – and their families in the development of the definition of “meaningful use” in regs to be issued under HITECH. Read on to find out why consumer groups think it’s doctors who are mucking up the process.

DEA Clears One Hurdle to “Meaningful Use” of EHR

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

0 Comments

E-Prescribing of Controlled Substances Allowed Under New Regs Doing its part to hasten the EHR revolution, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued an interim final rule on March 31, 2010 revising its regs to allow pharmacies, hospitals and physicians to use electronic prescriptions for controlled substances, known as Schedule II drugs, such as opioids, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and anabolic steroids. This opens a door for practitioners to prove they are “meaningful EHR users” under the ARRA and HITECH and thus be eligible for incentive payments beginning next year. The DEA’s new regs align federal policies on controlled substances with the goal of moving the health care industry toward e-prescribing.

What HIT Pros Need to Know About ICD-10

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

0 Comments

Is ‘Crash’ the Sound We’ll Hear When ICD-10 and HITECH collide? Here’s something I don’t hear too many people talk about, but it could be a really big challenge for health information technology. There are two fast-moving trains that just may collide over the coming months. Train #1: Medical reimbursement pros have a deadline to implement ICD-10 by 2013 Train #2: Providers are scurrying to install EMR systems that will get them ARRA incentives and help them avoid penalties. Will those EMR systems be able to handle the demands of ICD-10? If you’re wondering what the deal is with ICD-10, here’s a basic primer from the medical coding and billing side.

5 Reasons Why ‘Getting Technical’ With Your Patient Records Pays Off

Monday, March 22, 2010

0 Comments

Not an EP? Here are other ways EMR can save you cash if you know the ropes. If you haven’t witnessed or lead a conversion from paper records to an electronic medical record (EMR) system, you’re at least aware that the process is a huge undertaking — that often results in even lower productivity and more confusion. So, is making the change really worth it? Experts agree that yes, going electronic is worth it. Here are a few reasons why: 1. You Open More Cash Inlets Many research studies pull their data via electronic records. So, if you can’t tune in to participate, opportunities for cash perks will fly by. “Grant money and incentive programs are available, for example, and they want data in the electronic form,” points out Francine Wheelock, PT, MPA, manager of clinical systems for MaineGeneral Health. Just look at the nationwide push for value-based purchasing and outcome…

Non-Physician Providers Aren’t Considered ‘EPs’ in Medicare EHR Incentive Program

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

0 Comments

Don’t miss out on this EP list, plus the latest HIT lingo from CMS CMS reps want to make sure healthcare providers optimize your chances of collecting from the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program, which could net an eligible professional (EP) $44,000 over a five-year period. The agency’s proposal regarding the incentive program spells out who can participate, and what type of EHR you’ll have to use, according to a Feb. 21 CMS-sponsored Physicians, Nurses, and Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum. You should know …

Electronic Exchange of PHI Might Help Quality of Care, Says GAO

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

0 Comments

Are government regs blocking our way to becoming ‘meaningful users’? Electronically share information! But be sure to protect it! Providers are caught between two competing federal initiatives, according to the latest General Accounting Office study, and security concerns over PHI might actually be holding them back from achieving better of quality of care. As required by the HITECH Act, the GAO released a study on Feb. 17, 2010 titled “Health Care Entities’ Reported Disclosure Practices and Effects on Quality of Care.”

EHRs Can Earn a Physician $44,000

Thursday, February 18, 2010

0 Comments

You can collect incentive payments by participating with either Medicare or Medicaid — not both. CMS is still ironing out details of its electronic health record (EHR) bonus program, which could net an eligible professional (EP) $44,000 over a five-year period — if you know the rules. The agency’s proposal regarding the incentive program includes several important points that you should keep in mind as you create your EHR program, according to a Feb. 2 CMS-sponsored Physicians, Nurses, and Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum.

Shore Up Your HIPAA Compliance Before Enforcement Storm Hits This Year

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

0 Comments

Tip: You’re not off the hook if the breach is your vendor’s fault. Using electronic health records may cut costs and reduce errors, but they also can increase your compliance risks — and scrutiny from the feds. Wake-up call: You are accountable for compliance even if a third party installs and maintains your records system. Providers will still be responsible for ensuring the same privacy protections as if they did have their own IT department, points out Jim Sheldon-Dean with Lewis Creek Systems in Charlotte, Vt.

HIPAA Compliance: Practical Breach Notification Tips

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

0 Comments

If a breach involves 500+ people, here’s what your health care organization will suffer. Picture this: A nurse hands a patient someone else’s discharge papers but promptly discovers the error and retrieves the protected health information. Would your health care organization have to report that as a breach of unsecured PHI under HIPAA notification rules? The answer: It depends. The scenario wouldn’t constitute a breach — “if the nurse can reasonably conclude that the patient couldn’t have read or otherwise retained the information,” according to the Health & Human Services’ (HHS) interim final rule implementing the new requirements. But suppose the patient turned the corner and was out of sight momentarily and the discharge orders included “a sensitive diagnosis such as HIV, and the facility was in a small community”— or the nurse had reviewed the discharge orders with the patient, says Chicago attorney Michael Roach. Those scenarios could trigger the notification requirements, he…

Healthcare IT Update

Tag Archive | "HITECH"