EHR Compliance Issues to Keep an Eye Out For

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Linuxerist & Burton Samograd EHRs can make your life easier, if your staff training is comprehensive. Your electronic health record (EHR) system may be helpful in filling in documents on your behalf — but make sure it isn’t filling in more than it should. As most practices are aware, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 offers annual bonuses to practices that show “meaningful use” of EHRs over a five year period starting in 2011. In 2015, practices that aren’t meaningful users will face penalties.

Consumers Called to Contribute to ‘Meaningful Use’ Definition

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

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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.

Health Care Players Agree on EHRs’ Bright Future, Disagree About Timeframe

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

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“How soon” depends on effectiveness of federal stimulus, experts say. The “meaningful use” debate continues to make waves as practices grapple with whether or not they qualify for sizable financial incentives. The federal stimulus bill allots approximately $19 billion in Medicare and Medicaid incentives for physicians, hospitals and other healthcare organizations not only to adopt certified EHRs but also to use them in a meaningful way. Early adopters have been promised bonuses, but these bonuses will turn into penalties for players who do not act fast enough, as a recent post on American Medical News reminds us. Where is your practice in terms of a timeline? Will you get the carrot or the stick?

Overcome These Hurdles in Early EHR Adoption

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

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While 2015 and its promise of loads of cash for providers who adopt EHR technology seems right around the corner, a close look at providers’ IT capabilities reveals how far they have to go in order to be prepared for the high demands EHR will place on their systems. The “rush to deploy EHRs could lead to administrative complications, formatting problems, errors and interoperability glitches,” according to a recent BusinessWeek series that examines some of the technical issues accompanying the rollout of EHR in providers’ offices across the country. As of last year, only 10% of U.S. health care facilities were using EHRs, according to the article, but the feds want half of them on board by 2014. If you’re aiming to be in that first half, read on to learn about some of the hurdles you’ll need to overcome …

EHRs Can Earn a Physician $44,000

Thursday, February 18, 2010

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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.

99% of Physicians Are Wired: Why Aren’t They All Talking to Patients?

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

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According to a new report published by Manhattan Research, certain specialties are more likely to communicate online with their patients. In “Physicians in 2012: The Outlook on Health Information Technology,” Manhattan Research reports that dermatologists and medical oncologists connect most often with their patients via email and online messaging. The top five specialist groups who communicate most online also include neurologists, endocrinologists, and infectious disease specialists. Overall, 39% of surveyed physicians email, secure message, or instant message their patients, which is a 14% increase since 2006, according to the report.

Hospitals Find New HIT Issues in OIG’s 2010 Work Plan

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

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Watch out. If your hospital breaches 1,000 records, you face a whopping $282,000 fine. Hospitals that read the HHS OIG’s 2010 Work Plan carefully will find an important clue about how to handle health information technology in the future. And it’s buried in a very real and present threat, so read on to find out how to not only avoid penalties from CMS in the present but also prepare for ARRA’s “meaningful use” requirement, which CMS announced on Dec. 30 will be tied to quality data. Reporting quality data and portable device compliance under HIPAA are two hot areas for hospitals in 2010, according to Jim Sheldon-Dean, director of compliance services at Lewis Creek Systems, who gave a recent audio presentation titled “OIG 2010 Work Plan for Hospitals.” And that makes sense, given CMS’s…

What You Need To Do To Get ARRA’s EHR Adoption Incentive Money

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

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Having trouble plodding through the 555-page HITECH reg? Our experts spell out the basic requirements for collecting cash. If you help to run a hospital or a physician’s office that sees Medicare and Medicaid patients, you might think you know red tape. Well, if you plan on seeing any of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 incentive money for adopting electronic health records technology, get ready for a whole new world of red before you see any green. On Dec. 30, 2009, CMS issued a proposed rule that would implement the incentive payment provisions of ARRA. Payments will be offered to Medicare and Medicaid providers and facilities that adopt and “meaningfully use” electronic health record technology, and this proposed rule is the first indication of how CMS plans to define ARRA’s requirements. The most anticipated part of the reg…

HITECH Update: Yes, Virginia, There Will Be a Meaningful Use Rule

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

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To all those skeptics out there who think federal regulators will fall behind their HITECH rulemaking schedule and that it’ll be a looooong time before we actually learn the meaning of ‘meaningful use,’ HHS says, ‘Bah, humbug.’ Believe it: The agency will release rules implementing the HITECH act this month, Health Data Management reports, which should keep Medicare incentives to adopt EHR on track for October 1, 2010 (hospitals) and January 1, 2011 (physicians). According to HDM, we can still expect to see one proposed rule and two interim final rules published in December 2009. * RIN: 0991-AB58, an Interim Final Rule with comment period to establish an initial set of data standards, implementation specifications and criteria for certification of electronic health records; * RIN: 0991-AB59, An Interim Final Rule with comment period establishing certification programs for health information technology; and * RIN:…

Need EHR Help? HHS Plans to Open 70 Regional Centers That Can Assist You

Saturday, August 22, 2009

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Kathleen Sebelius Plus: HHS officials give an ETA for their ‘meaningful use’ definition. Need a jump start to institute your electronic health record (EHR) system? The government plans to give the program a shot in the arm by injecting $1.2 billion in grants that will go toward helping healthcare providers implement EHRs. The grants will go toward two areas, said Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, during an Aug. 20 conference call with members of the healthcare media. AUDIO: Is someone besides HHS helping you out with EHR? How to make sure well-intentioned EHR deals don’t run afoul of Stark. With health care attorney Wayne Miller. The first goal includes $598 million to fund about 70 regional centers. The centers will “support physicians and hospitals in the adoption and meaningful use of EHRs,” noted David Blumenthal, MD, CMS’s national coordinator for health information technology, during the call.

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