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Top 5 green health IT trends

If properly executed, green IT can mean healthcare organizations see fewer bills, contribute lower levels of carbon emissions, and enjoy an easier transition into mandated practices. But it has to be done right. Noble and potentially cost-efficient, but embracing the “go green” trend isn’t simple. Jerry Buchanan, account director Healthcare Technology and Services at eMids Technologies, shares five powerful green IT practices for healthcare. 1. EMR: Paper trails have met their match with [...]

 

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No New Health-Law Waivers to Be Given

The Obama administration on Friday said it would stop granting new waivers to the health-care overhaul in September following sharp opposition from Republicans who cited the waivers in their bid to undermine the law. As of the end of May, the administration had granted 1,433 waivers to a part of the 2010 law that prevents employers and other health-plan providers from capping annual benefit payouts below $750,000 a year. Those [...]

 

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CMS says more docs opting for evidence of effectiveness in treatments

More physicians are participating in “pay for reporting” programs that focus on using quality measures and electronic prescribing, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Its data also shows that physicians are increasingly turning to treatments that offer the best evidence of effectiveness. In a report covering the results of the 2009 Physician Quality Reporting System and the ePrescribing Incentive Program, the agency’s most up-to-date data, CMS said [...]

 

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Top 10 issues for health plans in 2011

The Managed Care Executive Group, a national organization of U.S. senior health plan executives, met last week in Arizona to discuss the top issues that health plans face in 2011. The 22nd Annual Forum, lead by industry thought leaders such as Dr. David Brailer, Thomas Main, Dr. Karen Bell, Jeff Margolis and 14 other invited healthcare experts, focused heavily on the forward progression of healthcare retail, enabling innovation and technology, [...]

 

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AARP Under Attack In GOP Efforts Against Health Law

House Republicans issued a report Wednesday and plan to hold a hearing Friday to investigate AARP’s support for the health law as well as the organization’s business interests. The Washington Post: In Campaign Against Health Care Law, Republicans Take On AARP House Republicans, who are continuing their efforts to chip away at President Obama’s health care law, have now set their sights on a powerful group that strongly supported the legislation: [...]

 

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As health-care law turns 1, supporters using occasion to shape its image

This week, a loose federation of left-leaning groups is convening nearly 200 gatherings to peddle the virtues of health-care reform. A women’s speak-out in Philadelphia. A small-business round-table discussion in Albuquerque. A fish fry for seniors in Columbia, S.C. From the Obama administration alone, 42 officials are fanning out to events in 22 states. The choreography coast to coast is a birthday party, of sorts, to mark the year that [...]

 

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Study: Many Physicians Eligible for Incentives but Lack EHRs

Many physicians are eligible for federal incentive payments for the meaningful use of electronic health records but lack a basic EHR system, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs, Healthcare IT News reports. Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHRs can qualify for incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid. Eligibility for the incentive payment programs is based on [...]

 

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3rd mHealth Networking Conference March 30-31, 2011

Concerns, fears, expectations, and hopes are widespread regarding FDA regulation of mobile devices. Through dialogue and collaboration with the FDA, the mHealth Regulatory Coalition (MRC) is addressing development of new policies about and approaches to medical device regulation that factor in the impact of rapidly accelerating mobile and wireless technology developments. Whether you are a user, an IT specialist, a developer, a vendor, or other healthcare stakeholder, you need to [...]

 

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Medical Groups Call for HHS To Revise Policy on E-Prescribing Penalties

Last week, the American Medical Association and 103 other medical societies sent a letter urging HHS to revise a Medicare policy that would penalize physicians for not electronically prescribing medications, Healthcare IT News reports. Under the policy, physicians who do not e-prescribe in the first six months of 2011 would face penalties starting in 2012. AMA said the penalties could negatively affect efforts to promote widespread health IT adoption. The [...]

 

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MGMA: Practice Revenue Increases With EHRs

Medical practices that have avoided implementing an electronic health record system (EHR) because of the associated costs may not have such a strong argument, according to a study published by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). Data collected from both hospital/IDS-owned and independent practices indicates that practices that have implemented an EHR system produced better financial results than those that have not. Multi-specialty and single-specialty practices, including primary care, nonsurgical, [...]

 

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MGMA report: EHRs boost practices' financial performance

Medical practices that have implemented an electronic health record (EHR) system report better financial performance than those that have not, according to the Medical Group Management Association’s (MGMA’s) newly released Electronic Health Records Impacts on Revenue, Costs, and Staffing: 2010 Report Based on 2009 Data. Practices that were not owned by a hospital or integrated delivery system (IDS) and that had an EHR reported $49,916 greater total medical revenue after [...]

 

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HDM Recognizes EHR Game Changers

Health Data Management has named six recipients of its inaugural EHR Game Changers Awards, which honor individuals who have been true game changers in the design, advocacy, deployment and development of electronic health records technology. The 2010 award winners are: * John Mattison, M.D., the chief medical officer at Kaiser Permanente. Mattison, co-founder of the Clinical Document Architecture within Health Level 7 and a long-time advocate of health care data exchange, [...]

 

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Survey: EHR expectations increase with use

As medical practices nationwide focus on “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHRs), the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) reports encouraging findings from a survey of AMGA member medical groups. Although few groups have yet to fully achieve all the benefits they anticipated when they began implementation, virtually all groups now have even higher expectations for the potential of health IT, as a result of their experience. The survey was [...]