EHR Incentive Programs
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Halamaka Takes a Deep Dive on the MACRA NPRM
As promised last week, I’ve read and taken detailed notes on the entire 962 page MACRA notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) so that you will not have to. Although this post is long, it is better than the 20 hours of reading I had to do! Here is everything you need to know from an IT perspective about the MACRA NPRM...What is the MACRA NPRM trying to achieve with regard to healthcare IT? The MACRA NPRM proposes to consolidate components of three existing programs, the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Physician Value-based Payment Modifier (VM), and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program for eligible professionals (EPs), creating a single set of reporting requirements. The rule would sunset payment adjustments under the current PQRS, VM, and the Medicare EHR Incentive Program for eligible professionals...
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Health IT Buzz: Progress on Adoption of Electronic Health Records
Latest Health IT Buzz on Health Information Technology (HIT) from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) - Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [ARRA] – which included the creation of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs – was signed into law, the nation has seen unprecedented growth in the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). Between 2009 and 2012, EHR adoption nearly doubled among physicians and more than tripled among hospitals. Read More »
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HHS And ONC Invest $28 Million In Health Information Exchange Grants
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced this morning an important Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) funding opportunity, which is part of a Department-wide effort to achieve the safe and secure exchange and use of electronic health information to improve health and transform care...
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Hospital Health Information Exchange by the Numbers
Health information exchange technology is in use among hospitals across the country.
While advancing interoperability is the aim of several current federal health IT initiatives, health information exchange is already occurring. The mechanisms for exchanging health data exchange differ as to their output and usability, but they do bridge information gaps between healthcare providers...
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How Does the ONC Define HIE, Value-Based Care, Population Health?
The new ONC Health IT Playbook contains a wealth of resources and information for healthcare organizations in various stages of reform. From the very beginning stages of negotiating an EHR purchase to the complex integration of multiple care sites into a risk-based financial arrangement, there’s something for everyone at every level in this interactive, online compendium of knowledge...
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It’s About Time: Open APIs Finally Burst Onto Healthcare’s Sluggish Scene
In the midst of the struggles that we face with interoperability, efforts that support open API use may well hold the keys to the HIT Kingdom...
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Limited EHR Access To Lead Patients To Switch Providers?
As eligible hospitals and professionals in the EHR Incentive Programs already know, Stage 2 Meaningful Use ups the ante on patient engagement by requiring these providers to exceed certain thresholds for patient access to health information. But why should providers care about EHR patient access?
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Meaningful Use Payments To Providers Near $17 Billion
During the monthly meeting of the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provided its latest update for the EHR Incentive Programs whose payouts now number close to $17 billion. [...] Read More »
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New Goals In National HIT Roadmap
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has outlined its Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, 2015-2020, updating the goals of an initiative most recently released in 2011...
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ONC Continues Push For Blue Button During National HIT Week
Patient engagement is an important new requirement for Stage 2 Meaningful Use, and it’s a potential stumbling block for eligible hospitals and professionals failing to exceed the five-percent threshold required on this during this next phase of the EHR Incentive Programs.
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ONC Rejects Claims Questioning Future Of EHR Certification
EHR certification at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is alive and well despite recent regulatory and organizational developments that might indicate otherwise, claims the recently appointed head of the Health IT Certification Program...
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ONC Targets 2024 For Full Health IT Interoperability
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has set its sights on 2024 as the target for achieving system-wide interoperability in the United States, according to ten-year plan published recently by the federal agency...
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Preliminary Thoughts on CMS Proposed MIPS IP Rule Changes: A Public Health Perspective
Well, here we go again. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has now released a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)...The purpose of this NPRM is to address proposed changes for Year 3 of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), the provider (as opposed to hospital) side of the Quality Payment Program. The part that is most relevant to public health is the Medicaid Promoting Interoperability (IP) Program for Eligible Professionals (EP)” (the EHR Incentive Programs have been renamed). A major goal of this NPRM is to synchronize as much as possible the EP program with the hospital-based program that was addressed in a previous NPRM just a few months ago.
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Understanding Effect of EHR Usability on Clinical Workflows
As EHR use becomes ubiquitous in the healthcare industry, questions about EHR usability come into play. Read More »
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What To Remember When EHR Replacement Meets Meaningful Use
If you’re thinking about EHR replacement, chances are you’re also looking for a way to optimize and streamline your participation in the EHR Incentive Programs as the industry approaches Stage 2 of Meaningful Use. There are innumerable tasks to keep in mind when switching one system for the next, including data migration, workflow adjustments, testing and support, and the potential for hurt feelings and confusion among the staff.
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