News & Updates from HHS
HHS and its agencies including CMS, ONC, and AHRQ are reporting these news items, events, updates and deadlines for providers and hospitals. ICD-10 compliance date is October 1, 2015.
Read MoreRegulatory Issues
Advanced Directives and Interoperability
By Edgar Wilson – Discussions of the benefits, potential, and future of EHRs trumpet the advance of personalized healthcare built on the intersection of patient history and genetic data. President Obama has advanced a program to integrate genomics data into both research and treatment, known as the Precision Medicine Initiative.
Million Hearts Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model Update
CMS is encouraged by the enthusiastic response to the MH Model, and encourage you to join this important study. Act now, space is limited! Enroll today to secure your spot in this important study! A complete, detailed description of the Request For Applications is now available.
What Does Interoperability Really Mean?
By William A. Hyman – Interoperability in the context of EHRs is much discussed, but remains somewhat loosely defined. According to the ONC definition, adopted from IEEE, interoperability is “the ability of systems to exchange and use electronic health information from other systems without special effort on the part of the user”.
Meaningful Use: Time for an Obituary?
By Jim Tate – I read it almost every day. “Meaningful Use (MU) is over”. “The incentives are almost all paid out”. Everyone is acting like the entire CMS EHR Incentive Program is slipping away and with it the entire concept of MU. Better hold your horses. The death knell of MU has been overplayed.
Countdown to ICD-10: 42 days – CMS ICD-10 Coding Resources
CMS has posted a complete list of the 2016 ICD-10-CM valid codes and code titles in the 2016 Code Descriptions in Tabular Order ZIP file on the 2016 ICD-10-CM and GEMs web page.
Analyzing the Impact of the “Code-FLEX Act of 2015”
The “Coding Flexibility in Healthcare Act of 2015’’ or the ‘‘Code-FLEX Act of 2015’’ was recently introduced in Congress. The Code-FLEX Act requires that Medicare allow claims to be submitted in either ICD-10 or ICD-9 for the 180 days following the implementation of ICD-10.
Medicare Trustees Report Shows Continued Slow Cost Growth
The Medicare Trustees projected that the trust fund that finances Medicare’s hospital insurance coverage will remain solvent until 2030, unchanged from last year, but with an improved long-term outlook from last year’s report.
Ignoring HIPAA Law Costly for Hospital
By Mike Semel – Once you become aware of a HIPAA data breach it is not a good idea to sweep it under the rug, especially when that is breaking the law and anyone who finds out can report you. Just because they are free and easy doesn’t mean you should use just any Internet file sharing service for storing patient information.