On Day 4 of our 12 Days of Christmas Posts we are calling attention to our four flagship network sites. See what we covered in 2017 and what’s to come in 2018.
Answers Media Company LLC owns and operates Answers Media Network, a series of topic-driven websites and multi-media channels dedicated to covering current issues and Federal initiatives driving change in healthcare delivery. Established in 2009 with the debut of HITECHAnswers.net, the company has grown to five websites and one Internet radio station.
This year HITECH Answers was focussed on the final stage of the HITECH Act, the beginning of the Quality Payment Program, and the all to often cyber-security issues plaguing the industry. Here are four highlights of the year.
HIPAA and Security
This year saw major HIPAA breeches and cyber-security challenges throughout the healthcare industry. From medical practices to major hospital systems, it was on the top of everyone’s priority lists.
- Industry thought leader posts on HIPAA
- Industry thought leader posts on security.
- HIPAA Chat
MACRA and the start of the Quality Payment Program
- Industry thought leader posts on MIPS
- ABCs of QPP
- SA Ignite’s Industry Report: The State of QPP Preparedness – Download
Our Cyber-Security Panel event included Industry leaders discussing the impact of cyber-security and look at new threats since last year’s event. The group also addresses best practices for organizations to follow. Moderated by David Harlow, JD MPH (@healthblawg). Panelists include:
- Mac McMillan (@mmcmillan07) is co-founder and CEO of CynergisTek, Inc.
- Lee Barrett is executive director of EHNAC (@EHNAC)
- Bridget Wahlstrom, Sr. Product Manager, Mobile
- Iliana Peters, J.D., LLM, is the senior advisor for HIPAA Compliance/Enforcement at the HHS Office for Civil Rights.
Optum’s Best Selling HIPAA Toolkit
Optum has released the 2018 HIPAA Toolkit & Customizable Compliance Plan which is now shipping. The Optum Retail price is $299 plus shipping charges. Order through us and get the HIPAA Toolkit and Compliance Plan at the lowest price available of $279. Includes free shipping! Learn more and order yours today.
This Year HIE Answers was focused on the never ending question and challenges of healthcare interoperability. As we have evolved from just the exchanging of health information there are many facets of health data that is important to the ultimate goal. For that reason, coming in 2018, you will see our HIE Answers changing to HealthDataAnswers.net with the focus on health data as it is shared, analyzed, and used throughout our healthcare industry.
Learning from the Thought Leaders
HIE Answers was fortunate enough to have some of the top voices in health data exchange this year. We encourage you to look back on what they had to say. From FHIR, AI, population health, to policy of standards and interoperability, we learned a lot.
Our Interoperability Panel Event
Panel Discussion: Current and Future State of Interoperability moderated by David Harlow (@healthblawg), JD MPH. Thought leaders and expert panel included:
- Michael Matthews, President and Chair of the Board of The Sequoia Project and Senior Engagement Director for the CedarBridge Group
- Mark Frisse, MD, MS, MBA, Vice Chair of Business Development, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University
- Dave Bennett, Executive Vice President, Product and Strategy, Orion Health
We can’t talk about our RCM Answers site without first thanking our sponsor ZirMed, with world class dynamic end-to-end revenue cycle management solutions that get providers paid.
It has been a wild year of “will it stay or will it go” when it came to HHS, ACA, and CMS. Or as The Clash once said, should I stay or should I go? There were so many email communication from HHS and its departments it was hard to keep up. And then there was AHRQ just trying to stay alive. Here are some of their communication:
Keeping up on the QPP
In November CMS issued a final rule for the 2018 Physician Fee Schedule and final rule with comment period for the Quality Payment Program (QPP). While part of CMS’s broader strategy to relieve regulatory burdens for providers, these rules also reflect the agency’s efforts to promote innovation in healthcare delivery aimed at lowering prices, increasing competition and strengthening the relationship between patients and their doctors. See more about the Quality Payment Program.
White Papers
One of the great things about having sponsors is the wealth of knowledge and resources we can share with our readers. If you haven’t seen our white paper libraries, check them out.
Our Contributing Editor Sarianne Gruber.
Sarianne (@subtleimpact) was out in the field this year at events and talking to companies making a difference. Read her posts and her take on how analytics are playing a role in better outcomes.
About ZirMed and Navicure
Navicure and ZirMed are now one company. The combined company, which will initially operate under both the Navicure and ZirMed brands, provides integrated cloud-based healthcare revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions that improve both operating efficiencies and financial results including revenue, cash flow, and cost of collecting from payers and patients. The company’s platforms include solutions for medical claims management and monitoring, charge integrity, contract management and modeling, AR management, patient billing and payments, predictive analytics, and eligibility and coverage detection. Navicure and ZirMed are recognized as industry leaders, collectively scoring Best in KLAS® claims clearinghouse every year since 2010 and multiple #1 rankings in both medical claims processing and patient payment solutions from Black Book™ surveys since 2012. The combined company supports more than 400,000 providers, hospitals, health systems and ambulatory services organizations and partners with the leading EHR and practice management solution providers. For more information, visit www.Navicure.com and www.ZirMed.com, or follow @Navicure and @ZirMed on Twitter.
We redesigned our website and tweaked our logo a bit because the best is yet to come. 2017 brought over 100,000 listeners to our air waves. This told us only one thing, we have something to say and people are listening.
New Shows that Debuted in 2017
- Harlow on Healthcare with host David Harlow
- CTO Talk with host Matt Ferrari
- InterviewsNOW with interviews from the field
- What’s My Tagline with host Carol Flagg
What’s Coming in 2018
- The Incrementalist with host Dr. Nick
- Voices in Value Based Care with host Beth Houck
- Payment Matters with host Jeff Lin
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