02/02/2012
Medical Group Management Association President and CEO Susan Turney has sent a letter calling for HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to address several challenges health care providers are facing as they work to adopt HIPAA 5010 transaction standards. The letter reiterated MGMA's request for CMS to delay enforcement of HIPAA 5010 standards until June. Modern Healthcare et al.
01/23/2012
Large health insurance companies are investing in mobile health applications to assess patient wellness and connect patients with physicians. Aetna, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint all have made recent investments in mobile health apps. American Medical News.
01/04/2012
Yesterday, the National Conference of State Legislatures released its annual list of the top priorities for state lawmakers in the new year. According to NCSL, state lawmakers in 2012 will prioritize efforts to develop infrastructure for state health insurance exchanges and promote more widespread use of health information exchanges. Government Health IT, NCSL release.
12/19/2011
Physicians at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's cancer clinic will be the first to work with IBM's Watson supercomputer. The WellPoint-funded project will use Watson's data analysis capabilities to recommend diagnosis and treatment options. Los Angeles Times.
12/13/2011
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island recently announced the results of a three-year pilot program finding that the use of electronic health record systems helped improve health care outcomes for family and children's health, women's care and internal medicine. BCBS said the pilot project helped 79 physicians successfully adopt EHR systems. Providence Business News, BCBS release.
12/06/2011
A group of lawmakers has sent the director of TRICARE a letter seeking information on a recent data breach that affected about 4.9 million individuals. The letter asks TRICARE to respond to 17 questions on health information and other data security policies. Modern Healthcare et al.
12/05/2011
Under the federal government's newly released final rule on medical-loss ratio requirements, ICD-10 conversion costs that account for up to 0.3% of an insurer's premium revenue can be counted as quality improvement activities. Additional costs for ICD-10 maintenance and claims adjudication would count as administrative costs under the final MLR rule. Health Data Management et al.
11/28/2011
California Public Employees' Retirement System recently switched to a new $507 million computer system. The shift has affected certain payments and has generated erroneous letters informing some members that their health insurance has been canceled. Sacramento Bee.
11/16/2011
An Office of Personnel Management report finds that many federal employee health plans offer online tools to let physicians order prescriptions and to let patients compare quality data. The report notes that 97% of the plans offer personal health records. Federal Times et al.
11/14/2011
In an opinion piece for the New York Times' "Opinionator," former White House adviser Ezekiel Emanuel writes that the U.S. health care system could save billions of dollars annually by implementing electronic billing and credentialing systems. New York Times' "Opinionator."
11/02/2011
Many state IT officials say that unclear federal expectations, systems integration needs and outdated technology systems will pose challenges as they work to meet a federal deadline to establish statewide health insurance exchanges by January 2014. Government Technology.
10/27/2011
Several major health insurers are working to upgrade their online services to enhance the data they provide to patients about the costs of medical services. Employers are pushing insurers to offer pricing data so workers can choose the least costly services. Wall Street Journal.
10/26/2011
Computerworld recently gave Kaiser Permanente the highest ranking in its Top 12 List of Green IT Organizations for 2011. Kaiser was the only health care provider organization to receive the recognition for its green IT efforts. Computerworld, Kaiser Permanente release.
10/14/2011
House Republicans are raising concerns about a proposed rule that would require insurers to provide claims data to justify extra payments for plans that cover large numbers of people with serious medical conditions. GOP lawmakers have sent letters to the HHS secretary arguing that the creation of a risk adjustment database intrudes on patients' privacy rights. The Hill's "Healthwatch" et al.
10/12/2011
Electronic prescribing systems and online pharmacies can help improve patients' adherence to drug regimens. Studies have shown that patients who adhere to their medication regimens have better health outcomes. Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal's "Health Blog."