09/25/2012
Utah's Department of Health is working to launch a database on medical and prescription drug claims to help consumers make informed health care decisions. However, the project has faced numerous problems related to staffing, contractors and funding. Salt Lake Tribune.
09/19/2012
A new report from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the National Academy of Social Insurance offers recommendations to help states use technology to support the infrastructure of their health insurance exchanges. Health Data Management, NASI release.
09/13/2012
Hackers recently corrupted the website for Utah's health insurance exchange, creating garbled words, blurred headlines and an inability to access certain pages. State officials said the incident did not compromise any personal data. Salt Lake Tribune, Government Technology.
09/04/2012
A recent Government Accountability Office report finds that as of late 2011, no state had fully implemented an electronic system to verify that individuals applying for Medicaid long-term care are eligible for the coverage. McKnight's Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living et al.
09/04/2012
Several groups have issued statements commenting on HHS' final rule to delay the ICD-10 compliance deadline and establish unique Health Plan Identifiers. MGMA-ACMPE says it is concerned that the ICD-10 shift will lead to cash-flow disruptions. Healthcare IT News et al.
08/24/2012
Today, HHS released a final rule that officially delays until Oct. 1, 2014, the compliance date for using ICD-10 transaction codes. The final rule also implements unique Health Plan Identifiers for all health insurers to simplify billing processes. Modern Healthcare, HHS release.
08/21/2012
A new report from Chilmark Research finds that health insurers increasingly are using games, social media, mobile health applications and other technologies to boost consumer engagement. However, the report notes that the health insurance industry still is in the "early-innovator, adoption stage" for using such tools. Healthcare IT News, Health Data Management.
08/09/2012
Academic researchers now can apply to access a new health insurance claims database. The project was launched by FAIR Health, an organization launched as a result of a 2009 settlement between New York state, UnitedHealth Group and other insurers. American Medical News.
08/08/2012
Yesterday, HHS issued an interim final rule to make it easier for health care providers to accept electronic payments. Under the rule, health plans would need to provide standardized, online enrollment for electronic transactions. The rule, along with standards adopted earlier this year, could generate as much as $9 billion in savings over a decade. The Hill's "Healthwatch" et al.
07/31/2012
A new report by Kaiser Permanente finds that members were nearly 2.6 times more likely to stay with the health system if they used a no-cost personal health record. The report finds that email and viewing lab results are the two most popular PHR features. Modern Healthcare.
07/16/2012
States that opt out of the federal health reform law's Medicaid expansion or choose not to run their own insurance exchanges will be able to keep the federal funds they have received to build the IT infrastructure for those projects, according to CMS. Modern Healthcare et al.
07/06/2012
According to a Federal Register notice, CMS plans to evaluate design changes that would add quick links and enhanced data display to the agency's Medicare Plan Finder website. CMS said the changes could make the website easier for seniors to use. Government Health IT.
07/05/2012
Today, UnitedHealthcare announced that it is launching a "Blue Button" tool to let policyholders access, download and print their personal health records from the insurer's website. UnitedHealthcare said that 12 million policyholders will be able to use the tool by the end of this year and about 26 million policyholders will be able to use it by mid-2013. MedCity News, Healthcare IT News.
07/02/2012
HHS has announced new opportunities for states to receive federal funding to support their health insurance exchanges. Such exchanges will rely on a solid IT foundation to connect with advanced eligibility systems for Medicaid and other programs. The Hill's "Healthwatch" et al.
06/08/2012
A coalition of 17 states, called Enroll UX2014, has released an online tool to help state governments create a user interface for navigating health insurance exchanges. Backers of the tool say they hope it will help states overcome financial and political challenges to building health insurance exchanges so they can meet deadlines under the federal health reform law. Washington Post.