05/18/2012
A Fitch Ratings survey finds that not-for-profit hospitals ranked health IT investment as their top priority for capital spending. The survey notes that hospitals see health IT as a way to manage costs, increase care quality and adapt to new reimbursement models. Modern Healthcare.
05/17/2012
The Federal Communications Commission has announced a plan to allocate spectrum for medical body area networks, which use wireless sensors to monitor patients and transmit data to a central computer. FCC is set to vote on the plan next week. The Hill's "Hillicon Valley" et al.
05/16/2012
In a new issue brief, the National Association of Public Hospitals & Health Systems offered several recommendations for increasing flexibility in the meaningful use program, such as allowing a three-year timeframe between the Stage 1 and Stage 2 deadlines for the program. FierceHealthIT.
05/14/2012
A new study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania finds that an accountability tool embedded in an electronic health record system could reduce unnecessary CT scans among emergency department patients with abdominal pain. United Press International, CMIO.
05/10/2012
CMS has published a list of health care providers, as well as a list of hospitals, that have received Medicare incentive payments through the meaningful use program. The agency plans to update the lists, which are organized by state, on a quarterly basis. Government Health IT.
05/09/2012
Some of HHS' newly announced innovation awards will go to projects that have a health IT component. Emory University, University Hospitals of Cleveland and George Washington University received awards for projects involving telehealth. Modern Healthcare et al.
05/08/2012
The Markle Foundation has issued a report to supplement earlier guidance on secure health information sharing. The report includes resources on governance, consent and procurement for organizations undertaking health IT projects. Healthcare IT News.
05/07/2012
CMS recently announced that it will not require medical industry companies to collect data for the Physician Payments Sunshine Act until 2013. The act requires companies to report certain payments to health care providers, and the information will be available on a public website. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Herb Kohl said they are disappointed by the delay. Modern Physician et al.
05/04/2012
Today, the American Medical Association reminded physicians that they have until June 30 to report at least 10 electronic prescribing encounters to avoid the 2013 payment penalties under the Medicare e-prescribing program. The group said that doctors who are unable to meet the program's requirements should apply for a hardship exemption before the deadline. Health Data Management et al.
05/04/2012
A KLAS report predicts that purchases of health care business intelligence tools will increase in the next few years. Fifty-two percent of surveyed health care providers said they plan to purchase or replace such tools within the next three years. CMIO, FierceHealthIT.
05/03/2012
Several advocates have criticized the American Hospital Association for recommending looser patient access requirements in its comment letter on Stage 2 of the meaningful use program. AHA said it supports a 30-day window for providing patients with access to their health data after discharge, rather than the 36-hour timeframe proposed by CMS. Health Data Management et al.
05/03/2012
Yesterday, members of the Health IT Policy Committee discussed whether Stage 2 of the meaningful use program should allow licensed professionals and scribes to enter orders into electronic health record systems on behalf of physicians. Healthcare IT News.
05/03/2012
The Premier healthcare alliance has submitted comments on the proposed rules for Stage 2 of the meaningful use program. The group urged CMS to publish the Stage 2 final rules by August to avoid compromising hospitals' ability to meet program criteria by 2014. Healthcare IT News.
05/02/2012
The Healthcare Information Management Systems Society and the United Kingdom's IT trade group BCS plan to introduce the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Records Adoption Model to measure electronic health record adoption at U.K. hospitals. Healthcare IT News, CMIO.
04/27/2012
A new report from Fitch Ratings finds that electronic health record incentive payments from the meaningful use program helped increase the bottom line of for-profit hospital companies by nearly $400 million last year. The report's authors said that last year's meaningful use incentive payments were "modest" and that they expect to see larger payments in 2012 and 2013. Modern Healthcare.