05/23/2012
The Medical Group Management Association has offered input on CMS' planned implementation of Health Plan Identifiers, while the Federation of American Hospitals has raised concerns about a proposal on National Provider Identifiers. FierceHealthIT, Health Data Management.
05/18/2012
Yesterday, FDA and industry stakeholders discussed a proposal to create a national prescription drug tracking system to combat counterfeit drugs. The provision could be added to a bill to reauthorize FDA's prescription drug and medical device user-fee programs. Politico et al.
05/17/2012
In a letter to CMS, the American Hospital Association voiced its support for the proposed one-year delay to the ICD-10 compliance deadline. AHA said organizations should use the extra time to conduct "extensive testing" of the coding system. Becker's Hospital Review, AHA News.
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.
05/17/2012
A new report from Surescripts finds that 36% of U.S. prescriptions were sent electronically by the end of 2011. The report also found that about 58% of office-based physicians were electronically prescribing by the end of last year. According to Surescripts, e-prescribing helps increase the likelihood that patients will pick up new prescriptions. AP/Washington Post, Healthcare IT News.
05/16/2012
Yesterday, the Medical Group Management Association-American College of Medical Practice Executives asked CMS to extend the deadline for health care providers to submit hardship exemptions to avoid penalties under the electronic prescribing program. Modern Physician.
05/16/2012
In a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the Texas Medical Association called for the federal government to skip the transition to ICD-10 code sets. Instead, TMA suggested that the U.S. wait to implement ICD-11 code sets or adopt SNOMED-CT standards. Modern Healthcare.
05/15/2012
A Journal of the American Health Information Management Association article questions whether state-level health data exchanges will become obsolete over the next few years as more private organizations claim a share of the health information exchange market. CMIO.
05/14/2012
The American Medical Association recently submitted comments asking CMS to delay the ICD-10 compliance deadline by two years -- to Oct. 1, 2015 -- instead of finalizing the recently proposed one-year delay. AMA said that if stakeholders cannot reach a consensus on ICD-10 during the two-year extension, "then the move to ICD-10 should be postponed indefinitely." Modern Healthcare.
05/14/2012
Rep. Steve King has introduced a bill that would prohibit federal telehealth grants from going to health care providers who use videoconferencing tools to prescribe the abortion medication mifepristone. The bill has 47 co-sponsors. The Hill's "Floor Action Blog," CQ HealthBeat.
05/11/2012
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is seeking comments from stakeholders on the establishment of a governance mechanism for the Nationwide Health Information Network. The governance structure would include rules on technical, business practice, privacy and security requirements to establish a common trust framework for the exchange. Health Data Management.
05/10/2012
The American Health Information Management Association recently announced that it opposes delaying the ICD-10 compliance deadline but that if such a delay is inevitable, it should be limited to one year. The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives said HHS' proposed one-year delay is an appropriate "middle ground." Healthcare IT News, Health Data Management.
05/10/2012
Today, CMS issued two final rules designed to ease regulatory burdens on health care providers. One of the rules includes a provision stating that CMS has retired older versions of technical standards for the Medicare electronic prescribing program. Modern Healthcare et al.
05/09/2012
CMS has posted a notice on the Federal Business Opportunities website seeking information about data systems that could help health insurance exchanges verify whether an individual has access to employer-sponsored coverage. Responses are due by May 21. Government Health IT.
05/08/2012
Yesterday, the American Medical Association and 98 state and specialty medical societies sent a letter to CMS indicating that some of the proposed criteria for Stage 2 of the meaningful use program would be cumbersome for physicians to implement. Several other industry stakeholders and consumer advocacy groups also submitted comments on the proposed rules. Healthcare IT News et al.