02/03/2012
During this week's Health IT Policy Committee meeting, National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari said he expects the use of health data exchanges to grow in 2012, partly because health IT systems are becoming more interoperable. Healthcare IT News.
01/31/2012
Three Beacon communities are launching text messaging campaigns aimed at helping people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Participants will receive customized texts to help them manage and improve their health. Healthcare Informatics, Government Health IT.
01/30/2012
In a recent blog post, National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari wrote that 2012 will be "the year in which health IT truly comes of age." He also predicted that at least 100,000 health care providers will receive meaningful use incentive payments by the end of this year. CMIO et al.
01/27/2012
Today, the White House announced that U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra is stepping down from his post. During his tenure, Chopra advocated for greater use of health IT and improved government transparency by making more data available online. Politico et al.
01/24/2012
CMS has unveiled guidance on the appeals process for health care providers who have failed to receive meaningful use incentive payments or are seeking to challenge their payment amount. The guidance outlines deadlines for submitting an appeal. Modern Healthcare, CMS guidance.
01/24/2012
HHS has asked the Office of Management and Budget to review a proposed rule that will accompany the proposed rules for Stage 2 of the meaningful use program. OMB review typically is one of the last steps before an agency releases proposed or final rules. HHS previously indicated that it would release the Stage 2 proposed rules in January or February 2012. Health Data Management.
01/19/2012
Payments to hospitals that demonstrated meaningful use of electronic health records more than doubled from October 2011 to December 2011, according to CMS. Combined payments to eligible health care providers increased by 99% during that period. Modern Healthcare.
01/17/2012
Eligible professionals used electronic health record products from 217 different vendors to qualify for meaningful use incentive payments, but the top five vendors were used by 54% of providers, according to a database from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. Seventy-five percent of hospitals used EHR products from the top five hospital EHR vendors. Modern Healthcare.
01/11/2012
During yesterday's Health IT Policy Committee meeting, CMS officials announced that $2.5 billion in meaningful use incentive payments had been distributed as of December 2011. National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari also announced the creation of a public use file with de-identified data from meaningful use attestations. Modern Healthcare, Government Health IT.
01/11/2012
In an interview with HealthLeaders Media, National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari discussed the challenges that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT will face in 2012, as well as efforts to protect the privacy of patient data. HealthLeaders Media.