Compliance

AMA maintains operational vigor May 17, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

The largest U.S. physician organization remains in good health, according to its 2012 annual report, released May 16. American Medical Association membership grew 3 percent during the report period to a current level of nearly 225,000. Financially, the association recorded its 13th consecutive year of operating profits, $16.6 million in 2012.

Strike force finds $223M in alleged fraud May 16, 2013 | Anthony Brino - Contributing Writer

Strike force uncovers $223 million in alleged Medicare fraud

The federal government has uncovered a string of alleged Medicare fraud attempts involving 89 individuals in eight cities. About a quarter of the individuals charged are doctors, nurses and medical professionals, Justice Department officials said.

Solo docs behind on attestation May 16, 2013 | Erin McCann - Contributing Writer

According to a Deloitte survey of 1,613 U.S. primary care and specialist physicians, solo practitioners reported a Stage 1 attestation rate of 31 percent, versus 62 percent of mid-size practices and 82 percent of large-sized practices. However, overall, those physicians who have gone full-throttle with health IT adoption have witnessed substantial positive results.

Law expert's views on excluded persons May 15, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

PhysBizTech talked to Paula Sanders, principal and chair of law firm Post & Schell's Health Care Practice Group, about the potential impact at the physician practice level of the Office of Inspector General's May 9 guidance on excluded persons. "The penalties can be catastrophic if you are working with someone who has been excluded," cautions Sanders.

Doctors transform how they practice May 15, 2013 | Kaiser Health News - www.kaiserhealthnews.org

Physicians are experimenting with business models and new practice techniques, hoping to find work that is both financially and personally rewarding. One doctor comments, "Unless you remain independent, you will have no say in what kind of medicine you practice."

Stepping away from typical office furniture May 14, 2013 | Rodney J. Moore - Contributing Writer

Even as studies from the Obesity journal to the Journal of Applied Physiology have shown that sitting is bad for your health, many employers – even healthcare-related ones – balk at the costs of non-traditional office furniture like treadmill desks.

App locks down doc communications May 14, 2013 | Eric Wicklund - Senior Editor

Two mHealth companies, Medweb and DocbookMD, have unveiled a mobile application designed to enable clinicians to communicate and share labs, images and reports via mobile device with other clinicians.

Physicians embrace EMR, HIE technologies May 09, 2013 | Mike Miliard - Managing Editor

The number of U.S. physicians using electronic medical records has topped 90 percent, and nearly half of the doctors polled for a new Accenture survey say they now use health information exchange technology — an uptick of 32 percent.

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Drilling down on clinical summaries May 17, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated its website with two new FAQs regarding clinical summaries as they relate to the agency's incentive programs for making meaningful use of certified EHR technology. Here's the latest guidance.

5 stages to ACO maturity May 17, 2013 | Mike Miliard - Managing Editor

With recognition that "the path through accountable care is unknown," IDC Health Insights has launched a new Accountable Care Maturity Model, designed to help healthcare organizations gauge their own status and make strategic decisions for funding business and IT initiatives.

OIG strengthens authority on exclusions May 14, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

The Office of Inspector General has the authority to exclude from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs persons who "have engaged in fraud or abuse and to impose civil money penalties (CMPs) for certain misconduct related to federal healthcare programs." Providers who employ or contract with an excluded person retain substantial potential CMP liability.

Double down on EHR and PQRS incentives May 13, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

If you treat Medicare patients and bill for Part B services on the Physician Fee Schedule, you may be eligible for two incentive programs offered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

EHR access: How much is too much? May 13, 2013 | Xavier E. Martinez

A recent Harris Interactive survey shows that 82 percent of physicians want patients to be active in their healthcare through electronic health records, but only 31 percent believe patients should have full access to their EHR record. Although there are clear benefits to providing patients access to their medical data, such as improved quality of care and patient satisfaction, the report refers to several instances where full patient access to medical records may not be conducive to proper care.

How dates of service affect ICD-10 coding May 10, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services explains how you would handle submission of a claim in October 2014 for a service you provided in September 2014.

Complete testing urged for hep C patients May 10, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

Many people who test positive on an initial hepatitis C test are not receiving the necessary follow-up testing to determine if their body has cleared the virus or if they are still infected, according to Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). May 19 is National Hepatitis Testing Day; this article includes CDC's recommendations for who should be tested.

How to optimize your EHR May 08, 2013 | Madelyn Kearns - Associate Editor

In his session at the Health IT Summit in Boston on May 7, Larry Garber, MD, outlined these steps as imperative to achieving success with any EHR system, drawing upon experience and even the institution of marriage to cement for practice managers a meaningful strategy into an EHR future.

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The VNA Strategy: Balancing Workflow and Enterprise Imaging Management April 16, 2013 | Resource Central

As healthcare providers implement health IT to comply with federal mandates and participate in quality of care programs, VNA solutions can play a critical role in helping them meet their needs today and in their future IT initiatives. Forward-thinking healthcare providers around the world are already successfully meeting this challenge with VNA. Download this Healthcare IT News eBook to learn how VNA enables exchange, supports data consolidation and IT simplification.

Navigating the Path to a Successful ICD-10 Implementation January 28, 2013 | Resource Central

Over the last few years, all healthcare organizations – from payers to vendors to providers – have gone through the rollercoaster ride of preparing for ICD-10 then stopping or slowing down due to deadline delays. Now that the deadline is officially set, every organization needs to focus on their implementation plans to ensure they are prepared. So where should your practice start? This free white paper will provide you with the details you need to: • Build a successful and strategic implementation team • Conduct documentation reviews and gap analyses • Develop an implementation timeline A successful ICD-10 transition will not happen overnight, but with thoughtful planning it will be easier to manage.

Achieving Meaningful Use in Private Practice: A close examination of Stage 2 requirements November 28, 2012 | Resource Central

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Federal Government laid the groundwork for the nationwide implementation of electronic health records (EHR) systems as a measure to improve patient care, reduce healthcare costs, and increase the level of overall public health. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) program requires providers to demonstrate meaningful use (MU) of an electronic health record system to be eligible for monetary incentives. The implementation of EHR and compliance with meaningful use regulations, should be a top priority for all eligible healthcare professionals (EPs).

A Guide to Selecting a Medical Billing Service: 5 Key Questions to Ask November 14, 2012 | Resource Central

Choosing the right service for your billing may be among the most important decisions for your practice. Use this guide to make sure you’re covering all of your bases when selecting this important partner. Learn why you should outsource your billing now and how to find medical billing service providers. In addition, this guide will tell you what questions to ask during your selection process and more.

Revenue Cycle Mastery: How to Support Industry Standard Best Practices November 14, 2012 | Resource Central

Achieving the highest revenue potential in your medical practice is only found through applying innovative and proven operational principles. The Revenue Cycle Mastery Training and Companion Guide outlines how to implement these industry best practices and secure reimbursements in your practice.

EHR & Practice Management Software Buyer's Guide November 14, 2012 | Resource Central

Eliminate buyer's remorse! Make the right software choice for your medical practice the first time. This paper includes a comprehensive checklist of features and functionality that you must consider in your search for medical software. Cut to the chase to be aware of hidden costs, contract terms, and true ROI.

What You Should Know About ICD-10 Codes November 14, 2012 | Resource Central

This paper identifies what medical offices need to know about ICD-10 codes including: Facts, timing & impact of ICD-10 medical codes; expansion of ICD medical code base; ICD-10 impact on the medical practice and comparison table of ICD-9 & ICD-10 diagnosis medical codes.

There’s Still Time to Earn your Medicare Incentives! October 05, 2012 | Resource Central

You have until December 31st to submit e-prescriptions for 25 Medicare patient encounters in 2012 and still receive the 1% bonus in 2013 and/or avoid the 1.5% penalty in 2014!

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Dual coding: Will medical practices be required to keep both code sets? May 15, 2013 | Carl Natale - ICD10Watch

I have to wonder if practice isn't a compelling enough reason for medical offices of all sizes to try dual coding.

What if the healthcare cost crisis solves itself? May 10, 2013 | David Williams - Health Business Blog

Health plans tend to follow Medicare rates and do little to independently establish and negotiate price levels.

Solo practices show promise to persevere May 02, 2013 | Madelyn Kearns - Associate Editor

As long as there is entrepreneurial vigor to be found in the men and women of medicine, there will be physicians prepared and dream-driven to serve their career days as both MD and MBA.

Telling a good story May 01, 2013 | Rob Lamberts, MD

In some ways things are going about as well as could be expected with my new practice. The hard part has been that I have not been able to find tools to help me organize my business so it can run efficiently.

ICD-10 challenges for medical practices April 25, 2013 | Carl Natale - ICD10Watch

The following impacts need to be considered when developing ICD-10 transition plans.

Looking ahead to ONC committee work April 23, 2013 | Anthony Brino - Contributing Writer

Here's a look at what the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT will be working on over the next six months.

Marrying the BYOD phenomenon to HIPAA compliance April 19, 2013 | Lindy Benton - CEO of MEA

Ultimately, the security and privacy requirements of HIPAA that are applied to "traditional" transmission methods of medical documents and images need to be applied to the mobile space.

Administration extends rules for technology transfer April 15, 2013 | Jeff Rowe - Contributing Writer

The government is loosening up regulations that prohibit hospitals from giving other practices medical record software that might then be used to refer patients back to the hospital.

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DataMotion Launches DataMotion Direct to Enable Healthcare Organizations to Meet Meaningful Use Stage 2 Requirements October 24, 2012 | Industry Release

DataMotion (www.datamotion.com), an established cloud-based data delivery provider, today announced DataMotion Direct, a secure email service that enables healthcare industry organizations to integrate with the Direct Project and meet real-world secure communications needs. This announcement also marks DataMotion’s expanded company focus as it begins operations as a health information service provider (HISP).

Elsevier’s MC Strategies announces the continued development of its ICD-10 Roadmap with the introduction of new curricula October 16, 2012

Elsevier’s MC Strategies, a leader in providing eLearning solutions to more than 1,300 healthcare organizations, today announced the continued development of its ICD-10 Roadmap with the introduction of new curricula, including a comprehensive clinical documentation curriculum.

MAXIMUS experts to share insights on health insurance exchanges and Medicaid initiatives at 2012 Medicaid Enterprise Systems Conference August 17, 2012 | Industry Release

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that four of the Company’s leading subject matter experts on Medicaid program administration will be presenters at the Medicaid Enterprise Systems (MES) Conference: “Healthcare History In The Making.” The MES Conference, formerly known as the Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS) Conference, brings together thought leaders from the public and private sectors to share ideas and information related to Medicaid systems and initiatives.

Practice Fusion partners with NJ-HITEC to help local doctors earn up to $44K in government incentives August 16, 2012 | Industry Release

Practice Fusion – the nation's largest doctor-patient community – and the New Jersey Health Information Technology Extension Center (NJ-HITEC) are teaming up to help medical professionals across New Jersey quickly and easily start using Practice Fusion's free Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. The partnership, the first of its kind for Practice Fusion, aims to provide doctors with all the resources they need to qualify for up to $44,000 in Meaningful Use incentives, a federal program designed to promote EMR usage.

Modernizing Medicine launches specialty-specific EMR app August 16, 2012 | Industry Release

Modernizing Medicine, the creator of the Electronic Medical Assistant™ (EMA), a cloud-based specialty-specific EMR application, announced today the availability of EMA Dermatology™ with Logical Images' VisualDx, a comprehensive digital medical image library, proving the company's dedication to bringing dermatologists the most powerful EMR on the market.

New Commonwealth Fund white paper caucuses on strategies for implementing ACOs August 14, 2012 | Industry Release

The Commonwealth Fund released a new white paper on lessons learned from members of the Premier healthcare alliance’s accountable care collaborative.

SimonMed Imaging selects Merge's radiology and interoperability solutions to share images & achieve meaningful use August 14, 2012 | Industry Release

Merge Healthcare Incorporated, a leading provider of clinical systems and innovations that seek to transform healthcare, today announced that SimonMed Imaging, the largest specialized outpatient physician imaging practice in the country, will implement Merge's integrated suite of radiology solutions along with iConnect® Access and iConnect® VNA to provide anywhere, anytime viewing of images and achieve Meaningful Use (MU).

New ACO to improve care and lower costs for 40,000 NJ patients August 13, 2012 | Industry Release

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) and Optimus Healthcare Partners (Optimus) today announced the launch of an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) agreement to deliver more effective care at lower costs to more than 40,000 Horizon BCBSNJ members. The new ACO agreement will include 42 primary care practices and 104 primary care physicians within 11 New Jersey counties.

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