The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) has posted the second set of draft Test Procedures and applicable tools and test data files for the 2014 Edition EHR certification criteria. The Test Procedures, once finalized, will be used for testing and certifying EHR technology under the ONC HIT Certification program. The Test Procedures will be […]
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT may release draft recommendations for Stage 3 of the meaningful use program by August, according to aniHealthBeat report. During a July 3 meeting, members of the Health IT Policy Committee’s work group announced their plan to develop a Stage 3 draft by August so a request […]
HHS’s proposed delay for the ICD-10 transition has spurred both support and criticism from various professional organizations, including the AMA, HIMSS, and the AHA. Despite disagreement on the compliance timeline, most stakeholders agree the new code set will reduce inappropriate coding, facilitate better care management, and improve reporting. Regardless of the deadline, providers and payers […]
The American Medical Association (AMA) will be taking a serious look at the idea of ending a costly, long-planned shift to a new billing code version and instead shifting to an even newer version that’s supposed to be available for beta testing in 2015. The House of Delegates at the AMA, Chicago, voted earlier this […]
Public health departments around the country have long scrutinized data from local hospitals for indications that diseases like influenza, tuberculosis, AIDS, syphilis and asthma might be on the rise, and to monitor the health consequences of heat waves, frigid weather or other natural phenomena. In the years since 9/11, this scrutiny has come to include […]
The government must gauge the full impact of the code sets before requiring doctors to use them for billing services, the Association says. Washington Federal officials should delay a deadline to switch to the ICD-10 diagnosis code sets for billing physician services by at least two years instead of one, the American Medical Association said […]
The Electronic Health Records Association wants to modify the reporting process used by healthcare providers to qualify for stage two of the meaningful use initiative. Under the the 2009 HITECH Act, physicians are eligible to receive up to $44,000 in incentives from Medicare for meaningful use of electronic health records starting in 2011. Reporting periods […]
Many wonder how information technology can shape the future of health care. There is no better place to find that answer than at the 2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) in Las Vegas. HIMSS is an annual gathering of 38,000 mobile-device-wielding doctors, nurses, IT evangelists, exhibitors, state and federal government officials, all attempting […]
In a recent blog post, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services encourages health IT community to make 2012 the year of meaningful use. Health IT plays a central role in building a 21st century health care system—where care is safer, better coordinated and patient-centered, where we pay for the right care, not just more care. Increasing the adoption and […]
The Healthcare Industry as a whole is currently weighing its options after the recent announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius that the federal government may extend the October 2013 ICD-10 implementation deadline. As of right now, no one knows what the time frame for the extension would be or who would be […]