What’s Happening at the ONC – 8-24-2018
Supporting the adoption of health IT and the promotion of nationwide health information exchange to improve health care, here is what is happening at the ONC.
Read MoreRegulatory Issues
Medicare To Overhaul ACOs But Critics Fear Less Participation
By Phil Galewitz – Accountable care organizations were among the key initiatives of the Affordable Care Act, designed to help control soaring Medicare costs. ACOs were expected to save the government nearly $5 billion by 2019, according to the CBO.
Mining A New Data Set To Pinpoint Critical Staffing Issues In Skilled Nursing Facilities
By Jordan Rau – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is not known for linguistic playfulness. Nonetheless, at least one person there must have been chuckling when it named its rich new data source for nursing home staffing levels the Payroll-Based Journal, or PBJ.
MIPS and EHR Certification: Most Asked Question
By Jim Tate – The most common question I receive from EHR vendors regarding certification is this: “What is the deadline for providers to begin using 2015 Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT)?” The answer is, “It all depends”. Here is the issue:
Interoperability Standards Advisory: Annual Request for Comments
By Steven Posnack & Brett Andriesen – Sunscreen – check. Bathing suit – check. Towel – check. Comment on the Interoperability Standards Advisory – …? Just in time for your summer checklist, don’t forget to do your part and participate in the annual ISA comment and review period.
The Final MIPS Scores: What to Know
By Jim Tate – The MIPS scores based on 2017 performance were released just over a month ago and there are a few things to know. It is now possible to sign in and, as CMS tell us, “view your final performance feedback, which includes your final score and payment adjustment information.”
Proposed CMS Changes to E/M Codes: Still a Need for Vigilant Review and Monitoring
By Vasilios Nassiopoulos – With all the hoopla surrounding the recent announcement that CMS is proposing changes to Evaluation & Management (E/M) codes, you would think the government was eliminating documentation requirements altogether.
QPP Performance Feedback Now Available
View New Quality Payment Program Demo Videos on How to Access 2017 MIPS Performance Feedback and How to Request a Targeted Review. To help you access your performance feedback or request a targeted review, CMS has posted four new demonstration videos.
How to Get Better While Being the Same
By William A. Hyman – I listened to an interesting webinar that was promoted here on the ABCs of the QPP: Understanding the Proposed 2019 QPP Rule. One thing that was reinforced to me was that scoring schemes are inherently arbitrary and subject to manipulation.