By David Squires & David Blumenthal MD – There’s a lot to absorb in the proposed rule for implementing “MACRA”—the sprawling, bipartisan law passed in 2015 aimed at moving Medicare physician payment from rewarding volume to rewarding value. One question attracting scrutiny is whether the reforms will favor larger practices at the expense of smaller ones.
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By Andy Bindman MD – It has been nearly 16 years since the late John Eisenberg, M.D., AHRQ’s brilliant director from 1997 to 2002 and one of my early mentors, published an article in JAMA that remains a guidepost for me and others in the field even today. The article deserves quoting for its enduring message:
By Marlowe Greenberg – For the last several years, Foothold Technology has participated in the InterSystems Global Summit. It’s an invitation-only event where leaders convene to discuss and learn how to tackle healthcare IT challenges. Like previous years, we participated in two tracks at the conference.
Telemedicine use is growing among health care professionals according to a recent Aeris survey. The majority of more than 150 health care professionals say telemedicine is now a high priority for their organizations and is already providing a measurable ROI. Here is what is happening in the industry.
By Susan Jaffe – Looking for ways to save money and improve care, Medicare officials are returning to an old-fashioned idea: house calls. But the experiment, called Independence at Home, is more than a nostalgic throwback to the way medicine was practiced decades ago when the doctor arrived at the patient’s door carrying a big black bag.
By Elise Sweeney Anthony & Steven Posnack – Health IT developers must now comply with enhanced transparency requirements associated with their products. It is applicable to the 2014 Edition, as well as newly issued 2015 Edition of standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria.
By Sara Rosenbaum – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services introduced a final Medicaid managed care rule establishing a new regulatory framework for the next generation of managed care. A policy watershed, the rule ultimately will touch the lives of tens of millions of low-income children and adults, and individuals with disabilities.
By Mark Schneider – According to a survey by Hospital and Health Networks magazine, only 39% of respondents integrate clinical data so it is accessible, searchable, and reportable across the care community. That’s up from 33% in 2014 but far short of the type of connectivity needed to ensure quality patient outcomes.
By Patrick Conway MD – We know that it is possible to improve national patient safety performance resulting in millions of people avoiding infections and adverse health events. A report released by the AHRQ showed an unprecedented 39% reduction in preventable patient harm in U.S. hospitals compared to the 2010 baseline.