Organization

Medicaid


CMS issues guidance for state Medicaid IT implementation

Top Stories | Monday, August 23 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing guidance for state Medicaid directors and agencies regarding the implementation of CMS’ final regulations to allow the payment of incentives to eligible professionals and hospitals to promote the adoption and meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
 

Mississippi Medicaid, Shared Health get EHR under way

Contracts & Installations | Friday, August 20 2010
The Mississippi Division of Medicaid and Shared Health have launched an EHR system and e-prescribing tool for more than half a million Medicaid beneficiaries in that state.
 

HIT Standards Committee: Don’t fix what isn’t broken

Industry News | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Written by Gina Narcisi
Since the last HIT Policy & Standards Committee Enrollment Workgroup update, three workgroup meetings have been held and four tiger teams have been activated around privacy and security and in keeping with the think-big-but-start-small principle, said Aneesh Chopra, chair and chief technology officer of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
 

CMS, ONC kick off EHR incentives training program

Web Exclusives | Sunday, July 25 2010
Written by Mary Stevens
“We’re beginning a revolution the way information is collected, managed, used and purposed for patients in the U.S. healthcare system,” said David Blumenthal, MD, chair of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, in opening remarks at an audioconference training session on meaningful use and EHR certification last week.
 

HHS approves Florida data mining waiver to identify Medicaid fraud

Industry News | Friday, July 16 2010
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has approved the state of Florida’s Medicaid waiver request to help fund a demonstration program that will allow the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to mine Medicaid Management Information System data to identify cases of potential Medicaid fraud.
 

Florida AG aims to combat Medicaid fraud via data mining

Industry News | Thursday, July 15 2010
Attorney General (AG) Bill McCollum and the Florida Agency for HealthCare Administration's Secretary Tom Arnold have submitted a formal request to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for a waiver from the federal government which, if granted, would launch a Florida pilot data mining program to combat Medicaid fraud.
 

HIMSS: Road to healthcare reform paved by health IT

Conference News | Friday, June 11 2010
Lately, healthcare reform and health IT has been a “high-priority legislative issue,” and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) believes that healthcare reform can be enabled by leveraging health IT, explained David W. Roberts, MPA, vice president of HIMSS Government Relations, during a legislative update session of the HIMSS virtual conference on June 9.
 

Kaiser: Federal gov't can bear brunt of Medicaid costs under reform

Industry News | Tuesday, June 01 2010
The federal government could pay most of the new Medicaid costs in all states through the program's expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), according to a report from healthcare organization Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
 

HHS to study patient perceptions of EHRs

Industry News | Tuesday, May 18 2010
The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is seeking patient perceptions of the delivery of healthcare through the use of an EHR.
 

Grumman nets $34M CMS' data repository project

Contracts & Installations | Monday, May 17 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has selected Northrop Grumman to develop a National Level Repository for EHR incentive payment processing transactions to healthcare professionals, agencies and institutions.
 

DoJ report uncovers healthcare fraud settlements, actions in 2009

Industry News | Monday, May 17 2010
According to the 13th annual Department of Justice (DoJ) Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program report for fiscal year 2009, the federal government won or negotiated approximately $1.63 billion in judgments and settlements and U.S. Attorneys' offices opened 1,014 new criminal healthcare fraud investigations involving 1,786 potential defendants.
 

Indiana FSSA names first health IT coordinator

Executive Announcements | Monday, May 17 2010
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has appointed Andrew VanZee to serve as the state’s first health IT coordinator.
 

CMS changes provider enrollment, ordering and referral documentation requirements

Top Stories | Wednesday, May 12 2010
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last week released provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requiring all providers of medical or other items or services and suppliers that qualify for a National Provider Identifier (NPI) to include their NPI number on all enrollment applications and on all claims submitted under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
 

Report: Cancer expenses doubled since 1987

Top Stories | Monday, May 10 2010
According to a study published online May 10 in Cancer, the medical costs of cancer have nearly doubled over the course of the past 20 years and as a result, the share of these costs paid for by private insurance and Medicaid have increased.
 

CMS issues $8.2 million in matching funds to states, Puerto Rico for Medicaid programs

Industry News | Friday, April 30 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that several states and Puerto Rico will receive a total of $8.2 million in federal matching funds for planning activities necessary to implement the EHR incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
 

ASTRO prez suggests earlier radiation treatment for prostate cancer

Industry News | Thursday, April 22 2010
American Society for Radiology Oncology (ASTRO) President Anthony Zietman, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University in Boston, said that radiation treatment should be employed as opposed to the watchful waiting method, as doctors currently have little way to tell if prostate cancer will progress or remain somewhat asymptomatic.
 

HCS, Eclipsys align for medication management platform

Partnerships & Alliances | Tuesday, April 20 2010
Health Care Systems (HCS) will join Eclipsys’ Helios application developer program, giving Eclipsys' clients the opportunity to update their medication reconciliation workflows without additional technologies.
 

Kansas taps HP for $119M medical management contract

Contracts & Installations | Wednesday, April 14 2010
The Kansas Health Policy Authority has entered a $119 million two-year technology services contract extension with HP Enterprise Services that includes two one-year options.
 

Webinar: Providers require education on how reform will impact them

Web Exclusives | Sunday, April 11 2010
Written by Jeff Byers
Hospitals and health systems leaders need to identify and understand the aspects of the healthcare reform legislation that will not only have immediate, significant impact but also long-term effects on their business, said Ed Giniat, KPMG's U.S. leader for healthcare and pharmaceuticals, during a webinar April 9 hosted by KPMG Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals.
 

Report: States raise taxes for federal matching funds on Medicaid

Industry News | Thursday, April 08 2010
In response to budget strains and high Medicaid demand, many states are raising taxes with healthcare providers in the crosshairs because revenue raised from those taxes can be used to obtain a larger amount of federal matching funds, according to the Tax Foundation.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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