Topic

HITECH Act


Cincinnati, Detriot named final Beacon pilot communities

Top Stories | Thursday, September 02 2010
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Sept. 2 that Cincinnati and Detroit are the two final pilot communities selected under the new Beacon Community Program that is using health IT to help tackle leading health problems in communities across the U.S.
 

KLAS: EMRs' true costs are higher than expected

Industry News | Thursday, August 26 2010
The EMR purchasing process has matured, there are fewer EMR pioneers and buyers are savvier; so today's EMR projects aren't likely to go way over budget, according to a report from healthcare market research firm KLAS. However, EMR customers may face unexpected costs down the line.
 

Report: Relaxed meaningful use criteria reflect reality

Industry News | Friday, August 13 2010
Final meaningful use rules that relax criteria slightly for EMRs reflect a more realistic approach given the slow adoption rates of EMRs among physicians over the past few years, according to a report from healthcare research firm Kalorama Information.
 

Redspin extends HIPAA security assessment to healthcare industry

New Products | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Security technology company Redspin is now offering an additional HIPAA security assessment service for the healthcare industry segment, addressing requirements of the HIPAA security rule and the HITECH Act through a risk-based approach.
 

HIMSS: NPRM modifies HIPAA compliance for business associate deals

Web Exclusives | Thursday, July 15 2010
Written by Jeff Byers
The contractual obligations in the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on modifications to the HIPAA privacy, security and enforcement rules under the HITECH Act for business associates and downstream entities are game changers, according to Amy S. Leopard, JD, from Walter and Haverfield, during a webinar sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
 

eHealth Initiative: IT policy implementers, take note from the state level

Industry News | Friday, July 09 2010
Much of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 implementation activity will occur at the state level, as will provisions in healthcare reform that build on health IT and health information exchange, according to a report from eHealth Initiative.
 

CynergisTek unveils IT security for smaller health orgs

New Products | Thursday, July 01 2010
Security IT company CynergisTek has released three new offerings designed for healthcare organizations with fewer than 100 beds to provide small healthcare organizations with IT and security services, which include IT support services, email technology and a HIPAA/HITECH security compliance review.
 

ONC issues final rule for EHR certification program

Top Stories | Friday, June 18 2010
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) today issued a final rule to establish a temporary certification program for EHR technology, which establishes processes that organizations will need to follow in order to be authorized by the National Coordinator to test and certify EHR technology.
 

NQF webinar maps the route to quality improvement

Web Exclusives | Thursday, June 17 2010
Written by Gina Narcisi
Standardizing performance measures, with the help of health IT, will make it possible to collect the right data at the right time to support performance measurement, clinical decision support, clinical research and quality improvement, said Janet M. Corrigan, PhD, president and CEO of the National Quality Forum (NQF) during a webinar hosted by the forum on June 17.
 

CHIME lauds Branzell for Colorado health IT initiative

Executive Announcements | Thursday, June 17 2010
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) has given its second annual State Advocacy Award to Russell P. Branzell, vice president and CIO at Poudre Valley Health System in Fort Collins, Colo.
 

CSC: Payors should pay attention to meaningful use

Industry News | Thursday, June 17 2010
At first glance, there appears to be less at stake in the HITECH Act provision for payors. However, as the details of healthcare reform emerge, the links between meaningful use, health IT, coverage reform and payor industry business practice reforms are becoming more explicit, according to a report from Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC).
 

Blumenthal: Meaningful use timeline is appropriate

Top Stories | Wednesday, June 16 2010
The question healthcare providers are facing today is "whether we are pushing too hard, too fast to make this important change," stated David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health IT, on his blog this week. “I respectfully submit, no,” stated Blumenthal. “In turn, I ask, ‘Can we make these changes expeditiously enough?’”
 

ONC forms Privacy & Security Tiger Team

Industry News | Thursday, June 10 2010
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has organized a workgroup (subcommittee), called the Privacy & Security Tiger Team, under the HIT Policy Committee to move forward on various privacy and security issues.
 

HIMSS: Don’t fear the auditor

Conference News | Wednesday, June 09 2010
Written by Mary Stevens
When it comes to HIPAA compliance, even if you’re not where you want to be, that’s no reason to panic, said Christopher Paidhrin, security and compliance officer at Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, Wash., during a session at the HIMSS virtual conference and expo on June 9.
 

Report: HITECH course corrections needed immediately

Industry News | Wednesday, June 02 2010
"While efforts of the federal government, states and stakeholders to implement the HITECH Act are worthy of praise, there are course corrections that must currently be made to occur at both the legislative and regulatory levels," according to a report released by Manatt Health Solutions.
 

Stolen Cincinnati Children’s Hospital laptop had data on 61k patients

Top Stories | Wednesday, June 02 2010
A password-protected laptop computer containing information about 61,027 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center patients from multiple states and several foreign countries has been stolen.
 

MGMA: New HIPAA disclosure requirements are too costly, burdensome

Industry News | Wednesday, May 19 2010
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights  in response to the request for information on the new HIPAA privacy rule for disclosures under the HITECH Act, suggesting that the new accounting for disclosures requirements are burdensome and onerous for medical practices.
 

Rep blasts VA over data breaches

Top Stories | Monday, May 17 2010
In the wake of two data breaches of veterans’ health information, Rep. Steven Buyer, R-Ind., ranking Republican on the U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, sent a stinging letter to Erik K.Shinseki, Secretary of the VA, criticizing the agency’s “continuing material weakness in veterans’ personal information from data breaches.”
 

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.
 

Blumenthal: NHIN 'natural evolution' will support HIE reform

Top Stories | Friday, May 14 2010
A "natural evolution" in National Health Information Network (NHIN) capabilities to support a variety of health information exchange (HIE) needs is being reinforced by trends that are leading toward widespread multi-point interoperability, stated David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, National Coordinator for Health IT, in a statement last week.
 
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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