Policy & Legislation

 
Sen. Baucus says ACA to be 'appreciated down the road'
April 24, 2013 |
Kaiser Health News www.kaiserhealthnews.org

Max Baucus, the Montana Democrat, will continue focusing on implementation of the Affordable Care Act, among other top priorities, until he retires in 2014.
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Report quantifies EHR benefits for Canadian docs
April 23, 2013 |
Anthony Brino
While only a bit more than half of Canadian primary care doctors have adopted EHRs so far, the benefits since adoption started growing in 2006 are estimated at close to $1.3 billion, from reduced administration and duplicate testing.
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Asia-Pac governments fueling HIT
April 23, 2013 |
Mike Miliard
Regulations and incentives are driving adoption of electronic health records in Asia-Pacific countries. Much like the U.S., however, they are encountering issues with interoperability and medical professionals' technology skills.
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HHS seeks input on HIPAA and gun background checks
April 23, 2013 |
Anthony Brino
Amid concerns over gun violence, HHS's Office of Civil Rights is trying to clarify HIPAA's role in reporting individuals with mental illness deemed potentially dangerous to the national background check system, while seeking input on current practices.
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CHIME to HHS: Extend certification to HIE
April 22, 2013 |
Erin McCann
Building on the success of its meaningful use program to include health information exchange technologies would drive interoperability, CHIME contends.
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4 HIX elements states should consider now
April 22, 2013 |
Will Saunders
State governments have a big job ahead in educating the public during the next several months as marketplaces are established. Many citizens will need hand-holding to understand the best healthcare option for them.
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HHS creates workgroup to focus on patient safety
April 22, 2013 |
Bernie Monegain
New group includes representatives from the FCC, FDA and ONC as well as experts on consumers, payers and providers.
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Bipartisan Policy Center urges payment reform toward patient-centered care
April 19, 2013 |
Tom Sullivan
A new report recommends myriad ways to reform payment, taxes, HIT and other programs essentially en route to more efficient and effective care delivery, with the goal of $560 billion worth of deficit reduction in the coming decade.
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Commentary: When HIPAA and states collide
April 19, 2013 |
Anthony Brino
Associate Editor Anthony Brino explains how a recent Florida ruling demonstrates that state and federal statutes can conflict, even when they share the same goals.
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Why the CDC wants to modernize its pathogen, sequencing informatics
April 19, 2013 |
Anthony Brino
In its 2014 budget proposal, the CDC is seeking $40 million to modernize its infectious disease informatics and sequencing tools. As antibiotic-resistant bacteria grow and new pathogens like H7N9 evolve, the CDC sees the new systems as a long-term investment.
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ACA fosters 'fertile time for healthcare investments'
April 18, 2013 |
Mary Mosquera
President Obama's health reform law is "driving strong demand for innovation," according to a new report that also identifies areas of particular interest to investors.
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Both parties oppose Obama's Medicare budget cuts
April 18, 2013 |
Kaiser Health News www.kaiserhealthnews.org

Democrat and Republican Senators alike took aim at President Obama's proposed budget for 2014, and the reductions to Medicare within. One even likened it to Lizzie Borden.
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Is meaningful use delivering meaningful results?
November 14, 2012 |
Brian Ahier
Brian Ahier reports on the Congressional hearing examining health information technology standards and interoperability.
Editor's Desk: T.W.I.G. Notes
November 9, 2012 |
Tom Sullivan
The ACA lives but expect changes, just not for EHRs to get easier. How HackensackUMC prepped its mobile ED for nor'easter, Top 10 nursing informatics governance focus areas, and the fate of ACOs.
Is the presidential election healthcare's own perfect storm for EHRs?
November 2, 2012 |
Lee Barrett
ENHAC executive director Lee Barrett explains what's at stake for certified EHRs, the economy, HITECH funding and patient care on Election day.
Editor's Desk: T.W.I.G. Notes
October 26, 2012 |
Tom Sullivan
Romney says ACA repeal could help budget, the opportunity within the EHR upcoding controversy, ICD-10 on the cheap, Northern Ireland, results of a reader poll about health IT in the GOP and Democratic party platforms, and more.
On MU critics, HITECH, and vested interests
October 22, 2012 |
Jeff Rowe
When it comes to meaningful use incentives, do RECs really know best? Or are they too reliant on the federal funding to be objective?
Editor's Desk: T.W.I.G. Notes
October 18, 2012 |
Tom Sullivan
Is this the beginning of the end of health IT's coveted bipartisan support? That, and NYeC's Digital Health Conference 2012, CDC on the verge of opening its cloud to public health, the Government Health IT Virtual Briefing, a debate, and more.
Lest you forget: Government Health IT virtual briefing on Wednesday, Oct 17
October 12, 2012 |
Tom Sullivan
Comprising the all-star lineup: Elizabeth Holland, Dan Paoletti, Lygeia Ricciardi, and Rob Tagalicod.
HIMSS' 5 steps to make ICD-10 transition more manageable
October 12, 2012 |
Carl Natale
The industry association this week published A Call to Action style advisory report outlining, among other things, what healthcare organizations can do to make the conversion as smooth as possible, industry-wide.
Editor's Desk: T.W.I.G. Notes
October 11, 2012 |
Tom Sullivan
The potentially comedic side of Thursday night's vice presidential debate, the not so-humorous calls for ending meaningful use and HITECH altogether, and a look at how hospitals can prepare for the era of pay-for-performance.
Limiting of social security death records concerns health researchers
October 10, 2012 |
Anthony Brino
Last year the Social Security Administration started limiting access to death records amid concerns of privacy and identity theft. Health researchers are concerned that may slow important studies, and some say important research on organ donations have already begun to suffer.
HIMSS issues a call to action to help organizations achieve ICD-10 compliance
October 9, 2012 |
Carl Natale
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems (HIMSS) hopes to help the healthcare industry reach ICD-10 compliance as smoothly as possible.
HITECH and the next wave of EHRs
October 8, 2012 |
Jeff Rowe
More interesting than the short-term achievements of the meaningful use program are innovations that might be coming down the road.