by admin on November 3, 2011
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has confirmed that, since it remains unable to electronically receive clinical quality measures (CQMs), eligible providers and hospitals participating in the EHR Incentive Program will continue in 2012 to report CQMs through the currently established Attestation process. As in 2011, CQM results must be calculated by using certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology.
CMS is encouraging physicians and hospitals to participate next year in voluntary pilot programs to test electronic CQM submission. Quality measures reported via the current model of attestation are not publicly reported, and CMS does not plan to publicly report quality measures under the electronic submission pilot.
by admin on October 17, 2011
From HealthCare IT News
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in September paid out $25 million to 1400 eligible providers and $61 million to 30 dually eligible hospitals under the meaningful use EHR incentive program, according to Robert Anthony from the CMS Office of E-Health Standards and Services.
Anthony made the announcement at the October meeting of the HIT Policy Committee.
Since the MU program began Jan. 1, 2011, CMS has paid out $870 million in incentives. “We are well on track to pay out $1 billion by the end of this year,” he said.
In September, 17,000 additional eligible providers registered for the MU program – a 70 percent increase over August, Anthony added.
To date, 114,000 providers – including both hospitals and eligible providers – have registered for the program, he said.
All the thresholds have exceeded what CMS thought might happen this year, Anthony said. “This is somewhat expected, because most of those we have are the early [electronic health record] adopters, but there were some on the borderline as well,” he said.
by admin on October 10, 2011
Do patients really want to engage with healthcare providers through technology? According to Jane Sarasohn-Kahn’s analysis of recently healthcare consumer surveys, the answer is a resounding “Yes”.
Jeff Rowe of HealthCare IT News recently published a concise summary of Sarasohn-Kahn’s analysis, concluding with a suggestion that, in the area of privacy concerns, the categories articulated in the healthcare consumer surveys can provide a framework for educating the public.
Says Rowe:
For starters, she [Sarasohn-Kahn] cites a 2011 Intuit poll in which three-quarters of respondents said they “would use a secure online tool to make it easier to communicate with the doctor’s office . . . Furthermore, one-half of those interested in online access to doctors would consider switching doctors to one whose office offered secure online access.”
She goes on to note, “If people could securely connect with doctors, Intuit found, 51% would ask care-related questions. Thus, interest in online connections with doctors’ offices goes well beyond appointment scheduling (the top-desired electronic function, with 81% saying they would use it), prescription requests (68%), obtaining lab results (62%), completing medical forms (59%), and reviewing and paying bills online (53%).”
She then points to another survey, from Dell, in which “three out of four people said they would like ‘EHRs to be shared between [their] physician, hospital’ and other health care providers. Furthermore, seven in 10 people would like to be able to email with their doctor, and 61% want access to their personal health record through a Web portal or private website.”
Sarasohn-Kahn goes on to discuss privacy concerns, and Rowe suggest that “surveys like this may provide policymakers with a means of educating the public about the opportunities and challenges of new HIT.”
