Archive for the ‘EHRs’ Category

EHR Donation Period Extended

Authored By: Jeffrey W. Short

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General have released a set of proposed regulations that extend the existing protection from the Anti-Kickback Statute and physician self-referral law (Stark Law) for donations of electronic health records.

(more…)

2014 Meaningful Use Eligible Hospital Clinical Quality Measure Update Posted by CMS

Authored By: Alisa C. Kuehn

The final rule for Stage 2 of Meaningful Use (“MU”) included an outline of the timeline for reviewing and publishing updates to the Clinical Quality Measure (“CQM”) specifications used in the EHR Incentive Program with the determination that the specifications should be updated more frequently than the rulemaking cycle for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs in order to ensure that specifications continue to be aligned with current clinical guidelines and to ensure that the CQM remains relevant and actionable within the clinical care setting.

(more…)

ONC Seeking Comments on Data Exchange

Authored By: Alisa C. Kuehn

ONC is seeking comments on how ONC and CMS policies could result in routine exchange of patient clinical data across care settings.  The deadline to submit comments is April 22, 2013.

Click here for more information and procedures for comment submission.

Should you have questions, please contact Alisa Kuehn at akuehn@hallrender.com or (317) 977-1475.

ONC Meaningful Use Resources

Authored By: Alisa C. Kuehn

The ONC has made available on its website (healthit.gov) a variety of resources to assist those working toward Meaningful Use.  Below are links to a few of these resources:

  • Click here for information on attestation, tipsheets, FAQs, tools and regulations related to Meaningful Use Stage 2.
  • Click here to access the 2014 Edition Test Method for Certification of EHR technology.
  • Click here for Interoperability training courses that have been developed around the Stage 2 Meaningful Use Rule to train Eligible Professionals and Critical Access Hospitals how to implement the new standards.

For more information on Meaningful Use Stage 2, contact Alisa Kuehn at akuehn@hallrender.com or (317) 977-1475.

Possible Extension of EHR Donation Regulations

Authored By: Jeffrey W. Short

Bureau of National Affairs is reporting that CMS and the OIG have submitted proposed regulations to extend the exception from the physician self-referral law and the safe harbor under the anti-kickback statute for EHR donations.  The report indicates that proposed regulations have been sumitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) for review.  Submission to the OMB is typically the final step to proposed regulations being issued.

(more…)

ECRI Institute Publishes Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2013

Authored By: Mark R. Dahlby

ECRI Institute has released its list of the Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2013.  The annual report is based on the prevalence and severity of incidents reported by health care facilities and information found in the Institute’s medical device problem reporting databases.

(more…)

Upcoming Health Information Exchange Governance Town Hall Meetings

Authored By: Ammon R. Fillmore

The National eHealth Collaborative will host two upcoming Health Information Exchange Governance Town Hall Meetings.  These Town Hall Meetings aim to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to describe and offer input on their experiences, practices, issues, priorities and suggestions regarding Health Information Exchange Governance initiatives. (more…)

The FCC Releases Rules for Healthcare Connect Fund and Announces Pilot to Expand Infrastructure Funding to Skilled Nursing Facilities

Authored By: William A. Dummett

The Federal Communication Commission (“FCC”) released rules governing how it will distribute $150 million annually out of the Healthcare Connect Fund to qualifying health care providers to support the provision of health care services to the rural population.  The Healthcare Connect Fund grows on the experience and lessons learned by the FCC through its Rural Healthcare Pilot Project.  (more…)

Establishing an Effective Records Management and Data Retention Program: Health Care Industry Considerations

Authored By: Mark T. Garsombke

Attached is a link to a webinar that I recently conducted with Teramedica on Establishing an Effective Records Management and Data Retention Program: Health Care Industry Considerations.

This one-hour webinar helps health care organizations gain tactical insight into the essential legal and business requirements of establishing an effective records management and data retention program. Patient data storage and data access is becoming one of the most costly and challenging areas of health care delivery. (more…)

Disaster Preparedness Final Report

Authored By: Alisa C. Kuehn

Several southeastern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas) collaborated under the direction of ONC to analyze the country’s ability to respond to disasters through the use of Health Information Exchange (HIE).  This initiative, called the Southeast Regional HIT-HIE Collaboration (SERCH) project,  focused on the development of a strategic plan for sharing health information among states during and after a natural disaster.  The Final Report issued by SERCH includes a plan for incorporating HIE into disaster preparedness efforts and addresses legal, technical, and governance issues that are likely to arise as part of such an effort.  A copy of the Final Report is available here.

If you have any questions regarding the above, disaster recovery plans, or responding in the event of a disaster, please contact Alisa Kuehn at 317-977-1475 or akuehn@hallrender.com

Next Page »