HHS sends final meaningful-use rules to OMB for review

By Joseph Conn

HHS has sent its final meaningful-use rules and certification criteria for electronic health-record system testing to the Office of Management and Budget—typically one of the last bureaucratic hurdles before rules are released. The criteria are called for under the EHR subsidy program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

OMB received a copy of the final rule of the “meaningful use” criteria from the CMS Monday, according to the posting on the website of its Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

The White House budget authority also received a copy of the final rule on an initial set of standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria from HHS on July 2.

Under the Medicare provisions of the stimulus law, to receive an estimated $14 billion to $27 billion in federal subsidies for EHR purchases, hospitals and qualifying office-based physicians must use certified EHRs in a “meaningful manner.”

Robert Tennant, the Washington, D.C.-based senior policy adviser to the Medical Group Management Association, Englewood, Colo., said he expects a quick turnaround on both rules.

“By law, they have 90 days in which to review, but I think in all practicality, OMB has been involved in the drafting of the final rules, so it’s no surprise when they get them,” Tennant said.

OMB has had HHS’ controversial final rule on the federal requirement on public and patient notification in the event of a breach of personally identifiable health information since May 15. Tennant said he expects both recently submitted rules to be released in a week or so, possibly even later this week.

Tennant also said a proposed healthcare IT privacy rule just left the OMB review list, so “it should be published in the next couple of days.”

Source:http://www.myemrstimulus.com/hhs-sends-final-meaningful-use-rules-to-omb-for-review/

5 Tips to Stay on Top of Your Hospital Bill

The Commonwealth Fund states that in 2007, 72 million Americans either experienced problems paying medical bills or accrued medical debt. Billing errors are often at the root of this problem, creating medical bills that patients can’t afford. Interpreting a hospital bill can be complicated and reviewing it line-by-line can be time-consuming and overwhelming.

It pays off to be informed. There are medical billers, medical coders, doctors and other health care professionals involved in each hospital stay. Miscommunication on any part can lead to mistakes. What can you do? Start by following these tips:

1. Plan ahead if possible – If your hospital stay is planned, make sure you double check your coverage before your hospital stay. This will enable you to verify the cost of any procedures and the amounts that will be covered.

2. Don’t leave the hospital without an itemized bill – Once you’re discharged, it is harder to obtain, so make sure you have it in your hand before you leave.

3. Keep track of everything – It is important for you to know who is treating you and exactly what they are doing. Make sure you ask questions and take names. Note: if you are unable to keep track of this information, have a spouse, family member or friends do it for you.

4. Don’t immediately pay the bill – Make sure you take the time to carefully go over the bill and understand what the charges are for. Once you pay the bill, it will be harder to re-coup your money if there are mistakes.

5. Make the hospital accountable – Don’t let the hospital ignore the erroneous charges and assure you that your insurance company will pay for it. Mistakes are mistakes and the hospital needs to correct errors.

Source: http://www.mymedicalbillingoutsourcing.com/5-tips-to-stay-on-top-of-your-hospital-bill/

Pharmacy Groups Call for DEA To Clarify New Rule on E-Prescribing

Four pharmacy organizations say they support the Drug Enforcement Administration’s efforts to allow electronic prescribing of controlled substances but called for further clarification on the new e-prescribing rule, Modern Healthcare reports.

On March 31, DEA published in the Federal Register its interim final rule on e-prescribing of controlled substances. According to DEA public affairs officer Barbara Carreno, the rule took effect June 1.

NCPA Letter

On Tuesday, the National Community Pharmacists Association sent a letter to DEA offering to provide guidance on a requirement for digital signatures on e-prescriptions.

NCPA also asked the agency to allow nurses to act as liaisons between long-term care facilities and pharmacies because most long-term care centers do not employ full-time physicians.

Letter From Four Groups

In another letter, four pharmacy groups asked DEA to clarify:

• The steps that prescribers must take to account for changes in e-prescriptions;
• The responsibilities associated with digital signatures;
• Work flow procedures in long-term care facilities; and
• E-prescribing options for emergency situations.

The groups also requested that third-party audits occur less frequently and that pharmacies be allowed more time to respond to security concerns identified in internal audits.

The letter’s signatories were the:

• American Pharmacists Association;
• American Society of Consultant Pharmacists;
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; and
• NCPA (Robeznieks, Modern Healthcare, 6/3).
• Emdeon Makes Recommendations

In a comment letter on the interim final rule, software and service vendor Emdeon Business Services noted that it will take time to add a new field to e-prescribing transactions to indicate that a prescription has been digitally signed.

As an interim solution, Emdeon recommends placing the signature indicator inside an XML “envelope” or “wrapper” in the header of the prescription.

Emdeon also offered recommendations about archiving, altering content and verifying eligibility (Goedert, Health Data Management, 6/1).

Source: http://www.eprescriptionservices.com/pharmacy-groups-call-for-dea-to-clarify-new-rule-on-e-prescribing/

ONC Starts Accepting Applications for EHR Certification Groups

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has started accepting applications from organizations seeking to be named as testing and certification bodies for electronic health record systems, Modern Healthcare reports.

Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate “meaningful use” of certified EHR systems will qualify for federal incentive payments.

ONC issued the final rule on the temporary testing and certification program on June 18, and the rule appeared in the Federal Register on June 24.

The stimulus package gave ONC the option of retaining the Certification Commission for Health IT as the sole EHR certification group or recognizing a new organization, according to Modern Healthcare. ONC opted to expand its search for a new group, and CCHIT has joined a pool of applicants for the distinction.

Carol Bean, a standards harmonization analyst for ONC, said HHS to date has received about 40 application inquiries and 14 requests for applications. She said ONC has 30 days after receiving an application to decide whether the organization qualifies as an “authorized testing and certification body” under the temporary certification program.

The final rules for the permanent authorization program have not yet been released, although a proposed rule was issued in March (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 7/1).

Source:http://www.myemrstimulus.com/onc-starts-accepting-applications-for-ehr-certification-groups/

Los Angeles County approves $17M for EMR in juvenile detention facilities

By Neil Versel

Plenty has been said about the potential for EMRs and telemedicine to improve the woeful state of care in America’s prisons, but juvenile detention facilities often get left out of the discussion.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles County supervisors approved $17 million in funding for an EMR system to manage the medical records of the more than 1,500 youngsters being held in county juvenile camps and halls. The EMR is intended to improve record keeping in the county’s Probation Department, which federal authorities have cited multiple times in recent years for keeping inadequate medical records on youths in custody.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has said the poor record-keeping has resulted in “inconsistent or inappropriate treatment and medication.” Los Angeles County currently faces the threat of a civil-rights lawsuit that could strip county officials of some of their control over the Probation Department, the newspaper says.

Though juvenile detainees often get moved between facilities in Los Angeles County, paper records don’t always follow them. The EMR is intended to rectify that problem. The Probation Department’s CIO says the unspecified system should be in place in 15 to 18 months.

Source:http://www.emrspecialists.com/2010/06/los-angeles-county-approves-17m-for-emr-in-juvenile-detention-facilities/

Report Tracks Demand for Consultants To Help With Health IT Adoption

Nearly 70% of health care providers expect to hire a professional services firm to help them achieve “meaningful use” of electronic health records, according to a new report from research firm KLAS, Healthcare IT News reports.

Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of EHRs will qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.

Report Findings

For the report, KLAS researchers interviewed 118 health care providers (Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 5/18). They found that integrated delivery networks had the highest need for external expertise, with 90% reporting plans to collaborate with consulting firms (Guerra, InformationWeek, 5/20).

Trend Toward Specific Tasks

Researchers noted that many health care providers already have achieved some level of health IT adoption and now are seeking to hire smaller groups to complete specific tasks.

Mike Smith — report author and KLAS general manager of financial and services research — said many health care organizations hire consultants to help bolster physician adoption of clinical information systems (InformationWeek, 5/20).

Above article publish on http://www.ehrexperts.us/report-tracks-demand-for-consultants-to-help-with-health-it-adoption/

HHS to study patient perceptions of EHRs

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.

“Health IT experts agree that HITECH stimulus funds are likely to improve how physicians practice medicine for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and, ultimately, for advancing patient-centered medical care for all Americans. However, there is an evidence gap about patients’ preferences and perceptions of delivery of health care services by providers who have adopted EHR systems in their practices,” the HHS’ May 14 notice in the Federal Register stated.

According to the notice, the goal of the proposed Patient Perceptions of EHR study is to help policymakers understand how primary care practices’ use of EHRs affects consumers’ satisfaction with:

* Their medical care,
* Communication with their doctor
* Coordination of care.

“The research questions for the proposed study are motivated by a concern that patients may have negative experiences as practices begin to use EHRs,” the agency wrote.

HHS plans to survey 840 patients about their opinion of their medical care when their primary care physicians use EHRs, according to the notice, which can be read here.

Above article publish on http://www.ehrexperts.us/hhs-to-study-patient-perceptions-of-ehrs/