With unparalleled access to a host of medical and network services, our members exchange much more than health information- they gain access to a network of healthcare partners and services across the entire region. This freedom to exchange experiences and ideas leads to greater quality of care and better patient outcomes.
Dear Reader:
The Holiday season is in full swing, reminding us that the close of 2007 is rapidly approaching and a new year is just around the corner. As is the case with many a holiday merry maker, the end of the year is also the time for us to reflect on the past years successes and to begin to plan ahead for the next. This issue of the Connections Newsletter gives us a great opportunity to reflect upon our accomplishments in 2007 and what those mean for you, our valued members:
- We've completed a series of major upgrades and improvements to our Washington medical network (formerly MedWAN). This has brought increased bandwidth, security and support to our Washington members and opened access to a host of new products and services, all supported by GCI's around-the-clock Network Operations Center and Help Desk.
- We've added 2 new clinical and financial partners to provide our members greater choice when selecting their software. The iSalus EMR and practice management system and the Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR system offer our members some of the most advanced clinical and financial software available, AND connect even our most remote and rural providers with the latest in health information technology.
- October brought us a new partner in the Alaska Rural Telehealth Network (ARTN). By peering networks with ARTN, GCI ConnectMD is able to expand the reach of much needed video conferencing and clinical solutions to rural populations across Alaska.
- GCI ConnectMD is now providing Maniilaq Health Services in Northwest Alaska with new broadband connections capable of supporting high definition (HD) videoconferencing. HD videoconferencing benefits clinics with faster response times, more accurate training and diagnoses, and a higher level of overall care.
These are just the highlights of what we have been working on in 2007. We're excited about the year ahead and the opportunities we have to pioneer new services in 2008. But we're also very thankful to our valued members for your support this past year, for your efforts across the network, and most of all for allowing us the opportunity to partner with you in the care of your communities! THANK YOU!
From all of us at GCI ConnectMD we wish you a safe and happy holiday season and a very happy new year!
- The GCI ConnectMD team
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Congratulations to a new GCI ConnectMD member site! |
Welcome Eye & Ear Clinic of Ellensberg, WA
We would like to welcome Eye & Ear Clinic of Ellensburg, WA as a new member of the GCI ConnectMD medical network! A branch office of Eye & Ear Clinic of Wenatchee, the Ellensberg clinic is using GCI ConnectMD to gain remote access to applications and services hosted in their main Wenatchee offices.
Congress delays Medicare cuts for six months; steeper reductions now scheduled for July
The Senate, late Tuesday Dec 18th passed the Medicare, Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Extension Act of 2007 (S. 2499). Today (Dec 19th) the House of Representatives also passed the bill which replaces the 10.1 percent reduction in Medicare Part B payments scheduled for 2008 with a six-month, 0.5 percent increase. The President is expected to sign this bill into law. Physicians will face a payment reduction in Part B payments in July 2008 unless Congress once again intervenes.
Besides temporarily averting the cut, the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007:
- Extends the SCHIP at current funding through March 31, 2009
- Continues the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative for all of 2008 (successful participants will still earn a bonus payment of 1.5 percent of all covered professional services provided during the reporting period)
- Extends the 5 percent bonus payment to physician shortage areas through June 30
- Extends the geographic practice cost index floor of 1.0 through June 30
- Extends a provision in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 that allows independent laboratories to bill Medicare directly for the technical component of certain pathology services provided to hospitals through June 30
- Extends the exceptions process for therapy caps through June 30
- Extends the current "charges to cost" methodology that provides a separate payment for brachytherapy beginning April 1, including therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals
- Extends the reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests in rural areas through June 30
- Requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to adjust the average sales price (ASP) calculation to use volume-weighted ASPs based on actual sales volume and institutes a reimbursement rate for generic albuterol; and
- Allows reimbursement for certain diabetes laboratory tests for home use at the same rate as other glycated hemoglobin tests beginning April 1.
Read more about the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007.
To submit your stories, tips and news…
If you would like to submit, please respond by email to info@connectmd.com. Please give us your full contact information, a brief description of your submission and attach your Word, PDF and appropriate files or you may contact us by phone at: (866) 221-4841. When we add your submission we will also include an outside link to your organization’s website.
