Sandy's Corner
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published in the American Telemedicine Journal indicates that approximately 24 million Americans now have diabetes. This equates to roughly 8% of Americans, with the numbers rising by 3 million new cases over the past two years. Numbers like these are sobering indeed.
Like other chronic diseases, diabetes care offers an opportunity to employ varied telehealth applications to provide in home health monitoring, strict glucose control, patient management, diabetes education and complication screening.
Basic interventions may include educational websites, nurse call centers, video phones, and telephone case management. Advanced applications could include providing individualized or group education, or counseling and nutritional support through the use of videoconferencing. Sophisticated applications allow for the use of digital glucometers, internet based disease management portals and retinal imaging capabilities.
No matter what approach is used, at the end of the day the quality of the care received by the patient has been improved.
Telehealth/telemedicine in the past has been largely funded in many states from those nasty "earmarks" we have heard so much about recently. Earmarks are either a good or bad thing depending on your political view we know that reform in the area of earmarks is in the spotlight. President-elect Obama's health care agenda includes a focus on rural areas and telemedicine. This is one area of reform we all need to take an active role in so that telemedicine falls within the realm of the baseline budget of medical research as new budget appropriations are written and passed and reimbursement structures are outlined. Our state and national congressional delegations need to hear from you; the medical community, that telehealth/telemedicine is one of the areas that can improve patient outcomes; provide services otherwise unavailable, and reduce access issues.
As the year draws to a close I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Happy and Joyous Holiday Season,
(Sandy Kukla is Senior Program Manager for GCI ConnectMD in Seattle, WA)
CMS Announces Specifics on Qualifying for e-Prescribing Bonuses
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released details regarding electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) bonuses for eligible practices. These bonuses were outlined in the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Acts of 2008 (MIPPA) that provided 18 months of Medicare payment stability.
To qualify for the e-prescribing incentive, an eligible professional must report the applicable e-prescribing quality measure for at least 50 percent of the cases for which that measure is reportable during the year.
Successful e-prescribers are eligible for an incentive payment equal to 2 percent of the total estimated allowed charges submitted by Feb. 28, 2010, for all covered professional services furnished Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2009. It is important to remember that the incentive payment is not solely 2 percent of the estimated Part B allowed charges for services for which the measure is reported, but 2 percent of all estimated Part B allowed charges for the year.
Get additional information here.
FTC Delays Enforcement of "Red Flags" Rule
As a result of advocacy efforts by MGMA and other medical professional organizations, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced its decision to delay enforcement of the "red flags" rule until May 1, 2009. Under the original rule, "creditors" would have been required to implement an identity-theft program by Nov. 1, 2008 to detect and respond to patterns, practices or specific activities – known as "red flags" – that could indicate identity theft.
Read the full FTC notice of the Red Flag rules enforcement delay
VM Named "Top Hospital" by The Leapfrog Group
Virginia Mason is one of 26 hospitals and seven children's hospitals named 2008 Top Hospitals in the nation by The Leapfrog Group. Virginia mason was the only hospital in the northwest to be listed. Congratulations VM!
Read the full press release.
The Joint Commission Announces the 2009 National Patient Safety Goals and Requirements
The new goals and requirements go into effect January 1, 2009, for the ambulatory care, behavioral health care, critical access hospital, disease-specific care, home care, hospital, laboratory, long term care, Medicare/Medicaid certification-based long term care, and office-based surgery programs.
The National Patient Safety Goals promote specific improvements in patient safety by providing healthcare organizations with evidence-based guidance on persistent patient safety problems.
For your program’s full version of the 2009 National Patient Safety Goals and requirements, please visit http://www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/NationalPatientSafetyGoals/
To submit your stories, tips or news items:
If you would like to submit, please respond by email to skukla@gci.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.
