Sandy's Corner:
As the media keeps your organization abreast of the latest on "meaningful use", stimulus policy creation, standards definitions and the like, one question that I am sure remains foremost in your minds is "what should our organization do now"?
Between now and the end of the year the Secretary of Health and Human Services must issue final regulations or interim final regulations on a number of issues including: standards, certification criteria for Electronic Health Records, and approval of final definitions of "meaningful use", to name a few. Organizations that already have an Electronic Health Record don't know what, if any, changes they might have to make. Organizations that are just beginning an implementation are unclear as to what rework may be necessary. And those organizations that are evaluating options are wondering if they should continue to make a decision or await additional information.
Despite a great many unknowns, the philosophy as you begin to evaluate your current situation and preparation for ARRA should be your overall IT strategy and the mission, goals, and values of your organization. If you focus on driving improvement processes and measure your overall organizational success, you should be in a good position to demonstrate meaningful use. Remember "meaningful use" will be the use of technology to drive improvement, quality, and safety - not the actual technology itself.
(Sandy Kukla is Senior Program Manager for GCI ConnectMD in Seattle, WA)
GCI ConnectMD Signs Multi-Year Contract with KANA
GCI ConnectMD recently signed a multi-year contract with Kodiak Area Native Assocation (KANA) to provide connectivity for medical and video applications and internet access at their Kodiak, Alaska headquarters along with five village sites at Port Lions, Ouzinkie, Akhiok, Old Harbor and Larsen Bay.
As members of the ConnectMD network, KANA will have access to more than 200 medical facilities on the network along with all benefits of ConnectMD membership. Contact us to learn more about becoming a member ConnectMD.
Medicare Unveils Physician Payment Rule
Medicare is proposing simplified reporting requirements for the Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program and the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative in a proposed rule setting the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for calendar year 2010.
In addition, the proposal would add more measures for physicians to report under the PQRI pay-for-performance program, enable data submission from an electronic health records system, and create a process to ease group practice reporting of quality measures.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued the proposed rule today and will publish it July 13 in the Federal Register. CMS will accept public comment though Aug. 31 and publish a final rule by Nov. 1. The revised physician payment system would be effective on Jan. 1, 2010. The proposed rule is available at federalregister.gov/inspection.aspx#special.
Based on current data, CMS is projecting an overall Medicare rate reduction for physicians of 21.5% in 2010. The agency and Congress annually take a number of actions to prevent or minimize reductions.
In the proposed rule, CMS takes several steps to increase certain payments, in part, with a carrot-and-stick approach. For instance, CMS is proposing to stop paying for "consultation" codes typically billed by specialists at a higher rate than equivalent "evaluation and management" services. "Practitioners will use existing E/M service codes when providing these services instead," according to the agency. "Resulting savings would be redistributed to increase payments for the existing E/M services."
CMS also is proposing to remove physician-administered drugs from the definition of "physician services," an action the American Medical Association applauds. "The AMA has been calling for this action since 2002 so that Congress can afford to repeal the flawed Medicare physician payment formula," according to the Chicago-based association. "We are very pleased that the Obama administration agrees with the AMA that drugs do not belong in the physician payment formula. President Obama, HHS Secretary Sebelius and White House Health Reform Director DeParle clearly understand that fixing the Medicare payment formula once and for all is fundamental to comprehensive health reform."
HHS, CMS Rescind Medicaid Regulations Limiting Outpatient Hospital Benefit Category
The Department of Health & Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the rescission of a Medicaid regulation published November 7. The regulation would have limited the outpatient hospital and clinic service benefit for Medicaid beneficiaries to the scope of services that Medicare recognizes as outpatient hospital services. CMS opted to rescind the rule because the agency determined it would have a greater effect than previously anticipated. The full announcement can be found at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp
Telemental Health Rural Health Care Training Opportunity: Telemental Health in Rural Health Care
Four 30-minute Webinars to help rural health care providers think "inside the box 1" regarding telemental health services and how to get them started in their clinics or facilities will be offered by Phil Hirsch, PhD, Director of Access Psychiatry, LCC in conjunction with the Midwest Health Education Organization.
These courses will be offered on the following dates: August 4, August 11, August 25th and September 1st, 2009. They will also be recorded and made available on the website for future viewing.
Webinar #1: Telemental health generally
- What it is (and isn’t)
- Satisfaction
- Efficacy
- What do I need to get started
Webinar #2: Telemental health for primary psychiatric illness
- Screening in primary care
- Primary care team management of psychiatric illness
- Weaving in the specialist by videoconferencing
Webinar #3: Telemental health and co-existing chronic illness
- Diabetes, heart disease, asthma
- The clinical- and business case for telemental health
- Resonance with health care reform
Webinar #4: Special applications of telemental health
- Returning veterans
- The aging population
- The Emergency Department
To participate in these webinars please follow the following link: http://www.midwesthealthed.org/
Once you are on the website you will need to create an account and submit your personal information, an email response will sent to you at which time you can login and register for the webinar. A few days prior to the course offering you will be sent the access url information by email.
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.
