Policy and Regulation

In HIMSS Keynote, Seema Verna Doubles Down On Free Flowing Healthcare Data to Achieve Value-Based Care

March 30, 2018, by Scott Rupp

At the 2018 HIMSS Conference, keynote speaker and CMS administrator, Seema Verna, spoke to leaders in healthcare IT, about the importance of free flowing data for patients and CMS's efforts to keep up. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

Contributor

Scott E. Rupp is a writer and an award-winning journalist focused on healthcare technology. He has worked as a public relations executive for a major electronic health record/practice management vendor, and he currently manages his own agency, millerrupp. In addition to writing for a variety of publications, Scott also offers his insights on healthcare technology and its leaders on his site, Electronic Health Reporter.

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ACA Risk Corridor Program Surpasses $12 Billion in Debt

January 5, 2018, by Scott Rupp

The federal government’s unpaid balance for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) risk corridor program has ballooned to $12.3 billion. Simply put, that's a large sum of money that's not likely to get any smaller. With the federal government required to reimburse payers for their coverage, the risk corridor program is in a troubling place. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

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EHR to receive less certification testing in ONC de-regulation effort

October 10, 2017, by Scott Rupp

Major changes are coming to the electronic health record certification process and despite some industry members surprised by the stance, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT signaled on Sept. 21, 2017, that, yes, it’s true, that it is indeed pulling back on EHR certification attestation requirements. The move, as announced by the agency is to remove many of the burdens on users and software developers, as well as an effort meant to drive interoperability. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

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Infographic: Hello, My Name is MACRA

September 14, 2017, written by Jennifer Henderson

The way healthcare professionals get paid for Medicare is changing. Much like the transition to ICD-10, it’s a big change that could put many small practices in jeopardy. Oct. 2 is the deadline to start collecting MIPS data for the 90-day reporting period, so here’s what you need to know to make sure you’re ready. [cont...]

Jennifer Henderson

Jennifer Henderson is a NueMD writer currently living in Atlanta, GA. She enjoys commas, hot dogs, and long walks on the internet.

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Health IT Groups Want Transparent from CMS to Facilitate Information Sharing

September 8, 2017, by Scott Rupp

If you don't mind criticism and can handle the pressure of constantly being between a rock and a hard place, you might be suitable for a career at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Unlike those in the spotlight who have earned fame and adulation for their work, those at CMS are lightning rods for what many would call controversy, especially for those working in healthcare. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

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DirectTrust White Paper Promotes EHR Usability and Health Data Exchange

September 6, 2017, by Scott Rupp

DirectTrust and HL7 recently released a white paper proposing ways Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and “Direct” standards can work together to achieve technical improvements to health data exchange. HL7 is a standards developing organization (SDO) accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

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AHA Wants Meaningful Use Cancelled and the ONC Muzzled

September 1, 2017, by Scott Rupp

On behalf of its nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other healthcare organizations, the American Hospital Association has penned a letter to Congress that it hopes could lead the way of doing away from a troublesome regulation introduced during the Obama administration – and that’s meaningful use. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

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Telehealth Parity Laws Leave Plenty of Room for Interpretation

August 30, 2017, by Scott Rupp

The number of states that have healthcare parity laws continues to increase as the technology, and its proponents, experience wins. There are currently just eight states without parity laws, while (as of this writing in 2017) eight are considering laws to create parity payments for telehealth services. The remainder of the Union’s geographies each have some sort of insured coverage for the service caregivers provide through telehealth means. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

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Evidence-based Telehealth Expansion Act Designed to Increase Access to Services

August 7, 2017, by Scott Rupp

US Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif) has been on a roll lately, having recently introducing a bill that would expand meaningful use – like payments to behavioral health providers, has also introduced a new bill, along with US Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), to reduce long-standing restrictions on Medicare's coverage of telehealth services.

[cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

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Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans Appear to Pay Similarly

August 1, 2017, by Scott Rupp

Here’s the question: How does physician reimbursement in Medicare Advantage compare with traditional Medicare’s rates and commercial health insurance rates? Actually, the two seem to be pretty close. A new JAMA Internal Medicine report found that health insurance companies involved in Medicare Advantage (MA) pay nearly the same as traditional Medicare. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation