Policy and Regulation

HHS Gives Another $87 Million to Health Centers for IT Improvements

September 16, 2016, by Scott Rupp

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced more than $87 million in funding for 1,310 health centers in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin. [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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Will There Be a 90-Day Reporting Period for Meaningful Use?

September 6, 2016, by Scott Rupp

Time is ticking and it’s getting late; the year is getting beyond us and those keeping track of Meaningful Use are getting anxious. So much so that they’re getting serious about knowing exactly what is expected of them.

With time not on the side of their constituents, a group of stakeholders is pressuring the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to finalize its decisions and get to a point of resolutions regarding a final ruling of a possible 90-day meaningful use reporting period for 2016. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

Contributor

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HIE Will Never Live Up to Its Original Promised Promise, Or Will It?

September 2, 2016, by Scott Rupp

Data exchanged now vs. later is the only way health information exchanges have a shot of being relevant, Politico notes, according to the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

Contributor

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More Federal Money Expected for Rural Telehealth

August 25, 2016, by Scott Rupp

Gone are the days of being forced to choose a healthcare provider based on your geographic location. As new telehealth options continue to emerge, it's now possible for patients in even the most remote areas to get the care they need.

Telehealth provides a much needed service to America’s fly over states where people like farmers, ranchers, veterans, manufacturers and educators live, work and build their lives. These areas, however, often lack world-class healthcare services, high-paying jobs or amenities city dwellers often take for granted.

[cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

Contributor

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Rural Areas Lacking in Information Exchange Capabilities

August 22, 2016, by Scott Rupp

There is nothing surprising about this – hospitals and health centers not in the urban settings are not up to par with their urban peers. According to a new brief from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, while more hospitals are exchanging information via both electronic and non-electronic means, small and rural hospitals, not so much; they lag behind.

Does it matter?

[cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

Contributor

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With MACRA, Expect Changes and Possible Delays

August 5, 2016, by Scott Rupp

Is CMS already backtracking on one of the biggest rollouts of its gigantic payment reform, MACRA? According to testimony, that’s may be a possibility, but CMS’ acting chair Andy Slavitt has been showing signs of a potential slow down for a bit even if others try to walk back what he says. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

Contributor

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Health Spending to Grow by Nearly 6 Percent Annually Through 2025, Increase GDP

August 4, 2016, by Scott Rupp

More spending, not less – that’s what we can continue to expect in healthcare. In fact, the rate of growth is expected to rise at an annual estimated rate of around 6 percent over the next nine years. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), healthcare spending is expected to reach 20 percent of the nation’s total economy by 2025. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Private Practice

Scott Rupp

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National Patient Identifier Continues to Find Life

August 1, 2016, by Scott Rupp

The conversation about the possibility of a national patient identifier continues and new life appears to have been breathed into its lungs as an early draft of a House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations bill that, if passed, would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to provide technical assistance to private-sector led initiatives. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

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CMS Releases Star Rating System for Hospitals

July 29, 2016, by Scott Rupp

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the long-awaited news rating site, Hospital Compare, a consumer portal that is designed to provide information on how well hospitals provide care to their patients.

According to the agency, this is an effort of the transparency movement that is meant to help patient consumers take their care more into their own hands, “this information can help consumers make informed decisions about their healthcare,” CMS said in a statement. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation

Scott Rupp

Contributor

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AMA Policy Marks the Age of Telemedicine

June 27, 2016, by Scott Rupp

The American Medical Association has been busy recently, working on ethical measure regarding telemedicine and even now, continues work in that vein. Its focus on telemedicine continues and has adopted a policy at its annual meeting in June that ensures that medical student and residents learn how to use telemedicine in the clinical practice. Truthfully, this is a major announcement by a major body with real power in healthcare and because of it policies will change. In this case related to telemedicine. [cont...]

Policy and Regulation