News

MeHI $193K Awards to CEHRT Vendors Target Behavioral Health

August 22, 2017

Four certified EHR technology (CEHRT) vendors are the recipients of a combined $193,000 from the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) at MassTech to support behavioral health data reporting across the state…. read more

The true strength of our healthcare system is its people

August 22, 2017

August 22 by CMS By Seema Verma, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services As a wife and mother, my family’s health is always foremost on my mind. That is why a recent personal experience will forever shape the impact I want to have while serving as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare …

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AMA Calls for Stability, Simplicity in Future MIPS Scoring

August 22, 2017

Atop its voluminous list of recommendations for the Quality Payment Program, the American Medical Association (AMA) has advised CMS to simplify the scoring of physician performance in Merit-based Incentive Payment… read more

Dying At Home In An Opioid Crisis: Hospices Grapple With Stolen Meds

August 22, 2017

Nothing seemed to help the patient — and hospice staff didn’t know why. They sent home more painkillers for weeks. But the elderly woman, who had severe dementia and incurable breast cancer, kept calling out in pain. The answer came when the woman’s daughter, who was taking care of her at home, showed up in …

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Clinical Decision Support Central to Advancing Cancer Care

August 21, 2017

Innovations in cancer research and treatment guidelines make clinical decision support (CDS) tools a critical resource for providers. Writing in Oncology Times, Lalan Wilfong, MD, of Texas Oncology identified CDS… read more

Business Groups Bemoan Medicare’s ‘Step Backward’ On Payments Based On Value

August 21, 2017

The Trump administration’s decision last week to slow down efforts to move to bundled payments for some surgeries has raised concerns. Also, Stat looks at the new Medicare information on hospices Forbes: How Trump’s Shift From Value Depletes Medicare’s Trust FundNews that the Donald Trump White House is curtailing value-based care initiatives for Medicare could …

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Despite Advance Directive, Dementia Patient Denied Last Wish, Says Spouse

August 21, 2017

MEDFORD, Ore. — Bill Harris is blunt: For more than a year, he has been trying to help his wife die. The 75-year-old retired tech worker says it’s his duty to Nora Harris, his spouse of nearly four decades, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2009. “Let me be honest: Yes. It’s what …

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Protect your Medicare by protecting your Medicare number

August 20, 2017

Are you a bargain hunter? Always looking for the best deal or ready for the next best thing? If someone offered you a state-of-the-art arthritis kit and said Medicare would cover it, would you be interested? There are lots of benefits that come with aging, and discounts are one of them. But discounts and deals …

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2016 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report

August 18, 2017

AHRQ’s 2016 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report shows that the quality of health care continues to improve gradually each year, but gains remain uneven among minorities. Some of the biggest improvements are in measures of “person-centered care,” such as communication between doctors and their patients, and the safety of medical care, such as fewer complications …

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