Members of Congress sign bipartisan letter to protect rural hospitals
from the NRHA Blog
November 3, 2011 (Rural Health Voices) - The National Rural Health Association would like to applaud the 43 Members of Congress who signed on to a bipartisan letter from Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) urging the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to protect rural hospitals from devastating cuts.
Those Members of Congress are: Leonard Boswell (D-IA); Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); Reid Ribble (R-WI);Ben Chandler (D-KY); Larry Kissell (D-NC); Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX); John Olver (D-MA); Bob Filner (D-CA); Peter Welch (D-VT); Sean Duffy (R-WI); Nick Rahall (D-WV); Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV); Tim Huelskamp (R-KS); Peter DeFazio (D-OR); David McKinley (R-WV); Maurice Hinchey (D-NY); Sam Graves (R-MO); Dave Loebsack (D-IA); Glenn Thompson (R-PA); Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA); Raul Grijalva (D-AZ); Richard Hanna (R-CA); Bill Shuster (R-PA); Bill Owens (D-NY); Bill Flores (R-TX); Tom Petri (R-WI); Donald Manzullo (R-IL); Dan Boren (D-OK); Lynn Jenkins (R-KS); Shelley Berkley (D-NV); Alan Nunnelee (R-MS); Tom Cole (R-OK); Mike Thompson (D-CA); Steve King (R-IA); Mike Michaud (D-ME); Bruce Braley (D-IA); Bill Huizenga (R-MI); John Yarmuth (D-KY); Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) and Tom Latham (R-IA).
» Click here to access NRHA’s congressional action kit
ONC Extends Temporary EHR Certification Program
by Joseph Goedert
November 3, 2011 (HealthData Management) - National Health Information Technology Coordinator Farzad Mostashari, M.D., has delayed implementation of the permanent electronic health records meaningful use certification program until at least the summer of 2012.
The permanent program was scheduled to start in January 2012, but existing rules give ONC the authority to move the date if the program isn't ready. Six companies have been accredited to conduct certifications under the temporary program, but ONC does not envision having sufficient numbers of certification entities selected and ready for the permanent program until next summer, according to a notice published Nov. 3.
» CONTINUE READING
From the MLN: “Accountable Care Organizations: What Providers Need to Know” Fact Sheet Available
CMS Medicare FFS Provider e-News
November 3, 2011 - The new “Accountable Care Organizations: What Providers Need to Know” Fact Sheet (ICN 907406) is designed to provide education on Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare Shared Savings Program. It includes a definition of an ACO, and information on how to participate in an ACO, how shared savings will work, how this program is aligned with other quality initiatives, and how ACOs help doctors coordinate care.
» VIEW THE FACT SHEET (pdf)
Statement from Secretary Sebelius on National Native American Heritage Month
November 7, 2011 (HHS News Release) - This month we celebrate National Native American Heritage Month, to honor American Indians and Alaska Natives who have contributed a great deal to our country. I recently had the opportunity to visit Indian Country in Alaska and I can say first hand that Native Americans are passionate, determined people who play a momentous role in enriching the spirit of our Nation.
They are among some of America's most significant authors, artists, scientists, and political leaders. And they have fought to protect this country as members of our Armed Forces. Native Americans have long demonstrated their commitment to advancing the common goals of this Nation, and we honor their resolve in the face of years of marginalization and broken promises.
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CMS Adopts Policy and Payment Changes for Outpatient Care in Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Centers
November 2, 2011 (RAConline.org | News & Events) -
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued a final rule with comment period (final rule) that will update payment policies and payment rates for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) beginning Jan. 1, 2012. In addition to establishing payment rates for calendar year (CY) 2012, the final rule expands the measures to be reported under the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program, creates a new quality reporting program for ASCs, and strengthens the Hospital Value-based Purchasing (Hospital VBP) program that will affect payments to hospitals for inpatient stays beginning Oct. 1 2012.
CMS projects that total payments to more than 4,000 hospitals – which includes general acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, inpatient psychiatric facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, children’s hospitals, and cancer hospitals – paid under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) in CY 2012 will be approximately $41.1 billion. CMS also projects that payments to approximately 5,000 Medicare-participating ASCs paid under the ASC Payment System will be approximately $3.5 billion for CY 2012.
» CONTINUE READING
Hospitals Fall Short On Meaningful Use
by Nicole Lewis, InformationWeek
November 3, 2011 (CGSmedicare.com) - While more hospitals say they meet stage 1 of the electronic health record incentive program, 53% say they still aren't ready, finds study.
There's good news and bad news in the latest research from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The good news is that from February to September 2011 there has been a 16% increase (from 25% to 41%) in the number of eligible hospitals saying that they are likely to meet criteria for stage 1 of Meaningful Use. The bad news is that 53% of hospitals say they cannot meet 10 or more of the 14 core requirements set out in stage 1.
The survey, Summary of Meaningful Use Readiness, reflects that hospitals increasingly recognize the need to adopt health IT, but also face many challenges as they attempt to transition from paper-based medical charts to digitized medical records.
"This is a big mountain ... there are more hospitals getting up the mountain today than there were last winter, so that is the success," John Hoyt, HIMSS executive VP of organizational services, told InformationWeek Healthcare. "[However] the issue still remains: who has not started up the mountain yet? Is there some common attribute among them? The answer is small, rural, and critical access hospitals."
» CONTINUE READING
Learn Sarver Heart Center's Continuous Chest Compression CPR
University of Arizona - College of Medicine
Every three days, more Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest than the number who died in the 9-11 attacks. You can lessen this recurring loss by learning Continuous Chest Compression CPR, a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. It’s easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making it more likely bystanders will try to help, and it was developed at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
"This video is worth sharing," said Gordon A. Ewy, MD, director of the UA Sarver Heart Center and one of the research pioneers who developed this method.
» WATCH THE VIDEO
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