Health IT, HIPAA, and the CMS Incentive Programs Blog
For physicians, hospitals, government agencies, and business associatesSGR Repeal to Restructure Meaningful Use Penalties
On April 16, 2015 the President signed legislation to repeal the Medicare sustainable growth-rate (SGR) formula for paying doctors. This repeal, of course, was welcomed by the physician community tired of the annual fight to restore reimbursement. Also included in...
Meaningful Use Stage 3 Rules Unveiled
The proposed Stage 3 rules were released on March 30, 2015. This rule defines Meaningful Use Stage 3 which is intended to be the final stage and in this process to be required for all providers from 2018 and beyond. The rule includes 8 objectives (with multiple...
Meaningful Use Objectives & Measures for Stage 2 Proposed by CMS on 4-15-2015
On 4/15/2015 CMS proposed significant simplifications to the Meaningful Use Stage 2 rules. For physicians, this provides significant relief from the complexities of Stage 2. Highlights include: For 2015, reporting period is changed to any 90 day period Stage 2...
Meaningful Use Proposed Changes, Details
On April, 15, 2015, HHS proposed significant restructuring of the Meaningful Use rules for Stages 1 & 2. Overall this is good news for healthcare providers, many of whom struggled under the tough Stage 2 rules. Here is a more detailed look at the changes:...
Overhaul of Meaningful Use Stages 1 & 2 Proposed
(Editor's Note 11/14/2015: If you have arrived here, check our post on the final update of these rules at CMS Unveils Long Awaited Meaningful Use Rule Changes for 2015.) On April 15, 2015, CMS published a proposed new rule simplifying the Meaningful Use rules. ...
Federally Qualified Health Centers on the Rise
Under current Healthcare policies and climate, this could be a good year for FQHC's -- Federally Qualified Health Centers. Take, for example, the findings of one industry group based at the University of Michigan -- CHRT (the Center for Healthcare Research &...
VoIP Phones and HIPAA Compliance
Many years ago, the federal government issued guidance that clarified that traditional analog phone systems are NOT subject to the HIPAA Security rule provisions. So, what about your VoIP phone system? Many organizations have migrated to VoIP service. VoIP (or “Voice...
The Ex-Employee Menace
Can former employees still access your organization's PHI? A 014 survey of employees by Osterman Research found that a whopping 89% of respondents retained access (in the form of a login and password) to at least one system of a former employer – such as Salesforce,...
