sábado, 1 de noviembre de 2014

Today is time for all the little ghosts and goblins to come to your door to trade tricks for treats. All we have to offer are treats, so check out what's on tap!

New case studies about ACOS and health IT

Just this morning we posted a new report that takes a look at what some communities have been doing to leverage health IT to support value-based payment initiatives. The paper looks at how stakeholders in Bangor, Maine and Austin, Texas have made significant IT investments to support providers making the transition away from the current fee-for-service delivery system. Alex Baker offers a summary of the paper in a new blog post.

ONC Update Blog Post

After being tapped to become the Acting Assistant Secretary of Health to lead HHS efforts to fight the spread of Ebola, Dr. Karen DeSalvo penned this blog post along with Acting National Coordinator Lisa Lewis. Read more on the HealthIT Buzz blog.

Federal Advisory Committee Schedule Week of Oct. 27

Tuesday
The Health IT Policy Committee's (HITPC) November meeting is virtual, beginning at 10am. Get the details on HealthIT.gov.

Wednesday
The HITPC Interoperability & HIE Workgroup meets at 10am. This is followed at 3 pm by theHealth IT Standards Committee's Transport & Security Standards Workgroup. The agenda and meeting materials are scheduled to be released prior to the meeting, so check back.

Thursday
The HITPC Strategy & Innovation Workgroup meets at 9am. Watch for the agenda and meeting materials to be posted prior to the meeting.

Friday
Beginning at 1pm, the HITPC Implementation, Usability & Safety Workgroup meets. The dial-in information will be posted prior to the meeting along with meeting materials etc., so stay tuned.

CMS Webinar on the 2014 Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT) Flexibility Rule

Join representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday, November 3rd, from 12pm to 1pm ET for a webinar on the 2014 Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT) Flexibility Rule. This presentation will cover guidance and instructions on how eligible professionals who have been unable to fully implement 2014 Edition CEHRT for an EHR reporting period in 2014 due to delays in 2014 Edition CEHRT availability can use the rule's flexibility to report for 2014.

Register now to participate in this webinar. Once registration is complete, you will receive a follow-up email with instructions on how to log-in to the webinar. Space is limited, so register now!

Attn. Informaticists! Check Out These Lessons from the Field

Next Wednesday, Nov. 5, we are hosting a webinar that with you can hear from the Texas Health Resources team about the lessons they learned in responding to the recent Ebola public health challenge in Dallas. During the 90 minute webinar, they and other experts will answer questions and share lessons and best practices in how they have used health IT to address public health challenges.

Wednesday- November 5, 2014 1:00 – 2:30pm EST

Register today at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2609781370661039105. Lines are limited and we expect this webinar to fill up quickly.

Fed Summit On Materials and Adverse Effects

Join a meeting of federal partners who are working to develop a strategy to help inform a standardized method, agreed upon in the health-care community, to best represent allergies, and related adverse reactions, across the spectrum of substances in food, medications, vaccines, biologics, etc., drawing upon the work of standards groups and related expertise. The Materials Summit will convene at the USP (former the United States Pharmacopeia) in Rockville, MD November 5, 6 and 7. Register and learn more about this three-day meeting!

Quality Data Elements (QDEs) Correction

USHIK corrected an issue where certain Quality Data Elements (QDEs) were incorrectly linked to multiple Value Sets. Only negation rationale attribute QDEs from the April and July 2014 releases of electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs) were affected.

For these QDEs, USHIK indicated the correct linkage to the correct Value Set as well as an extra, incorrect linkage to an additional Value Set. For example, a QDE associated with CMS2v4, "Risk Category Assessment not done: Medical reason contraindicated" was correctly linked to the "Medical reason Contraindicated" Value Set; however, the Value Set "Adult Depression Screening" was incorrectly linked to this QDE as well. There are not errors with eCQMs, QDEs or Value Sets; this issue consisted only of an extra, incorrect Value Set linkage for a particular subset of QDEs.

If you have questions or concerns about this issue, please use the Feedback mechanism on the USHIK website.

Final OASIS Data Specifications and Errata Document

“OASIS Data Submission Specifications version 2.11.3 will be available onhttp://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/OASIS/DataSpecifications.html. This new version applies to the OASIS-C1/ICD-9 item set which is scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2015. Version 2.10.1 of the data specifications, which was previously posted and which applies to OASIS-C, is also scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2015.

In addition to the data submission specifications, a new version of the errata document for versions 2.10 and 2.11 of the data specifications will also be available. Please note the following important information regarding the errata document:

Three errata issues (A53, A54, and A55) were identified after V2.11.3 of the OASIS-C1/ICD-9 data specifications was put into production. These three issues have not been implemented in V2.11.3 of the data specifications. Users of the data specs must treat the resolutions of these three issues as part of the V2.10 and V2.11 data submission specifications.
No further updates are planned for V2.10 of the OASIS-C data specs; V2.10.1 is therefore the last release planned for OASIS-C. The issue resolutions listed in Sections A and B of the errata document have not been implemented in V2.10.1 of the data specifications. Users of the OASIS-C data specs must treat the resolutions of all of the issues listed in Sections A and B as part of the V2.10 data submission specifications.”

Dra. Marisa Aizenberg: Más igualdad en la salud en las cárceles

Más igualdad en la salud en las cárceles

Posted: 31 Oct 2014 08:53 AM PDT

El Sistema de Coordinación y Seguimiento de Control Judicial de Unidades Carcelarias recomendó que el acceso a servicios de la salud “sea igualitario en calidad a los que accede la población general”.

El Sistema de Coordinación y Seguimiento de Control Judicial de Unidades Carcelarias realizó recomendaciones con respecto a la salud en las cárceles. El acto se realizó en la sede de la Defensoría General de la Nación.

Se trata de la recomendación sobre “Derecho a la salud. Acceso efectivo a la prestación de servicios de asistencia médica de las personas privadas de libertad". El documento señala al Ministerio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos “lo imperioso de generar dispositivos de atención que garanticen a la persona detenida” y recomienda que el acceso a servicios de la salud “sea igualitario en calidad a los que accede la población general”.

“Que la independencia profesional asegure que la asistencia sea llevada adelante de modo autónomo de las cuestiones disciplinarias”, “que las intervenciones en salud cuenten con el consentimiento informado del paciente y se realicen de manera confidencial”, dice el documento.

Otras acciones que se recomiendan son que el Ministerio de Salud designe personal de salud externo al Servicio Penitenciario Federal para realizar inspecciones regulares de los que surjan informes respecto a la cantidad y calidad de los alimentos provistos, las condiciones sanitarias, calefacción, iluminación y ventilación de las instalaciones, , teniendo en cuenta las especificidades de los diversas poblaciones albergadas en las unidades penitenciarias.

Existe una necesidad de implementar un “adecuado y activo Programa de Prevención de Suicidios, en función de la continua producción de casos en diversas unidades”, explica la recomendación elaborada.

En el acto de rúbrica estuvieron presentes la defensora general de la Nación, Stella Maris Martínez; el presidente de la Cámara Federal de Casación Penal, Mariano Borinsky; el presidente de la Comisión de Ejecución Penal de ese tribunal, Gustavo Hornos.

También estuvieron los jueces integrantes Mirta López González, Sergio Paduczak, Martín Vázquez Acuña; el procurador penitenciario Francisco Mugnolo y los directores Ariel Cejas Meliare y Carlos Acosta. Así como los jueces de ejecución penal Axel López y Marcelo Peluzzi.

Por la Procuración General de la Nación –Procuraduría contra la Violencia Institucional-, Abel Córdoba: Ricardo Richiello y Marcela Piñero, por la Comisión de Cárceles de la Defensoría General de la Nación; Eva Asprella, en representación del CELS; Guillermo Fanego, en representación del Colegio Público de Abogados de la Capital Federal.

Fuente: Diario Judicial

New Health Care Law Webinars: The ACA and Immigrant Families, Health Insurance Marketplace 101

Webinars on the Health Care Law

The HHS Partnership Center and CMS have updated webinars on the health care law for faith and community organizations. All webinars are open to the public and include a question and answer session. To participate in one of the webinars, please select your preferred topic from the list below and submit the necessary information. Please contact us at ACA101@hhs.gov if you have problems registering. You may also join the webinar by telephone only.

Health Insurance Options for Immigrant Families

Please join the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for a workshop (in Spanish) on the benefits available to immigrant families through the Health Insurance Marketplace and how to get covered during open enrollment, which will take place November 15-February 15.

When: November 3, 2014 at 3pm ET

Webinar Link: https://webinar.cms.hhs.gov/lmowebinar11314/
Please join 5 minutes early (No registration is required)

Audio- conference line: 1-877-267-1577

Meeting number: 997 683 698
Meeting ID: Not required- Press #

For questions, please contact Jeanette.Contreras@cms.hhs.gov

Seguros de salud Para Familias Inmigrantes

Los Centros de Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid (CMS) los invita a un seminario en línea (en Español) sobre los beneficios disponible en el Mercado de Seguros Médicos para las familias inmigrantes e información sobre cómo obtener cobertura durante la inscripción abierta- el 15 de noviembre hasta el 15 de febrero.

Cuando: 3 de noviembre, 3pm hora del este

URL: https://webinar.cms.hhs.gov/lmowebinar11314/

Por favor únanse cinco minutos antes del comienzo (no se necesita registrar antes)

Número de teléfono: 1-877-267-1577

Numero de conferencia: 997 683 698
Código: no se necesita código- oprima #

¿Preguntas? Contacte a Jeanette.Contreras@cms.hhs.gov.

Health Insurance Marketplace 101

November 4 at 3:00 pm ET

(2 pm CT, 1 pm MT, Noon PT)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) invite you to join us for a webinar on the basics of the Health Insurance Marketplace. The webinar will provide an overview of the Affordable Care Act and key features of the Health Insurance Marketplace (Healthcare.gov), such as premium tax credits, cost-sharing reductions, eligibility requirements, renewal instructions, and special enrollment periods.

In addition, we will discuss how individuals and organizations can help during open enrollment by becoming a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) organization and Champion for Coverage. CACs are volunteers who assist people to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace. Champions for Coverage help by educating people in their community about the importance of getting covered and how to enroll.

What: Health Insurance Marketplace 101 webinar

When: Tuesday, November 4, 2014 at 3:00pm ET (12:00pm PT)

Participants can join the event directly at: https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join.php?i=PW9314435&p=OC114&t=c

Dial-in number: 1(888)-390-0973

Conference number: PW9314435

Audience passcode: OC114

No registration required. Please join us 5 minutes early.

For questions please email CMS at partnership@cms.hhs.gov.

Getting Ready to Enroll: Health Insurance Marketplace 101

November 7 at 1 pm ET

(Noon pm CT, 11 am MT, 10 am PT)

To Join By Phone Only: Dial: +1 (702) 489-0001, Access Code: 344-453-466

For those joining by phone only, the Pin Number is the # key

Open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace starts on November 15 with coverage available as early as January 1, 2015. This presentation will discuss how to enroll in the Marketplace, key websites and resources on the law. We will also discuss how to host an enrollment event. Questions will be answered at the end of the webinar. Please send any questions to ACA101@hhs.gov prior to November 7 at Noon ET.

Health Insurance Options for Immigrant Families

November 13 at 4 pm ET

(3 pm CT, 2 pm MT, 1 pm PT)

To Join By Phone Only: Dial: +1 (480) 297-0022, Access Code: 160-972-179
For those joining by phone only, the Pin Number is the # key

Please join the HHS Partnership Center and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for a webinar (in English) on the benefits available to immigrant families through the Health Insurance Marketplace and how to get covered during open enrollment. Open enrollment starts on November 15 and ends on February 15, 2015. Please send your questions to ACA101@hhs.govbefore noon on November 13.

CMS NEWS: CMS releases final payment rules for the Medicare program

CMS NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: CMS Media Relations

October 31, 2014 (202) 690-6145 or press@cms.hhs.gov

CMS releases final payment rules for the Medicare program

New policies focus on value, improve how care is provided, and increase transparency of information on quality

WASHINGTON – Over the past several days, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released final rules outlining how Medicare will pay major health care providers and suppliers in 2015. Important provisions of the Affordable Care Act that reward higher quality, patient-centered care at a lower cost are being implemented by these rules. The final rules include Medicare payments to physicians and non-physician practitioners, hospital outpatient departments, ambulatory surgical centers, home health agencies and dialysis facilities that treat patients with end-stage renal disease.

“Health care systems across the country are shifting their focus from volume of services to better health outcomes for patients, coordinating care, and spending dollars more wisely,” said CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. “These rules are a part of the broader strategy driving greater value in health care. By collaborating and building on best practices across the health care system, we can deliver the results of higher quality care and lower costs that consumers, providers, purchasers, and businesses deserve.”

The rules reflect a broader Administration-wide strategy to move our health care system to one that values quality over quantity and spends taxpayer dollars more wisely by finding better ways to deliver care, pay providers, and distribute information:

Empowering providers to deliver coordinated and integrated care, transition to new models of care, and improve the doctor-patient relationship.

Better coordination of care for beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions. Often, seniors with multiple conditions see a number of specialists. In those cases, extra physician effort is required to coordinate a care regimen that prevents over-treatment or duplicative tests. Historically, Medicare has not paid for services that support care management but are not delivered face-to-face, such as telephone check-ins with nurse care managers, in the clinical setting. Under this year’s rulemaking, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule will include a new chronic care management fee beginning next year. This separate payment for chronic care management will support physician practices in their efforts to coordinate care for Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions. This helps improve the way care is provided by supporting clinicians coordinating care for patients, including outside of regular office visits.

Aligning the way providers are paid to reward value rather than volume.

Paying providers for quality, not quantity of care. In 2015 Medicare is continuing to phase in the Value-based Payment Modifier, which adjusts traditional Medicare payments to physicians and other eligible professionals based on the quality and cost of care they furnish to beneficiaries. Those adjustments translate into payment increases for providers who deliver higher quality care at a better value, while providers who underperform may be subject to a payment reduction.
Providing incentives to hospital outpatient departments and facilities to deliver efficient, high-quality care. The Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System/Ambulatory Surgical Center (OPPS) rule includes provisions that promote greater packaging of payments for items and services rather than making separate payments for each individual service. For example, a new comprehensive Ambulatory Payment Classifications payment policy is being implemented in CY 2015 to make a single payment for all related hospital items and services provided to a patient receiving certain device-dependent procedures, such as insertion of a pacemaker, rather than separate payments for each supportive service, such as routine tests and diagnostic procedures.

Increasing the availability and accessibility of information on quality, utilization and costs for effective, informed decision-making.

Better information for providers to understand the total scope, cost, and quality of care that the Medicare beneficiaries they serve receive. To assist physician groups and physicians in improving quality of care for their Medicare beneficiaries, CMS recently made Quality and Resource Use Reports available. The reports include information about the scope, cost and quality of care that is delivered to the Medicare beneficiaries they serve, both inside and outside of their practices. These reports include information on where beneficiaries are hospitalized and whether they were readmitted. Solo practitioners and group practices can use the reports to implement action steps that can improve care coordination and reduce the provision of unnecessary services, improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries.
Expand and add new measures to the Physician Compare website. The Physician Compare website allows consumers to search for reliable information about physicians and other health care professionals who provide Medicare services so they can make informed decisions about who delivers their care. CMS has finalized policies to significantly expand the quality measures available on this website by making group practice and individual physician-level measures available for public reporting, including patient experience measures, and measures collected by Qualified Clinical Data Registries. By making all of these measures available for public reporting, CMS can work to include a diversity of quality measures on the website while including only those measures that are most beneficial to consumers and best aid decision making.
New quality and performance measures for dialysis facilities. The End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System rule introduces new quality and performance measures for outpatient dialysis facilities. The rule incorporates in 2017 a Standardized Readmission Ratio, which assesses the rate at which ESRD dialysis patients return to an acute care hospital within 30 days of discharge from an acute care hospital, supporting the Administration’s efforts to reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions in all settings.