D'Arcy Gue


ICD-10 Costs, New ONC Resources, and MU in Slowdown

January 17, 2014


ICD-10 3 Minute Read

There is a lot of excitement around the new National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Karen DeSalvo is full-steam ahead into her new role and there are a number of issues she’ll be addressing in the coming months. We discuss some of the challenges, here, in our weekly news roundup.

The new ONC Chief’s experience brings a unique perspective to her role.

In a recent article, Healthcare IT News provides details on Karen DeSalvo’s experience and how it can be applied to her new role as the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. With her diverse background overhauling the health department in New Orleans, serving as a member of the National Health Services Corp, and holding a position as a professor at Tulane University, she brings a breadth of on-the-ground experience and academic knowledge to the ONC. How will her unique perspective inform the decisions she makes in her new role? Stay tuned!

The Office of the National Coordinator published new resources this week.

The ONC announced new HIE governance resources made available this week. The resources primarily address the issue of privacy and security. Forum resources and a government framework for HIEs are included in the recently published materials. According to the article in FierceEMR, these resources are part of an overall strategy to “support existing governance initiatives and advance governance goals of nationwide health information exchange.”

Use this ICD-10 budgeting spreadsheet to estimate the costs of your transition.

The industry is in a serious crunch to move to ICD-10 before the October 1, 2014 deadline. According to a recent survey of providers, performed by KPMG, hospitals that have taken the time to measure the financial impact of ICD-10 estimate anywhere between $1 million to more than $15 million in costs / losses. This is huge and providers who have not yet budgeted for their implementation are going to feel the impacts the most.

This is all to make the point, that you should take the time to read the latest article on ICD-10 Watch and take a look at the budgeting spreadsheet offered in the article. Doing so will at least give your organization an idea of the financial burdens you will be facing. And, if you’ve done your budget and assessed the impacts, give yourself a pat on the back!

Participation in Meaningful Use / MIPS effort at its lowest point since August 2013.

The healthcare industry’s movement towards Meaningful Use / MIPS appears to be slowing down. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, numbers dipped quite a bit in November and December, compared to performance during the rest of 2013. It’s expected that attestation activity will pick up in the beginning of this year. Meaningful Use / MIPS attestation also has been uneven. According to research cited in an article on FierceEMR, small and rural hospitals are struggling to meet the incentive requirements. As we approach Stage 2, will these hospitals be able to catch up?

 

 



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