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Nine in 10 large employers will offer telehealth next year- Study
In a new report from the National Business Group on Health, nine in ten large employers will make telehealth services available to employees in 2017. This only applies to companies in states that allow telehealth and is up from seven in ten in 2016. This survey looked at 133 large employers, covering 15 million Americans from May to June 2016. The rise is attributed to a shift in employer priorities, “shifting from plan design to optimizing how health care is accessed and delivered,” according to Brian Marcotte president and CEO of the NBG in a statement.
Cardiac bundled-payment program likely to penalize high-spending hospitals
A new report from healthcare consulting firm Avalere Health examines 2013-14 data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to determine that hospitals with above average spending on cardiac services could spend more under bundled payments. The bundled payments apply to bypass surgery and heart attacks. CMS will randomly select 98 metro regions in the US with hospitals that treat three types of cardiac care, bypass, heart attacks managed with medication and percutaneous intervention. CMS will target prices each year based on historical regional data and hospital-specific data after 90-days after discharge.
CVS launches mobile wallet app
Recently, CVS Pharmacy launched their own “end-to-end” mobile wallet offering combining payments, prescriptions, pick-ups, and their loyalty program. Encased within the mobile wallet app is CVS Pay. CVS Pay uses barcodes scanned at point of sale to complete transactions. Similar to Starbuck’s system, the CVS app can be used to link payments with their loyalty program. This app works with all major credit and debit cards, HSAs, and Flex Spending accounts. The app launched in markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with a nationwide rollout later this year.
EHR Use Fuels Research and Interventions to Help Close Gaps in Care
Electronic Health Record use is helping to drive research aimed at improving racial, socioeconomic, and geographic gaps in the continuum of care. Health Affairs journal recently published a paper detailing inequities in quality healthcare. They discuss methods how providers can overcome the identified inequities. Robust EHR use is a cornerstone to help manage key population data. Researchers found four factors driving disparities in care: individual patient factors, social factors, organizational factors, and policy/community factors.
New App to Increase Provider Awareness of Sickle Cell Treatment Guidelines
Researchers at Duke University and University of Pittsburg recently developed a mobile application to provide providers with guideline, algorithms, and a new way to communicate with local specialists pertaining to sickle cell disease. The toolkit was based on iOS devices to fill a niche as few providers were aware of new treatment guidelines for sickle cell. Researchers plan to test the app’s usability and acceptability among providers before making it available in the AppStore.
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eHI Welcomes Our Newest Member, health system Ohio Health
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, August 25, 2-3 pm ET, Council of Data Analytics Experts- Doug Dietzman, Executive Director, Great Lakes Health Connect
Monday, September 12, 2-3 pm ET, Interoperability Workgroup, Janine Akers, CEO, Data File Technologies
Tuesday, September 27, 9 am- 4 pm ET, Executive Advisory Board of Privacy & Security
October 4-5, 2016 Innovation Showcase at House of Sweden in Washington, D.C.
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October 4-5, 2016 Innovation Showcase at House of Sweden in Washington, DCRegister now for eHI’s Innovation Showcase and Conference! Reserve your spot today to receive the early-bird rate. Attend the event that gives you more than just an Innovation Challenge – the program agenda features panels, including industry experts, innovative executives and key policymakers. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and engage directly with speakers and fellow attendees. This is the perfect forum to have your voice heard among a multi-stakeholder group of industry executives! REGISTER TODAY, view our agenda and learn of the challenge, including how to submit an innovation proposal (deadline for submission is September 9).
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VA seeks information on EHR replacement for VistA
Earlier this year the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is seeking a replacement for its legacy VistA electronic health record system. The department promulgated a request for information (ROI) seeking industry input on how the VA may transition to a commercial EHR. Simultaneously, the VA continues to modernize the aging system to hedge their bet on the transition.
Obamacare Costs Level as Private Insurance Increased- HHS/CMS
According to data released by the Department of Health and Human Services, the cost per person on the healthcare exchange were basically unchanged between 2014-2015 while per-person costs in the broader private market rose by 3 percent nationwide. This data suggests that the individual marketplace improved and became healthier as more people enrolled, a critical aspect to the long term viability of the exchanges.
HRSA awards $16 million to expand telehealth, other rural healthcare services
The Health Resources and Services Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services is allocating 16 million dollars for rural healthcare to boost telehealth and quality improvement activities. This funding will expand the use of telehealth for patients, while assisting providers with research to better understand the needs and challenges of rural America. This money will be divided amongst four programs administered by the Office of Rural Health Policy to support 60 communities in 32 states.
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Bon Secours Suffers Third-Party Data Breach
Maryland based Bon Secours Health System has notified patients of a potential data breach from a vendor that left information available online. In June, Bon Secours discovered that R-C Healthcare Management, the vendor for data reporting optimization services, accidentally left patient information available online during computer network updates from April 18-21. The vendor notified the system of the disclosure and took steps to mitigate the damage. This breach affected 655,000 patients including: patient names, health insurers' names, health insurance ID numbers, limited clinical information, Social Security numbers, and bank account information.
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