APMA News Brief

At the America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)’s National Conference on Medicare and Medicaid and Dual Eligibles Summit, Patrick Conway, deputy administrator for innovation and quality and chief medical officer for CMS, spoke on the future of delivery system reform.

Visit http://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/Reforming-the-Healthcare-Delivery-System to view the full article online.

CMS has launched its online Open Payments System, which aims to boost transparency by making public the payments healthcare providers receive from drugmakers and medical device manufacturers. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: Read more details about APMA’s Sunshine Act advocacy efforts on APMA.org.

A national advocacy group wants to reform the way veterans receive medical treatment, launching a task force whose goal is to propose sweeping changes to veterans' healthcare for the first time in more than two decades. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: Read about APMA’s ongoing lobbying efforts for VA parity on APMA.org.

The impact of HIPAA and HITECH on healthcare data governance.

Visit http://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/2014/09/29/playing-russian-roulette-a-561099.html to view the full article online.

Now that the employer mandate is taking effect at the beginning of the year, and business with over 100 employees will have to offer health insurance to full-time employees or pay a fine, some companies are considering capping or cutting back hours so that workers have 29 or less hours a week, keeping them in part-time status.

Visit http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/99779/experts-caution-on-cutting-hours-to-avoid-aca/ to view the full article online.

A new cross-sectional study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that only half of adults in the U.S. were screened for diabetes within the last three years, less than what is recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Visit http://www.cfah.org/hbns/2014/only-half-of-us-adults-over-45-are-screened-for-diabetes to view the full article online.

For millions of overweight Americans, regular exercise remains a prime weapon against excess weight and the threat of type 2 diabetes.

Visit http://www.wect.com/story/26663275/can-exercise-prevent-type-2-diabetes-your-genes-may-be-key to view the full article online.

Long-term wearing of footwear that will deform your foot will create arthritis and permanent pain.

Visit http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/health-a-healing/pretty-yet-practical-footwear to view the full article online.

Studies show that continuous blood glucose monitoring can make managing the disease more precise and less burdensome.

Visit http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/09/27/medtronic-diabetes to view the full article online.

Most people do not believe the Internal Revenue Service considers such schemes legal. We added, however, that post-tax reimbursements are "perfectly legal."

Visit http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/29/can-a-company-reimburse-employees-who-buy-their-own-health-insurance-maybe/?module=BlogPost-ReadMore&version=Blog%20Main&action=Click&contentCollection=Business%20Day&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body to view the full article online.

Working 55 hours or more a week can heighten the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

Visit http://kticradio.com/abc_health/working-long-and-hard-may-heighten-diabetes-risk-abcid35033310/ to view the full article online.

Promoted as an aid to good health, artificial sweeteners may in fact be boosting diabetes risk, says a study.

Visit http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Health/2014/09/27/Sweeteners-may-boost-diabetes-risk/ to view the full article online.

Medical coders working with ICD-10 for more than a year were able to gain back nearly a third of their lost productivity after switching to the new code set. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: APMA’s ICD-10 Resources will help you prepare for the transition to happen Oct. 1, 2015.

Want to improve accountable care organizations? Give them more access to mHealth and telehealth tools. Click here to continue reading.

Editor's note: APMA provides information and resources on ACOs at APMA.org.

Experts in Washington have recently claimed that there will be a dramatic decrease in federal health spending in the coming years.

Visit http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832494 to view the full article online.

Expect the pace of innovation to pick up as healthcare providers increasingly leverage IT to improve patient care, make competitive gains and save costs. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: Don’t miss APMA’s HIT resources on APMA.org.

Policy changes and consumer pressures have spurred huge changes in health IT. Take a look back at how we got here – and where we're going.

Visit http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/25-years-of-health-it-a-complicated-journey/d/d-id/1316061? to view the full article online.

A national report released today shows a rise in "value-oriented" provider payment models among health insurance purchased through employers.

Visit http://www.californiahealthline.org/capitol-desk/2014/9/employers-reform-scorecard-shows-continuing-shift-in-valueoriented-pay to view the full article online.

Most group health plans must apply to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services by November 5 for a unique health plan identifying number (HPID). Although self-insured health plans must apply for HPIDs, the application process was not designed with these plans in mind.

Visit http://www.natlawreview.com/article/cms-fixes-some-health-plan-identifying-number-hpid-problems-other-problems-remain to view the full article online.

After growing steadily for nearly two decades, the rate of Type 2 diabetes among American adults appears to have stalled, according to a comprehensive new study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Visit http://thegazette.com/subject/news/type-2-diabetes-rate-declines-x2014-for-some-20140930 to view the full article online.

Preparation is crucial to allow your organization to leverage its ICD-10 investments to meet compliance requirements and achieve a strategic testing advantage. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: APMA reports that volunteers are wanted in ICD-10 end-to-end testing.