APMA News Brief

Doctors discussed the challenges of physician practices remaining independent today; the problem of electronic health records (EHRs) turning physicians into "data entry clerks"; the overreach of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in protecting patient privacy; the lack of liability protection for physicians in the Affordable Care Act (ACA); pressure from the federal government to practice "cookbook medicine"; the negative impact of new technology on medical practice; and managing inflated patient expectations in a new era in which cost control is a priority. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: APMA provides HIPAA Privacy and Security Manuals for members on APMA.org.

At Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center, a small, rural hospital in Northern Arizona, there’s more than a little extra revenue going around after the implementation of a clinical documentation improvement program.

Visit http://healthitanalytics.com/2015/01/20/how-clinical-documentation-improvement-saved-550k-in-a-year/ to view the full article online.

In this Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) video, Ricardo Martinez, MD, FACEP, a practicing physician offers advice for small practices preparing for ICD-10. 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.

The New Year will be an interesting one for those working in the hospital revenue cycle as population-based payments roll out. Add in uncertainty surrounding implementation of ICD-10 and hospital financial managers have much to focus on in 2015.

Visit http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/2015-year-changes-revenue-cycle-population-health-icd-10 to view the full article online.

Accountable care organizations across the country are in sharply different stages of aggregating and using patient data to improve quality of care and reduce costs. Click here to continue reading.

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

The federal and state health insurance marketplaces will be open for the second round of enrollment from Nov. 15, 2014, to Feb. 15, 2015.

Visit https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2015/01/20/104494/5-key-facts-about-the-affordable-care-act-for-african-americans/ to view the full article online.

This year, local accountants and tax preparation offices are bracing for a busier tax season now that Affordable Care Act reporting requirements are kicking in, and they say IRS budget cuts won't help.

Visit http://www.dailypress.com/business/dp-tidewaterbiz-tax-season-20150120-story.html to view the full article online.

Diabetes can cause loss of feeling in the feet, and because of this, broken foot bones are a lot more common among those living with diabetes than many people realize.

Visit http://www.centredaily.com/2015/01/19/4560849_people-centred-on-diabetes-foot.html?rh=1 to view the full article online.

Healthcare is at a major turning point as doctors and hospitals look for ways to improve health outcomes while meeting cost constraints. Here’s how that’s going to affect you.

Visit http://fortune.com/2015/01/14/5-trends-that-will-redefine-your-healthcare-experience-in-2015/ to view the full article online.

Salons and spas are a dime a dozen in New York and customers don't always know what they're getting into when they go inside. Now several lawmakers are pushing changes that would allow for better investigation of these businesses and also make it easier for the consumer to know if the spa or salon they're entering is up to code.

Visit http://www.myfoxny.com/story/27864705/how-clean-and-safe-is-your-spa-or-salon to view the full article online.

From your first year of life, your feet enable you to stand, walk, dance, run, and jump. They will support you while standing for long periods of time. They will carry you long distances. And for all this responsibility, foot care is often the furthest thing from your mind.

Visit http://homenewshere.com/tewksbury_town_crier/news/article_0433d52c-9d8e-11e4-8b46-bba40f5dec35.html to view the full article online.

The Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) announced a new working group designed to bolster health IT security systems increasingly threatened by cyber attacks. Click here to continue reading.

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

Though some medical groups keep pushing for yet another delay in ICD-10, Juliet Santos of consultancy Leidos Health, argues that another delay could be a threat to national security.

Visit http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/why-another-icd-10-delay-could-threaten-national-security/2015-01-20 to view the full article online.

More than one million Floridians remain without health insurance as a result of the state’s decision not to expand Medicaid coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act. Click here to continue reading.

Editor's note: Read more about Medicaid expansion at APMA.org.

CMS recently announced the results of another successful acknowledgement testing. The process, which allows healthcare providers to submit claims under the new ICD-10 system and receive electronic confirmation of acceptance, is open to providers, suppliers, billing companies, and clearinghouses.

Visit http://www.bsminfo.com/doc/cms-reports-icd-end-to-end-testing-results-0001 to view the full article online.

Roughly eight million Americans would become uninsured if the Supreme Court invalidates subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for those buying a health plan through an insurance marketplace, or exchange, operated by the federal government as opposed to a state, two think tanks announced earlier this month. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: Learn more about health insurance exchanges and read APMA’s policy briefs at APMA's healthcare reform page.

Tom Van Gilder, MD, JD, MPH, chief of medical services at Certify Data Systems, recently sat down to answer some questions about top-level challenges for 2015. Below are his answers in an exclusive interview.

Visit http://healthcare-executive-insight.advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/Top-Level-Challenges-of-2015.aspx to view the full article online.

Do you have people – as in, more than one – working for you? If so, you’re probably knee deep in preparing Forms W-2 for your employees before the January 31st deadline. Well, what if I told you that when you send in those forms, unless you’re aware of an under-publicized change to the insurance and tax laws that took place on January 1, 2014, you might be exposing yourself to tens or even hundreds, of thousands of dollars in penalties?

Visit http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonynitti/2015/01/18/large-penalties-await-employers-who-reimbursed-certain-employee-health-insurance-premiums-in-2014/ to view the full article online.

Although more than 70 percent of U.S. doctors use electronic health records, up to half don't routinely receive the data necessary to coordinate patient care effectively.

Visit http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/EHR-Use-Does-Not-Result-in-Coordinated-Care-49648-1.html to view the full article online.

Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted last week to forestall a 10 percent pay cut for primary care physicians who treat Medicare patients that is slated to take effect next January.

Visit http://www.aafp.org/news/practice-professional-issues/20150119medpacfinalrec.html to view the full article online.