APMA News Brief

More than 750 organizations joined the American Medical Association (AMA) to call on Congress to pass legislation that would permanently eliminate Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: Take action to fix the SGR through APMA’s eAdvocacy website today!

Uncertainty about ICD-10, delays, projects on hold, the looming prospect of another postponement of the implementation date: It’s enough for a project manager (PM ) to start looking for a new job.

Visit http://icd10monitor.com/enews/item/1385-icd-10-project-teams-transitioning-from-being-submerged-to-being-successful to view the full article online.

With open enrollment closed for 2015 and the Departments having finalized the Benefit and Payment Parameters Rule and Letter to Issuers for 2016, we have entered the Spring Affordable Care Act regulatory doldrums.

Visit http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2015/03/17/implementing-health-reform-wraparound-benefits-final-rule-coverage-report/ to view the full article online.

Arriving in 2012 as the new CIO of the Military Health System, David Bowen was immediately tasked with helping to merge the armed services' medical organizations into a single Defense Health Agency. Within a year, he stood up a health IT shared service organization to support the nascent agency.

Visit http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/interview/one-one/2015/03/16/bowen-electronic-health-records-migration-poses-next-big-challenge/24845363/ to view the full article online.

The terms of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) dictate that if a person did not obtain health coverage for himself, his spouse and dependent children, penalties will be inflicted at a rate of at least $95 per person beginning in 2014.

Visit http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2015/03/16/no-health-coverage-may-face-tax-penalty/ to view the full article online.

The Department of Health and Human Services released new figures on the insured population one week ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Act’s passage.

Visit http://time.com/3745948/obamacare-uninsured/ to view the full article online.

The Cleveland Clinic has helpfully broken down the best types of shoes for various kinds of foot problems. Click here to continue reading.

Editor's note: Refer your patients to APMA's popular flip-flop tips and video.

Improvements in bunion surgery have led to faster and less painful recovery, according to foot doctors.

Visit http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-News/bunion-surgery-recovery-foot/2015/03/14/id/630154/ to view the full article online.

You're finally done with your run, but what you do afterward is just as important for your health. Are you sabotaging your fitness goals by making these mistakes?

Visit http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/After-Run-Mistakes-32031005 to view the full article online.

We asked four "parts" models whose livelihoods depend on being blemish-free and toned to share their secrets for keeping bareable bits in prime condition.

Visit http://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/tips-from-body-part-models?cid=socBe_20150312_41974306 to view the full article online.

On March 10, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ ("CMS’s") Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation ("Innovation Center") announced a demonstration project incorporating new risk models for reimbursement of accountable care organizations ("ACOs") serving Medicare beneficiaries. Click here to continue reading.

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

Earlier this month, the American Medical Association (AMA) along with 99 other physician groups asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide contingency plans for the potential pitfalls of the ICD-10 transition.

Visit https://ehrintelligence.com/2015/03/16/are-physician-groups-on-board-with-icd-10-transition/ to view the full article online.

Achieving better health outcomes at a lower cost and succeeding with payment reforms that shift from volume to value is difficult without health information technology (IT). Click here to continue reading.

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

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) appears ready to abandon its conciliatory approach to Medicaid expansion in favor of a harder line, the National Journal reported.

Visit http://www.fiercehealthpayer.com/story/cms-taking-harder-line-medicaid-expansion/2015-03-16 to view the full article online.

When it comes to ICD-10, physicians, as a group, are much farther behind the curve than their hospital counterparts. 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.

Changes in how medical diagnoses are coded under the latest international disease classification system – known as the ICD-10 codes – may complicate financial analysis, research projects and training programs that depend on look-back comparisons of health care data.

Visit http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-03-diagnosis-codes-lost-translationin.html to view the full article online.

An estimated seven in 10 U.S. adults say they track at least one health indicator, and 21 percent of this group use some form of technology to track their health data, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

Visit http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2015/03/16/harnessing-mobile-health-technologies-to-transform-human-health/ to view the full article online.