APMA News Brief

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to permanently repeal Medicare's despised sustainable growth-rate formula for paying doctors, ending more than a decade of legislative gridlock on the issue. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: Don’t miss APMA’s reporting about how the historic SGR legislation affects the profession on APMA.org.

The guide, which was last released in 2011, is updated to provide the most current information to serve provider practices, health IT, other information technology professionals, and others in the public at large.

Visit http://www.healthcaredive.com/news/onc-announces-revised-guide-to-health-it-privacy-and-security/386339/ to view the full article online.

For the last four years, our team at the University of Washington (UW) has been evaluating seven value-based payment reform programs in six states for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

Visit http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2015/04/14/implementing-value-based-payment-reform-learning-from-the-field-of-practice/ to view the full article online.

The Medicaid Program is the foundation of the health care safety net in the US. As the largest health insurance program in the country, it provides coverage for critical services to more than 70 million people. Click here to continue reading.

Editor's note: See APMA’s Medicaid resources at APMA.org.

The nation’s largest physician organization has unveiled its plan to help doctors implement the changes required to unlock innovation and promote the adoption of new health information technologies.

Visit http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/AMA-Lays-Out-Digital-Health-Plan-at-HIMSS15-Conference-50251-1.html to view the full article online.

Physicians and teaching hospitals across the healthcare spectrum will be buried in a numbers game come April 6, 2015, when The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) period of payment review for physicians begins.

Visit http://revcycleintelligence.com/news/cms-open-payments-advance-revenue-transparency to view the full article online.

Expanding diabetes screening in adults to catch the disease early does not appear to keep people from dying of cardiovascular causes, according to a report designed to help shape U.S. treatment guidelines.

Visit http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/13/us-diabetes-screening-mortality-idUSKBN0N42CN20150413 to view the full article online.

Because I went seven months of 2014 uninsured before getting new coverage through my new employer, it’s my understanding that I’ll have to pay a penalty under the Affordable Care Act mandate. How much will I owe and how do I go about paying it?

Visit http://www.forbes.com/sites/christinalamontagne/2015/04/14/how-do-i-pay-the-aca-penalty/ to view the full article online.

If you find your feet are starting to ache from all the attention you are paying them, don't shrug it off.

Visit http://www.fashiontimes.com/articles/20023/20150414/top-arch-foot-pain-walking-podiatrist-talks-how-to-detect-health-issues-cramps-circulation-problems-feet-heels-running-support-pedicure-summer-spring-shoes-styles-2015-trends.htm to view the full article online.

Gerald Froberg, 83, of Gwinn experienced first hand the benefits of a special Hyperbaric Chamber treatment at the Wound Center. Gerald was facing below the knee amputation after developing a diabetic ulcer on his right foot.

Visit http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?id=1190046#.VS5BOZOT3CY to view the full article online.

An advanced smartphone application developed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute to help people with diabetes better manage their weight and blood sugar level and assess the status of chronic foot ulcers, is entering a pilot clinical study at UMass Medical School.

Visit http://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2015/04/pilot-clinical-study-at-umms-to-test-sugar-diabetes-app/ to view the full article online.

Heel pain is probably the most common complaint of patients seen for foot and ankle disorders. Click here to continue reading.

Editor's note: Order heel pain brochures for your practice at APMA’s secure e-Store.

Not happy with how your feet are doing these days? It’s probably time to give them a second look and see what common foot issues, such as cramping and bunions, can reveal about your overall health.

Visit http://tribune.com.pk/story/869270/7-things-your-feet-say-about-your-health/ to view the full article online.

If you have active kids, making sure they’re wearing the right shoes for what they’re doing, and for their own unique physique, can be as important and wearing their retainers or washing their faces.

Visit http://geekdad.com/2015/04/apma-feet/ to view the full article online.

These data breaches involved unencrypted information that could be identified and tied back to individuals. And what's worse is that the study indicates that these data breaches are on the rise. Click here to continue reading.

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

Instead of wishing for more time, the leadership team of one New York hospital has been working hard to ensure it is ready when the conversion finally happens.

Visit http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/FIN-315238/4-Strategies-for-ICD10-Success to view the full article online.

As we strive to keep health care costs in line, reducing hospital re-admissions is drawing a lot of attention. Reducing preventable re-admissions could reduce health care spending and improve quality of care at the same time.

Visit http://qz.com/369177/us-hospitals-could-save-billions-if-they-took-a-lesson-from-the-department-of-veterans-affairs/ to view the full article online.

By expanding access to health insurance, the Affordable Care Act has shifted consumers' questions about coverage from affordability to access, according to a new report from Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms. Click here to continue reading.

Editor's note: Visit APMA's healthcare reform page for more resources and information on how the ACA affects the profession.

As the U.S. health system shifts away from fee-for-service medicine to value-based care, just one-third of hospitals say they have the necessary information technology systems in place to manage populations of patients.

Visit http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2015/04/13/just-one-third-of-hospitals-it-ready-for-population-health/ to view the full article online.

While EHR interoperability is a major goal among top stakeholders, there are alleged healthcare providers and health IT designers that may be participating in a practice called "information blocking."

Visit https://ehrintelligence.com/2015/04/13/is-ehr-interoperability-being-blocked-by-health-systems/ to view the full article online.

With six months to go until these codes are law, the biggest concern is becoming what will happen once the new-era claims leave the house. 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.

A former federal health IT coordinator has come out against a provision in a proposed CMS rule that would significantly weaken a requirement for healthcare providers to promote patient access to their healthcare information.

Visit http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20150413/NEWS/304139978 to view the full article online.

If Robert Anthony had his choice, "it wouldn't be called the Stage 3 meaningful use regulation," he said at HIMSS15 on Monday. "It would be called the 'meaningful use for everyone' regulation."

Visit http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/cms-lays-out-vision-stage-3-meaningful-use to view the full article online.

A recent survey finds employers are scaling back their contributions to employees’ health-savings accounts, but experts differ over the effect the nation’s new healthcare law has had on such plans.

Visit http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/view/story.jhtml?id=534358614& to view the full article online.

Software prompts doctors when they miss key pieces of documentation and ICD-10 specificity, guides them through copy-paste of EHR data.

Visit http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/3m-unwraps-workflow-tool-icd-10-copy-paste to view the full article online.