APMA News Brief

Information technology is a critical component of a just-announced Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services initiative to revamp care delivered by primary care physicians.

Visit http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/it-to-play-big-role-in-cmss-new-physician-payment-model to view the full article online.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 has many parts tied to Medicare and other federal health plan beneficiaries, but first and foremost it is a bill that brings an end to the sustainable growth rate and a beginning to new incentive programs for providers working in a value-based care ecosystem. 

Visit http://revcycleintelligence.com/features/what-we-know-about-value-based-care-under-macra-mips-apms to view the full article online.

Some commercial health insurance companies are already insisting on greater specificity for claims filed in ICD-10, particularly those submitted as unspecified.

Visit http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/icd-10-payers-stepping-ahead-cms-demanding-greater-specificity-claims to view the full article online.

We all know that our bodies change as we age. Your feet, of course, are not exempt.

Visit https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2016/04/shoes-getting-tight-feet-change-size-time/ to view the full article online.

One mani/pedi you don't want? Uh, one that comes with nail fungus.

Visit http://thestir.cafemom.com/beauty_style/197216/is_your_nail_salon_a to view the full article online.

April is Foot Health Month and Dr. Kurt Rode, from Saint Francis Hospital joined FOX 61 Good Day Connecticut to share some advice as we all head outside again to enjoy the warmer weather.

Visit http://fox61.com/2016/04/12/summer-feet/ to view the full article online.

Researchers followed ultramarathon runners around the world to test whether low-cost paper tape could reduce debilitating and painful blisters.

Visit http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2016/04/stanford-trial-shows-paper-tape-can-help-prevent-foot-blisters.html to view the full article online.

Amal Clooney, Victoria Beckham and Catherine Zeta-Jones all have one health problem in common – they all suffer from bunions.

Visit http://home.bt.com/lifestyle/wellbeing/4-easy-foot-exercises-to-relieve-the-pain-of-bunions-11364050711164 to view the full article online.

Paying doctors a fee for each service they provide gives them incentive to offer the maximum number of treatments, as well as pay less attention to how well patients recover.

Visit http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-blm-bg-editorial-health-766e6e12-0175-11e6-8bb1-f124a43f84dc-20160413-story.html to view the full article online.

Of all the lies being told by candidates during this presidential campaign season, some of the greatest are about the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-cahill/health-care-reform-is-saving-lives_b_9663090.html to view the full article online.

Now that you know the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) allows data sharing without patient authorization for certain health care operations activities, take a closer look at the range of situations in which your practice can use technology to obtain and share patient information.

Visit http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/ama-wire/post/test-hipaa-knowledge-3-data-sharing-situations to view the full article online.

Fifty years ago, Avedis Donabedian, MD, MPH, of the University of Michigan, published his seminal paper, "Evaluating the Quality of Medical Care," and created a framework that is still used to measure healthcare quality.

Visit http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/medical-economics/news/struggle-continues-physicians-spend-more-154-billion-annually-report-quality-metrics to view the full article online.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is preparing to take another step in moving primary care away from the traditional fee-for-service payment model.

Visit http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/medical-economics/news/cms-unveils-plan-new-payment-model to view the full article online.

Something is seriously wrong when a patient is made to feel like a recruit in military basic training being shouted at by a drill sergeant, writes George Korda, a Knoxville News Sentinel columnist.

Visit http://www.fiercepracticemanagement.com/story/rude-staff-can-damage-patient-experience/2016-04-12 to view the full article online.