Bariatric surgery outcomes in accredited vs nonaccredited centers
Editor's Note Patients who have bariatric surgery at nonaccredited bariatric surgical centers are 1.4 times likelier to have serious complications and more than twice as likely to die after the procedure compared to those who have surgery in accredited centers, this study finds. In this review of more than 1.5…
CMS releases OPPS, ASC proposed rule for 2017
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 14 published the 2017 Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System policy changes, quality provisions, and payment rates proposed rule. Among the proposals: an increase in OPPS payment rates by 1.55%--a combination…
CMS: Final rule allows selling of claims data
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 1 released a final rule that allows certain CMS-approved organizations, including for-profit companies and government entities, to buy Medicare claims and other federal data at a price matching the governments’ cost of processing the data, Modern Healthcare reports.…
Study: EHRs leads to physician burnout, job dissatisfaction
Editor's Note This study finds that physicians who use electronic health records (EHRs) have higher rates of burnout and are more likely to be dissatisfied with their jobs because of the amount of time spent completing computerized medical forms. The findings, based on a survey of 6,375 physicians, found that…
CMS issues corrections to new fire safety requirements for hospital outpatient surgical departments
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 30 published a correction to its recently updated fire safety requirements for hospitals. The correction says that hospital outpatient surgical departments must meet Life Safety Code provisions "applicable to Ambulatory Health Care Occupancies, regardless of the number of…
Experts can help ASC leaders solidify building safety
For an ambulatory surgery center (ASC), maintaining a safe physical environment for patients generally falls to the administrator and governing board. For those who lack expertise in healthcare architecture, building codes, and risk management, it may pay to hire a consultant. Even so, ASC managers remain responsible for compliance. Fortunately,…
MPSMS data show sharp decline in patient harm from 2010 to 2014
Editor's Note There were 2.1 million fewer patient harms between 2010 and 2014, resulting in thousands fewer accidental deaths and billions of dollars in health cost savings, finds this analysis of the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System (MPSMS). The analysis found that from 2005 to 2011, the rate of adverse…
Healthcare providers struggling to transition to VBP
Editor's Note Moving to information systems and data requirements of the new value-based payment (VBP) reimbursement system is proving to be a daunting challenge for healthcare providers, the June 13 Health Data Management reports. A survey of healthcare executives from 190 hospitals shows that only 3% of respondents provide more…
Reminder: July 1 is deadline to apply for 'meaningful use' hardship exception
Editor's Note Eligible hospitals, critical access hospitals, and professionals who did not achieve "meaningful use" in the Medicare Electronic Health Record Incentive Program for the 2015 reporting period have until July 1 to apply for a hardship exception from the 2017 payment adjustment. The streamlined hardship applications reduce the…
CMS releases alert on new ICD-9, ICD-10 exclusions
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an alert May 23 on newly excluded ICD diagnosis codes that will no longer be accepted starting January 7, 2017. The codes include: T88.8XXA (Other specified complications of surgical and medical care, not elsewhere classified, initial encounter) T88.8XXD (Other…
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