EHR vendor linked to MU performance of hospitals
Editor's Note A study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association found that some electronic health record (EHR) vendors consistently outperform others, the November 27 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Epic had the highest performance on five of six meaningful use (MU) stage 2 criteria, including view, download, and…
Association of HRRP with surgical readmissions
Editor's Note The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) decreased readmissions for targeted procedures, but no association was found for nontargeted procedures in this study. This analysis of 672,135 Medicare patients treated at 2,773 hospitals included 507,663 patients who had total knee or hip arthroplasty procedures (targeted) and 164, 472 who…
Joint Commission: More accredited hospitals submitting eCQM data
Editor's Note Despite the expansion of requirements for electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) reporting to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an increased number of Joint Commission accredited hospitals are adopting and reporting eCQMs to drive quality improvement, the Joint Commission reports. In 2016, 470 accredited hospitals submitted eCQM…
Medicare readmission reduction program linked to increased mortality rates
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program has had the unintended consequence of increased short- and long-term mortality in heart failure patients, this study finds. Five years ago, as part of the Affordable Care Act, federal policy makers introduced the Hospital Readmission Reduction…
One in five physicians intend to reduce work hours or leave the profession
Editor's Note The burden and bureaucracy of today’s practice of medicine are major factors influencing physicians’ intentions to reduce work hours or leave the profession, finds this study from the American Medical Association, Mayo Clinic, and Stanford University. Of nearly 36,000 physicians across all specialties surveyed, 6,880 (19.2%) responded. Nearly 1…
Value of voluntary bundled-payment program unclear
Editor's Note For the third year in a row, researchers with the Lewin Group couldn’t determine whether Medicare’s voluntary Bundled Payment for Care Improvement initiative cuts costs and improves care, the October 31 Modern Healthcare reports. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) funded analysis found that although providers…
CMS issues guidance on MIPS information blocking component
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued new guidance designed to offer clarity on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System’s (MIPS) data blocking component, the October 30 Healthcare Informatics reports. The guidance outlines how MIPS-eligible clinicians can show they are fulfilling the information blocking requirement, which…
Manufacturers optimistic about repeal of medical device tax
Editor's Note On October 24, 179 House members (including 43 Democrats) signed a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis) calling for repeal of the medical device tax, the October 25 issue of The Hill reports. The medical device tax, which was included in the Affordable Care Act to help pay…
AHA study: Regulatory overload is unsustainable
Editor's Note A study from the American Hospital Association (AHA) finds that the regulatory burden faced by healthcare providers is substantial and unsustainable, the October 25 AHA News Now reports. Hospitals, health systems, and post-acute care providers spend nearly $39 billion annually on administrative activities to comply with federal…
Effect of hospital-wide measure of readmissions for HRRP
Editor's Note Changing to a hospital-wide measure of readmissions for the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) would result in only 76 more hospitals being eligible to receive penalties, but it would substantially increase the penalties for safety-net hospitals, this study finds. For the analysis, researchers used Medicare claims from 2011…
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