Editor's Note Nearly 209,000 physicians and other healthcare providers will receive 2% cuts in their Medicare payments in 2016 for failing to meet meaningful use standards in 2014. The penalties total an estimated $600 million. Andy Slavitt, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said on January…

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Editor's Note The Meaningful Use program will be ending some time in 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services acting administrator, Andy Slavitt, announced January 11. New value-based payment regulations demand a more streamlined regulatory approach, noted Slavitt, speaking at the J P Morgan Healthcare conference in San Francisco.…

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Editor's Note A bill designed to make it easier for healthcare providers to receive hardship exemption from financial penalties for failing to meet Stage 2 meaningful use (MU) electronic health record (EHR) requirements was signed into law on December 28, 2015, the January 4, 2016, iHealthBeat reports. The bill ensures…

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Editor's Note A Bill in Congress would enable ambulatory surgery center (ASC) physicians to receive the same payment incentives for meaningful use (MU) of electronic health records (EHRs) as physicians in other settings, according to the December 15 Healthcare IT News. Currently, physicians practicing in ASCs are excluded. The Electronic…

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Editor's Note A coalition of 111 medical societies on November 4 sent letters asking Senate and House leaders to take legislative action to pause Stage 3 of the electronic health records meaningful use program and revise Stage 2 so that it enables provider success, HealthData Management reports. Stage 3 requirements…

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Electronic health records (EHRs) are here to stay, but implementation and optimal use are still lacking. Respondents to the 25th annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey identified many issues, including the amount of time it takes to document in an EHR, lack of integration with other systems, physicians not fully using…

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Editor's Note The US News & World Report has released its 2015-2016 Most Connected Hospitals list. Included are 159 hospitals in 37 states that have made significant strides in implementing technologies to enhance the digital exchange of information. Ohio has the most hospitals on the list at 23, followed by…

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Editor's Note An Office of Inspector General (OIG) alert reminds healthcare professionals and hospitals that information blocking in health information technology (IT) is a problem, and steps to prevent interoperability of an electronic health record (EHR) platform or services with other IT systems is not subject to safe harbor protections…

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Editor's Note Including a health information exchange query into emergency department patient care could significantly reduce the number of tests ordered and reduce costs, finds this study. Efficient health information exchange was associated with a 52% reduction in lab tests and a 36% reduction in radiology exams per patient ordered…

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Analytics is a buzzword in today’s healthcare world, but behind the buzz is a very real tool. If used appropriately, analytics can help OR managers achieve improvements in stubborn problems such as turnover time. But OR leaders must first understand analytics principles before applying them in their management practice. Analytics…

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