Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) News

Read the latest news and headlines from the world of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) below.

Receive more information about Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) or Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems from McKesson by contacting us, or ensure stimulus readiness by contacting your McKesson Client Executive.

Review McKesson Comments on Stage 2 Proposed Rules

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) posted the Meaningful Use Stage 2 Proposed Rule and the Standards and Certification Criteria for EHRs (S&CC) on March 7, 2012 and invited public comment by May 7, 2012. The proposed rules establish the requirements for the next stage of meaningful use for the EHR Incentive Programs. McKesson gathered a team of experts from across the company to interpret and review the proposed rules, and submitted comments to CMS and the ONC. You can review:

You may also want to review comments submitted by HIMSS, AHA and CHIME.

New Rule: Providers and Suppliers Required to Submit NPI with Enrollment and Claims

April 27, 2012: The final rule on provider enrollment for Medicare and Medicaid has been issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS). The rule requires providers and suppliers to include their National Provider Identifier (NPI) when they enroll for the programs and when they submit claims for payment. The rule will become effective 60 days after the rule’s April 27, 2012 publication date in the Federal Register. The NPI is required for use in HIPAA-applicable transactions for verification and to curb Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse. Claims submitted without an NPI will be rejected.

Status of Proposed ICD-10 Delay

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a one-year delay for the final compliance date for ICD-10. The proposed deadline is October 1, 2014. The final rule is anticipated sometime this summer. This proposed delay is consistent with much of the industry guidance provided since the announcement of the consideration of a delay.

McKesson urges customers to remain committed to its transition plans and to use the extra time for testing. We will continue to work with our customers on their roadmaps and plans to upgrade to ICD-10 enabled releases. In addition, we offer a robust set of services to assist our customers in all aspects of their preparation and transition. For additional information, please contact your sales representative.

The proposed ICD-10 delay was included in the Proposed Rule that would establish a unique health plan identifier under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The HHS estimates that the proposed changes could cut red tape, simplify administrative processes and save health care providers and health plans up to $4.6 billion over the next ten years.

More information on the proposed rule is available on fact sheets at http://www.cms.gov/apps/media/fact_sheets.asp. The proposed rule may be viewed at www.ofr.gov/inspection.aspx. Comments are due 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.

CMS Delays X12 Version 5010 Enforcement until June 30, 2012

March 15, 2012: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) announced that it would not initiate enforcement action until June 30, 2012 with respect to any HIPAA-covered entity that is non-compliant with ASC X12 Version 5010 standards. This is the second 90-day delay in enforcement. CMS says that health plans, clearinghouses, providers and software vendors have been making steady process; however, there are still outstanding issues and challenges impeding full implementation. It is urging the industry to collaborate to resolve remaining problems. CMS also said it will provide technical assistance to help eliminate barriers and hold calls with providers to resolve outstanding issues with Medicare. It will work with individual states on their program readiness.

McKesson Customer Talks ACOs

March 28, 2012: McKesson customer Chuck McDevitt, chief information officer of Self Regional Healthcare, recently spoke with the editor of healthsystemcio.com. In his podcast, McDevitt explained the great potential he sees in implementing lean methodologies to drive down costs and boost patient satisfaction. He talks about how his organization uses evidence-based medicine to streamline processes, the challenges of straddling the ACO and fee-for-service worlds, and the cultural change taking place within Self Regional to improve employees’ health. He also discusses integrating the acute and ambulatory environments, his device management strategy, and how he applies lessons learned from working in other industries.

CMS Is Reviewing ICD-10 Timeline - Time to Stay Focused and Work Your Plan

February 16, 2012: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen G. Sebelius announced that HHS will initiate a process to postpone the date by which certain healthcare entities have to comply with the ICD-10 code sets. While there likely will be a delay in the ICD-10 compliance date, we cannot predict the outcome of that process. Providers may want to relax their efforts, but it is important for them to continue to prepare for the transition. Any extra time providers are afforded can be spent performing incremental testing, training and parallel ICD-9/ICD-10 processing to minimize disruptions in workflow and reimbursement. Confidence in ICD-10 readiness will enable better focus on meaningful use. McKesson Provider Technologies (MPT) will continue to monitor the CMS timeline review and provide comments.

McKesson Customers Share ARRA Stage 1 Keys to Success with Peers

January 13, 2012: Senior leader support, physician alignment and daily monitoring of analytics scorecards - all are key success factors cited by hospitals who recently attested to meet the Stage 1 Medicare criteria outlined under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Among those first-year strivers are hospitals that use the Horizon Clinicals®and Paragon® electronic health record (EHR) and Quality eMeasures reporting solutions from McKesson. McKesson's customers have been busy advising peers on everything from governance to physician alignment to workflow changes.

Critical Access Hospital Partners with McKesson to Speed Path to Meaningful Use

Aug. 15, 2011: Lakewood Health System, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Staples, Minn., recently selected McKesson’s top-rated Paragon ® hospital information system (HIS) to replace its longstanding information technology system. Lakewood sought an HIS that would be easy and cost-effective to install and maintain while enabling the hospital to accelerate its efforts to achieve meaningful use.

iKnowMedTM Electronic Health Record (EHR) System Now Certified by Surescripts® for E-prescribing

July 1, 2011: iKnowMed Electronic Health Record (EHR) System, a product of McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology, has received Surescripts® certification for ePrescribing, Formulary, Benefits and Medication History. Physicians using iKnowMed to manage chemotherapy and other medications will be able to exchange prescriptions electronically with pharmacies connected to the Surescripts network and have real time access to the patient's eligibility and formulary information.

Large Radiology Groups in the Northeast Turn to McKesson for Revenue Management

April 19, 2011: Radiology & Imaging in Springfield, Mass., the largest radiology practice in Western Massachusetts, and Seacoast Radiology in Rochester, N.H., have joined other radiology practices in the Northeast using McKesson's Revenue Management Solutions (RMS) to optimize financial performance. With the industry’s most robust radiology billing and compliance solutions and extensive business intelligence capabilities, McKesson’s technology and services are designed to help the groups grow revenue, control costs and mitigate regulatory risks.

University of Kansas Hospital Chooses McKesson Automation Technology for Prepackaged Oral Solid Medications

April 7, 2011: The University of Kansas Hospital Authority (KUHA), today announced it will implement the new PROmanager-Rx ™ automated medication dispensing system designed to increase accuracy, reduce labor, and trim medication carrying costs. The PROmanager-Rx is the only pharmacy robot that stores and dispenses oral solid medications pre-packaged by the manufacturer in unit-dose, bar-coded form, increasing patient safety while reducing costs. KUHA, one of the Midwest’s most advanced teaching hospitals, was looking to offset significant increases in drug dispensing volume while strengthening its patient-centric medication approach.

New Jersey's Largest Healthcare System Turns to McKesson to Streamline Medical Imaging Operations

April 4, 2011: Saint Barnabas Health Care System (SBHCS), New Jersey’s largest healthcare delivery system, has selected McKesson to replace its multiple legacy medical imaging solutions. SBHCS plans to implement Horizon Medical Imaging™, McKesson’s industry-leading picture archiving communications system ( PACS ), to integrate patient data and images from multiple modalities across its complex, multi-facility health system. That integration is expected to help streamline clinical workflow, increase collaboration and enhance productivity for providers, who treat more than two million patients annually.

McKesson's Horizon Lab Receives ONC-ATCB Certification Via Drummond Group

March 31, 2011: McKesson’s Horizon Lab™ laboratory information system (LIS) has received EHR modular* certification — deeming the software capable of enabling providers to meet the Stage 1 meaningful use measures required to qualify for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Tested on March 15, 2011, and certified on March 17, 2011, under Drummond Group's Electronic Health Records Office of the National Coordinator Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) program, the EHR modular software is 2011/2012 compliant in accordance with the criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

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