The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a 3.79 percent reduction to the home health prospective payment system (PPS) rates for calendar year 2012 and an additional 1.32 percent reduction for CY 2013, according to its final rule to update the home health PPS for CY 2012.

The sustainability of health information exchanges (HIEs) may come down to marketing and a reasonable business model, according to Scott Momrow, vice president of the Healthcare Information Xchange New York (HIXNY), a nonprofit organization designated as a regional health information organization (RHIO) by the New York State Department of Health.

Although the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) regional counsel offices are required to notify Office of Medical-Legal Affairs (OMLA) about all paid tort claims to initiate OMLA's review of VA practitioners involved in the claims, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that this notification does not always occur because VA lacks an internal control to help ensure that regional counsel offices comply with this requirement.

Consumers are interested in communicating with their doctors via wireless devices, according to a study from Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

SAN ANTONIOThe health information exchange (HIE) market is wide and growing, said Jason Hess, research executive vice president for KLAS. He spoke on the topic during CHIME11, the Fall CIO Forum last week.

Seventy-five percent of hospitals plan to purchase new health information exchange (HIE) tools, according to a new report from healthcare technology research and advisory firm CapSite. The largest group of respondents plan to purchase this technology in 12 to 24 months.

More than 100 health IT companies and research organizations have registered to test more than 180 health IT systems for interoperability and compliance at the annual IHE North American Connectathon.

The final accountable care organization (ACO) rule issued last week by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is big news for providers and organizations alike. As stakeholders wade through the regulation, Peter W. Carmel, MD, American Medical Association (AMA) president, discussed his reaction on the ruling in an exclusive interview.