Public reporting initiatives have multiplied and expanded at the local, state and national levels to include virtually all acute care facilities, as well as many ambulatory clinics.

New guidance provides accountable care organizations (ACOs) with the ability to collect and report their quality performance data in standardized ways: The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCAQ) has published Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) 2013 Technical Specifications for Accountable Care Organizations.

The Joint Commission has recognized 620 hospitals as top performers in quality and patient safety, up 53 percent from 405 hospitals designated as top performers last year. The designation is based on hospitals' performance during 2011 across 45 accountability measures in areas such as pneumonia care, heart failure care and inpatient psychiatric services.

Athenahealth will acquire Healthcare Data Services, which develops data analysis and population management tools to providers and payers, in a transaction expected to close in October.

Several patient-centered medical home pilot programs using payment incentives to encourage care coordination, preventive care and shared decision-making are making progress toward their cost and quality objectives.

Texas health regulators have slapped Parkland Health & Hospital System with a $1 million fine, the payment of which will let the Dallas institution off the hook for serious compliance failures that took place before May 31 of this year.

The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) issued an updated ICD-10 implementation timeline to account for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recent decision to extend the ICD-10 compliance deadline from Oct. 1, 2013 to Oct. 1, 2014.

One of the most contentious issues associated with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has been the creation of health insurance exchanges (HIEs), which must be composed entirely of private health insurers. While many states have resisted participation, others, like California, have begun building an exchange.