CAMDEN, N.J., April 10, 2013 -- In a highly innovative move, unprecedented in New Jersey, a health insurer and a hospital system -- AmeriHealth New Jersey and Cooper University Health Care -- announce today that Cooper will acquire a 20 percent interest in AmeriHealth New Jersey. This venture intends to transform health care in the state by increasing quality and lowering costs through a more highly coordinated care model.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has new funding available to support Navigators in federally facilitated and state partnership marketplaces. Navigators are individuals and entities that will provide unbiased information to consumers about health insurance, the new Health Insurance Marketplace, qualified health plans and public programs, including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Following some congressional pressure, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is releasing a proposed rule (CMS-1454-P) to extend the Dec. 31, 2013 deadline of the safe harbor provision, which allows the donation of EHRs and other services to qualified entities, to Dec. 31, 2016. 

Billing and legal concerns can get in the way of clinical uses of documentation, according to a hearing held on the subject on February 14. The HIT Policy Committee discussed the hearing and its next moves during its April 3 meeting.

Despite the increase in EHR adoption and other gains driven by Meaningful Use (MU), implementation and meeting of reporting requirements is a costly, burdensome prospect. To address such concerns, during its April 3 meeting, the HIT Policy Committee’s MU work group discussed plans to consolidate quality measures and establish a deeming program that would reward good performance through reduced reporting requirements.

Fredericksburg, VA, April 05, 2013 -- Mary Washington Healthcare, along with other national, state and community organizations, is leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making—an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of Tuesday, April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD).

Park City, Utah, April 05, 2013 -- Today, Zane Benefits, Inc. published new information on the Nevada Health Insurance Exchange. Zane Benefits, which provides comprehensive and flexible alternatives to traditional employer sponsored health benefits, is the leader in defined contribution and health reimbursement arrangements.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 4, 2013 -- According to the White House, the U.S. spends $2.2 trillion each year in health care, and Americans spend more on health care than on food or housing.  An upward trend in health care cost is projected over the period of 2015-2021 at an average rate of 6.2 percent annually, reflecting the net result of the aging of the population, several provisions of the Affordable Care Act, and generally improving economic conditions reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.