With the EHR safe harbor provision set to expire at the end of 2013, one lawmaker is urging the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (OIG) to take action to renew the arrangement that allows the donation of EHR technology and electronic prescribing under certain instances.

CMS and the California Department of Health Care Services announced on March 27 that they have entered into a Duals Demonstration Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to integrate care for dual eligible Medicare and Medi-Cal beneficiaries as part of California’s Coordinate Care Initiative. Under the agreement, contractor plans are required to provide for Medicare and Medicaid-covered services under a capitated model of financing.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) is seeking public input as it sets out to update its Federal Health IT Strategic Plan. ONC announced that from March 25 to May 9, it is open to receiving comments on its new web platform, Planning Room, which it launched in collaboration with Cornell University.  

The 2013 Healthcare Information and Management Information Society (HIMSS) annual convention was a busy, informative and insightful time in New Orleans. During the Physicians’ IT Symposium, co-hosted by AMDIS, I was particularly struck by the realization that we are at the point where the vision of the pioneers in this field has begun to be realized.

With new Omnibus federal privacy and security rules effective March 26 with an upcoming compliance date of Sept. 23, two privacy experts urged covered entities to build an action plan and design an implementation timeline to ensure they are prepared. 

The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) and the Minnesota Health Action Group (The Action Group) are among 21 state medical societies, specialty societies and regional health collaboratives that have received grants from the ABIM Foundation to help physicians engage patients in conversations aimed at reducing unnecessary medical tests and procedures.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released an update of its approved test methods for clinical quality measures under the 2014 Edition of the Meaningful Use program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently launched its new eHealth initiative, designed to align the various quality and reporting projects facing providers, including ICD-10, Meaningful Use, physician quality reporting and e-prescribing.