Featured Report: 2013 Healthcare Regulatory Outlook

Healthcare Info Security
Dec,28,2012
by: Marianne Kolbasuk McGee
A long-overdue omnibus package that includes HIPAA modifications tops the list of regulations dealing with health data privacy and security issues that are pending for 2013. Also pending is an accounting of disclosures rule that, in early draft form, called for providing patients, upon request, with reports listing everyone who accessed their electronic health information. Plus, rules for Stage 3 of the HITECH Act electronic health record incentive program, which begins in 2016, are in development.
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This Week's Healthcare News
New York Times
Doctors Warned on ‘Divided Loyalty’
Dec,26,2012
by: Robert Pear
WASHINGTON — With hospitals buying up medical practices around the country and seeking to make the most of their investment, the American Medical Association reached out to doctors this week to remind them that patient welfare must always come first and not be overridden by the economic interests of hospitals that now employ doctors in ever-growing numbers. “In any situation where the economic or other interests of the employer are in conflict with patient welfare, patient welfare must take priority,” says a policy statement adopted by the association.
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Med City News
Top 5 New Year’s resolutions that hospitals should make to thrive in 2013
Dec,28,2012
by: Arundhati Parmar
With the Affordable Care Act now the law of the land, a value-based healthcare regime where hospitals are rewarded for keeping patients well, for being efficient and cost conscious is the path we are on. Instead of growing nostalgic for an easier time – never a recipe for success — hospitals need to review their operations, both clinical and business. Here are the five New Year resolutions that any hospital or health system eager to secure their future in 2013 and beyond should adopt.
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Modern Healthcare.com
Patient satisfaction surveys highly valuable, if done right: researchers
Dec,26, 2012
by: Andis Robeznieks
Despite complaints that patient-satisfaction surveys may be influenced by factors not associated with the care delivered, the authors of a New England Journal of Medicine opinion piece argue that appropriately designed and timely administered surveys "provide robust measures of quality" and that efforts to accurately measure patient experiences "should be redoubled."
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Small Business Healthcare Consortium
Hello Small Business Owners,
I am writing to you because our changing health care system will have a profound effect on all of us. Now that the election is over and the Supreme Court has ruled, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is not going away. It will not be repealed and it is up to us to make sure it will work for small businesses and individuals as it was intended to do. That’s why I joined the Campaign for Better Health Care’s newly created Small Business Health Care Consortium (SBHCC).

This consortium views the needs of small businesses and their employees as a top priority. And, as a member of the Steering Committee of the SBHCC, I am personally inviting you and asking you to invite your network of small businesses to participate in a one hour, educational free webinar about the Affordable Care Act on January 15th at 11:00am CST or January 16th at 3:30pm CST. Discussions around health reform have been confusing and, sometimes, even misleading. It is the goal of this free webinar to provide factual information about the changes that are already happening and those coming in the near future. It will discuss the benefits and opportunities of the ACA and what Illinois small businesses need to do to make sure this law will benefit them.

Follow this link to register for:
January 15th: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=ecg0qj9s21aq

January 16th: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=m2wt2unotbju

Many key components of the ACA are national in nature. For instance, small businesses currently providing health insurance to their employees could be eligible for a 35% tax credit. And, while employers with fewer than 50 full time employees are not required to provide health insurance, their employees can take advantage of the ACA’s benefits. Other components will be implemented at the State level and these decisions will either enhance small businesses or provide another hurdle. One important component is that all states must implement a health insurance exchange (marketplace). These exchanges will include a rate review process with defined, easy to understand plans to consider and review side-by-side. As small business owners we share many of the same, serious business challenges. It is my hope that you and your small business peers do want to learn more about the ACA. Let’s take this opportunity to act collectively to get control of health insurance costs and improve access to coverage.

The opportunity to create positive change is now. It is about fairness and choices for small businesses. Please register:
January 15th, 11am CST:
https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=ecg0qj9s21aq
January 16th, 3:30pm CST:
https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=m2wt2unotbju

And, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or ideas. Reach me at 312-286-8416 email wireheadtec@gmail.com or Wirehead Technology Healthcare IT Serives at www.wireheadtec.com/Home.html Find a listing of our SBHCC Steering Committee members at: www.cbhconline.org/smallbusiness .

Sincerely,
Howard Lee CIO
Wirehead Technology

If you need answers to your Healthcare IT needs now visit our Healthcare Managed Services page at Wirehead Technology