Featured Report: States, feds slow to educate public about exchanges

This Week's Healthcare News
Healthcare Info Security
National Provider Directory: Why Needed?
Apr,12,2013
by:+ Marianne Kolbasuk McGee
The New York eHealth Collaborative is developing a national provider directory to ensure that electronic queries for patient data go to the right place and privacy is protected, says the group's leader, David Whitlinger.

NYeC, which oversees New York's statewide health information exchange, recently received $200,000 from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to develop the provider directory. The award is part of ONC's ongoing effort to develop voluntary guidelines and best practices for national, secure health information exchange (see: HIE Security Best Practices Get a Boost.)
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iHealthbeat
What Do Health Care Providers Say Are The Most Important Skills To Achieve Their IT Priorities?
Apr,10,2013
by:+Staff
Thirty-seven percent of surveyed health care providers say that clinical informatics skills are the most important to help their organization achieve its IT priorities, according to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute.

When asked about the skills that are most needed to help their organization achieve its IT priorities, 28% of surveyed health care providers cited systems and data integration skills, 10% cited technology and architecture support skills and 9% cited data statistics and analytics skills. Fifteen percent of surveyed health care providers provided a different answer or said they did not know which skills are most needed to help their organization achieve its IT priorities.

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Med City News
New ONC fee proposal would raise fees for electronic health record vendors
Apr,11, 2013
by:+ Christina Farr,
WASHINGTON - The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT just released its budget plan for 2014, which would increase its $61 million budget to $78 million, a 28 percent jump. But it’s a little-reported line item that’s causing a stir among entrepreneurs — a proposal to boost fees for electronic health record vendors.

The ONC is the division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads many initiatives laid out in the Affordable Care Act.

The funding boost in the Obama administration’s proposed budget is a response to the expanding marketplace for health IT. The ONC reports that a new “revenue source” is needed to help it handle the “increasing workload.”

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Featured Report: States, feds slow to educate public about exchanges
Fierce Health Payer
Apr,10, 2013
by:+Dina Overland
With only six months left before health insurance exchanges begin open enrollment, state and federal officials face an uphill battle in reaching and educating consumers about these new online marketplaces.

If enough young and healthy consumers don't enroll in a health plan sold through the exchanges, costs will increase for insurers and premiums will rise for consumers, according to a Kaiser Health News/Washington Post article.

However, most consumers are unaware of exchanges' benefits, including whether they're eligible for government subsidies. A survey recently released by InsuranceQuotes.com concluded that 90 percent of consumers don't know when open enrollment in exchanges begins, and only 10 percent said they're "very knowledgeable" about the reform law

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Hello Businesses Owner,

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 to join our network of small businesses who know that only through our collective voices that will assure that the Affordable Care Act live up to its goal of making healthcare affordable for all.

Discussions around health reform have been confusing and, sometimes, even misleading. It is the goal of the SBHCC to provide factual information about the changes that are already happening and those coming in the near future. The SBHCC discusses the benefits and opportunities of the ACA and what Illinois small businesses need to do to make sure this law will benefit them.

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. To that end I like for you to hear my own personal story about how the new healthcare law will effect me.

Please go to this link at Healthcare.gov to see my story Watch My Story

Then Join the SBHCC do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or thoughts. I may be reached at wireheadtec@gmail.com or Wirehead Technology

Sincerely,
Howard Lee
CIO
Wirehead Technology
Tel-312-286-8416