Health IT Use More Than Doubles Since 2012
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that more than half of all doctors and other eligible providers have received Medicare or Medicaid incentive payments for adopting or meaningfully using electronic health records (EHRs).nnHHS has met and exceeded its goal for 50 percent of doctor offices and 80 percent of eligible hospitals to have EHRs by the end of 2013.nnSince the Obama administration started encouraging providers to adopt electronic health records, usage has increased dramatically. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) survey in 2012, the percent of physicians using an advanced EHR system was just 17 percent in 2008. Today, more than 50 percent of eligible professionals (mostly physicians) have demonstrated meaningful use and received an incentive payment. For hospitals, just nine percent had adopted EHRs in 2008, but today, more than 80 percent have demonstrated meaningful use of EHRs.nn“We have reached a tipping point in adoption of electronic health records,” said Secretary Sebelius. “More than half of eligible professionals and 80 percent of eligible hospitals have adopted these systems, which are critical to modernizing our health care system. Health IT helps providers better coordinate care, which can improve patients’ health and save money at the same time.”nnThe Obama administration has encouraged the adoption of health IT starting with the passage of the Recovery Act in 2009 because it is an integral element of health care quality and efficiency improvements. Doctors, hospitals, and other eligible providers that adopt and meaningfully use certified electronic health records receive incentive payments through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. Part of the Recovery Act, these programs began in 2011 and are administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC).nnAdoption of EHRs is also critical to the broader health care improvement efforts that have started as a result of the Affordable Care Act. These efforts – improving care coordination, reducing duplicative tests and procedures, and rewarding hospitals for keeping patients healthier – all made possible by widespread use of EHRs. Health IT systems give doctors, hospitals, and other providers the ability to better coordinate care and reduce errors and readmissions that can cost more money and leave patients less healthy. In turn, efforts to improve care coordination and efficiency create further incentive for providers to adopt health IT.nnAs of the end of April 2013:n
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- More than 291,000 eligible professionals and over 3,800 eligible hospitals have received incentive payments from the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
- Approximately 80 percent of all eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals in the U.S. have received an incentive payment for adopting, implementing, upgrading, or meaningfully using an EHR.
- More than half of physicians and other eligible professionals in the U.S. have received an incentive payment for adopting, implementing, upgrading, or meaningfully using an EHR.
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nFor more information about the Administration’s efforts to promote implementation, adoption and meaningful use of EHRs and health IT systems, please visit: www.cms.gov and www.healthit.gov.nnSource: www.businesswire.com; May 22, 2013.
Earlier this week, our very own 
Eyebrows burned off by flare up of barbecue grill: X03.0XXA – Exposure to flames in controlled fire, not in building or structure, initial encounternnBellyflop into swimming pool: W16.512A – Jumping or diving into swimming pool striking water surface causing other injury, initial encounternnFood poisoning from potato salad left too long in the sun: T62.8X1A – Toxic effect of other specified noxious substances eaten as food, accidental, initial encounternn nnIn preparation for the upcoming deadline for ICD-10 implementation, Welter Healthcare Partners presents weekly ICD-10 Codes of the Week! Our goal is to familiarize you with the new and expanded code set and the additional clinical documentation needed from your providers to comply with ICD-10 coding, and more importantly, for accurate and clean claims submission to keep your revenue stream flowing! We are to help YOU prepare for the October 1, 2014 implementation date. Please don’t hesitate to 
Bringing down health care costs is a top priority. That’s why the Affordable Care Act contained an historic set of reforms designed to reward higher quality and lower the cost of care. And we know that the best way to do that is the same way leading health care organizations do it: by making care better and more efficient.nnWe also know there are great ideas out there that can help push this work forward and that the kinds of innovative practices that make our health care system work better for everybody can come from any corner of the country. That’s why today we’re launching a $1 billion initiative through a second round of Health Care Innovation Awards.nnThese Innovation Awards will be given to organizations whose creative solutions to our most pressing health care challenges have the potential to serve as models for improving care and lowering costs across the country.nnIn November of 2011, we launched our first round of Health Care Innovation Awards by issuing a challenge to America’s health care providers, businesses, universities, and community groups. We asked them to submit their proposals for how to get the most out of our health care dollars by delivering better care. That challenge resulted in more than 3,000 applications, from which a team of independent experts and HHS officials selected 107 promising innovations with the strongest likelihood of creating larger-scale, sustainable results.nnAnd as we kick off round two of the Innovation Awards today, we’re already seeing encouraging results from a number of our round one recipients. The University of Miami, for example, is transforming school-based health clinics into medical homes to serve vulnerable children. These medical homes are connected to community health care providers and these children are already receiving tele-health consults for dermatology, psychiatry, and nutrition along with dental care.nnAnother recipient, Christiana Care Health Services, has used advanced data analytics to improve preventive care for patients with heart disease. Their comprehensive electronic registry allows providers to more quickly and accurately assess patients’ symptoms and needs based on similar occurrences in the past. This smarter preventive care doesn’t just prevent tragedies before they happen—it also saves money on hospital visits.nnAs with last year’s awards, we’re seeking out innovative practices that have a high likelihood of delivering better care and lower costs on a national scale. The last few years have seen us make tremendous strides towards keeping health care spending in check, and a lot of that is thanks to innovations that have helped improve the quality and efficiency of care delivery and payment systems.nnAcross the country, private and public sector innovators are developing even more great ideas to improve our health care system. And today’s announcement will allow us to take some of the most promising innovations and put them into action for the benefit of all Americans. That’s good news for patients, for providers, for our economy, and for the future of American health care.nn
Allergic Rhinitis due to Pollen — J30.1nnPoison Ivy: Allergic Dermatitis due to plants — L23.7nnBee Sting, accidental, initial encounter — T63.441AnnPoisoning, Larkspur, accidental, initial encounter — T62.2X1AnnAccident caused by contact with garden tool, initial encounter — W27.1xxAnn nnIn preparation for the upcoming deadline for ICD-10 implementation, Welter Healthcare Partners presents weekly ICD-10 Codes of the Week! Our goal is to familiarize you with the new and expanded code set and the additional clinical documentation needed from your providers to comply with ICD-10 coding, and more importantly, for accurate and clean claims submission to keep your revenue stream flowing! We are to help YOU prepare for the October 1, 2014 implementation date. Please don’t hesitate to 
nnA recent incomplete CMS listing is raising concerns, as the state of Colorado is missing from the listing annltogether, and this leaves no way for providers to check to see if they are due for revalidation. Welter Healthcare Partners works with over 150 providers and has had providers whose PTANs have been deactivated due to non-response to the revalidation request. Representatives at Novitas have stated that they are receiving many phone calls on this concern, and that they have escalated it from the inside. They have further stated that this issue is being addressed at each staff meeting, there has not been a definitive resolution presented. If you have any questions, or need any assistance with this process,