Provider Education Video Presentations Now Available on the CMS YouTube Channel


Google plus Government: Free Educational Material. Check it out. SV

CMS

Team USA: Olympics EHRs for Athletes

Bravo. The US Olympics Committee is also on board with EHRs! SV

The United States Olympic Committee announced today that, for the http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giffirst time, it will use electronic medical records (EMR) for managing athlete care. The USOC will use GE’s Centricity* Practice Solution, an integrated EMR and practice management product, to manage the care of more than 700 athletes competing in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as for 3,000 additional records maintained by USOC staff. The technology will replace pallets of paper records historically shipped by the USOC to the Games and will provide doctors with faster access to athletes’ medical records– ultimately supporting the doctor’s ability to provide more targeted care.

http://www.teamusa.org/For-the-Media/News.aspx

AACP PCMH Diabetes Presentation at St. John's University (Queens) May 30 2012

This is a great program that highlights the benefits of cooperative activity between
pharmacists, physicians and other primary care providers.
Be sure to attend and share your impressions here. SV


AACP

Register here


Agenda

Research has identified that the gap that exists in providing the type of health services that can improve health outcomes is often ineffective systems of care and that 80 percent of medical errors are deemed to be system driven. To assist clinicians and health administrators identify and resolve systems-based barriers to optimal medication use, this educational program will introduce participants to a proven framework for managing performance improvement developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

Meeting Agenda

8:30 a.m. Welcome, Framing, Medication Use in the Medical Home - Todd Sorensen / Buzz Kerr

9:15 a.m. The Breakthrough Model for Improvement - Mark Loafman

9:30 a.m. Case Study – Local Organization in Action - Local Presenter

9:45 a.m. Engaging Physicians - Mark Loafman

10:00 a.m. Participant Roundtable Discussions

10:15 a.m. Break

10:35 a.m. Leadership and the Performance Improvement Team - Todd Sorensen

11:00 a.m. Defining the Population of Focus – The Case for Diabetes - Zandra Glenn

11:25 a.m. Understanding the PDSA Cycle - Mark Loafman

11:50 a.m. Participant Roundtable Discussions

12:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 p.m. Creating and Sharing a Vision for Improved Medication Use - Todd Sorensen

1:30 p.m. The Role of Measurement in Performance Improvement - Zandra Glenn / Local Team

2:00 p.m. Participant Roundtables

2:15 p.m. The Role of QIOs in the PSPC and Beyond - QIO Presenter

2:30 p.m. Break

2:45 p.m. Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Breakout #1: Committing to Action and Developing a Performance Improvement Story - Mark Loafman/Zandra Glenn
Breakout #2: Performance Improvement and Interprofessional Education - Buzz Kerr

3:45 p.m. Wrap-up and Concluding Remarks - Todd Sorensen / Buzz Kerr

4:00 p.m. Adjourn

GAO Report on CMS EHR Incentive Programs


Four major recommendations to verify providers have met program requirements.

Tell us what you think of the report and recommendations. SV

GAO

MADE IN NY DIGITAL MAP

For my fellow New Yorkers and fans of the Empire State, here is great view what's going on here. SV


The Made in NY Digital Map is a visual testament to the vibrant state of New York's digital industry - showing a powerful constellation of over 500 homegrown startups, investors and coworking spaces across the five boroughs. Browse by neighborhood, review job postings, or add your own startup to the digital landscape - the Made in NY Map is a living resource that reflects New York City's dynamic innovation ecosystem.

Led by Mayor Bloomberg's commitment to realize New York City's digital potential, the Made in NY Digital Map was created by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment in partnership with Internet Week NY and the New York Tech Meetup. Distribution of the map was also made possible thanks to the Association for a Better New York.

Made In NY

CMS Has Posted Information on Recipients of Medicare EHR Incentive Program Payments

In compliance with the HITECH Act's requirement, CMS has posted the names, business phone numbers, and business addresses of Medicare eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) that have successfully demonstrated meaningful use and received a payment as of March 2012. Medicare EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAH's were able to verify and edit their business phone numbers and addresses during the registration process. CMS has not posted information on group practices, as incentive payments are not provided at the group practice level.

Beginning this month, CMS is posting two file formats of Medicare EHR Incentive Program payment recipients. One format is a searchable PDF, and the other is a tabular downloadable CSV file that can be opened in many common spreadsheet programs. This CSV file can also be used to sort information about recipients, for example, by medical specialty or the state in which they practice. Use the links below to access the PDF and CSV files.

CSV Files

EP Recipients of Medicare EHR Incentive Program Payments

Hospital Recipients of Medicare EHR Incentive Program Payments

PDF Files

EP Recipients of Medicare EHR Incentive Program Payments

Hospital Recipients of Medicare EHR Incentive Program Payments

New York Digital Health Accelerator Information & Networking Event

May 10, 2012 | 5:15 pm – 8:00 pm EST
The TimesCenter, New York, NY
The program will begin at 5:15 pm SHARP

Register Today!

There will be streaming this event LIVE – Click here to watch on May 10!

Western New York HIT Symposium Thriving In Constant Change

Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Time: 8:30am to 4:00pm
Location: Roberts Wesleyan College, Cultural Life Center
2301 Westside Drive
Rochester, NY 14624

Program includes:

Surviving the ICD-10 Conversion
Meaningful Use Stage 2
Networking Opportunities
Vendors
Continental Breakfast & Lunch Buffet included

• Keynote “Meaningful Use Stage 2” – Ken Ong (CMIO, New York Hospital Queens)

Registration Information

HIMSS Members & Affiliates: $75
Student Members: $35
General Public: $100

Click Here to Register

Join us at the New York State HIMSS Advocacy Day May 14, 2012

Sign-up to participate in our 2012 New York HIMSS Advocacy event

Monday May 14, 2012 from 1 – 5pm
Legislative Office Building
198 State Street
Albany, NY 12210

Sign up here

HIMSS NYS MINI-HIMSS was a success!

Thanks to to all the attendees, volunteers, speakers and vendors for making the event such a success.

Stay tuned at HIMSS NYS for future events. SV

NY Digital Health Accelerator Launched – Applications Being Accepted!

The New York eHealth Collaborative along with the New York City Investment Fund and the NYS Department of Health, has launched the New York Digital Health Accelerator (NYDHA) to fund 12 early- and growth-stage companies that are developing cutting-edge technology products in care coordination, patient engagement, analytics, and message alerts for healthcare providers.

The program’s participating providers are actively looking for new technology products that will help them effectively implement the new Health Home model, which is part of New York’s Medicaid redesign initiative. Approximately 975,000 patients with multiple chronic illnesses are being transitioned from fee-for-service to this new managed care model.

Program Features

• 12 tech companies accepted into the 9 month program will receive direct mentorship and feedback from senior-level executives at a broad network of provider organizations in New York State.

• The program will provide up to $300,000 of funding per company from a syndicate of leading venture capital and strategic investors.

• Selected companies will have priority access to the technology platform that is connecting electronic health records across New York State, the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY).

• A leadership program which provides an opportunity to interact with a network of healthcare leaders, successful entrepreneurs and investors.

Who Should Apply

• We are interested in early- and growth-stage companies where access to clinical and technical feedback from provider organizations could have a meaningful impact on the company’s development prospects.

• At a minimum, the company should have a beta version of its technology.

Apply at www.DigitalHealthAccelerator.org The deadline to apply is June 1, 2012

EHR users not attesting to Meaningful Use because of EHRs?


A Health Affairs Article found a surprising percentage of practices that were ready to attest but did not due to limitations of their EHRs. SV

Please share your experiences with us.


Health Affairs

CMS EHR Incentive Program Payments as of March 2012: $4,484,340,767!!!

For those of you who have not yet moved to an EHR, I strongly encourage you to contact your RECs (Regional Extension Centers), AMA, State Medical Societies, Specialty Organizations and get the advice you need to proceed. SV


CMS

Annual NYS HIMSS Conference - Meaningful Use: Next Steps, Friday, April 27, 2012

Agenda

7:45am – 9:00am: Registration/Continental Breakfast & Vendor Networking
9:00am – 9:15am: New York HIMSS President’s Message Speaker: Joe Wagner, MPA, FHIMSS, Principal, TELUS Healthcare
9:15am – 9:30am: HIMSS Board Welcome - Speaker: Ken Ong, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA , CMIO of New York Hospital Queens
9:30am – 10:30am: Key Note - Learnings from the NYS EHR implementations to date - Impacts on Quality of Care Speaker: Amanda Parsons, MD, Assistant Commissioner of the Primary Care Information Project, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
10:30am – 10:45am: Morning Break
10:45am – 11:45am: Key Note - NYS Priorities for Health IT Transformation; Speaker: Rachael Block, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Health Information Technology Transformation NYS Department of Health
11:45am – 1:30pm: Lunch, Vendor Fair & Networking
1:30pm – 2:30pm: Key Note: SHIN-NY – 2.0; Speaker: David Whitlinger, Executive Director, New York eHealth Collaborative
2:30pm – 2:45pm: Afternoon Break
2:45pm – 3:45pm: Breakout Session 1: Meaningful Use Next Steps: Stage 2 - Speaker: Ken Ong, CMIO of New York Hospital Queens
2:45pm – 3:45pm: Breakout Session 2: Physician HIT Best Practices for Driving Success in 2012 and beyond, Speaker: Judi Painter, Regional Sales Manager e-MD’s
3:45pm – 4:45pm: Breakout Session 3: ACO’s
Speaker: Alan Gilbert, MPA, FHIMSS, Partner, Value Catalyst
Breakout Session 4: Meaningful Use - a Case Study; Speaker: Carol Boberg, BI & Analytics Manager, Encore Health Resources
3:45pm – 4:45pm: Breakout Session 4: Meaningful Use - a Case Study, Speaker: Carol Boberg, BI & Analytics Manager Encore Health Resources
4:45pm – 6:15pm: Networking Session
If you are not a HIMSS member - we recommend joining now! Join before registering
for this conference - and save $75!


Early Registration

HIMSS Member Registration (Early Registration) -- $ 125
Non-Member Registration (Early Registration) -- $ 200 Student Price -- $30
Late Registration (After April 17, 2012):
HIMSS Member Registration (Late Registration)-- $ 150
Non-Member Registration (Late Registration) -- $ 225

www.himssnys.org

CMS Announces Extension of Eligibility Appeals Deadline to April 30

CMS is extending the deadline for eligible professionals (EPs) to submit eligibility appeals under the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs' 2011 payment year. The new deadline is April 30, 2012, giving EPs an extra month to file their appeals.

An eligibility appeal allows a provider to show that all the requirements for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program were met and that he or she should have received a payment but could not because of circumstances outside of the provider's control.

CMS affords providers with a two-level appeal process: an informal review and a request for reconsideration. Within the two-level appeal process, there are three types of appeals that can be filed in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program: (1) eligibility, (2) meaningful use, and (3) incentive payment appeals.

Detailed guidance on the appeals process and additional information on all of the appeal types are available on the OCSQ website.

Note: For general questions and for information on how to file an appeal, providers may contact Provider Resources, Inc., CMS' designated appeal support contractor, via phone between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday or via email.

1. Toll-free number: 855-796-1515
2. Email: OCSQAppeals@provider-resources.com

2012 Report from CMS re Electronic Health Records

These are incredible figures! I think it shows how an economic stimulus program can help well-intentioned physicians move in the right direction. The positive ripple effect to the well being of the community of patients will continue to be felt and has been documented by many groups including the NYC DOH PCIP. sv

CMS has released February 2012 data that highlights program-to-date (since January 2011) participation and payment totals under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. The February report documents continued growth in registrations and payments, including:
More than 211,500 eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) have registered for the Medicare and/or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs since January 2011


More than 20,000 registered for the Medicare and/or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs in the month of February


More than 62,000 EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs have been paid for successfully participating in the Medicare and/or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs
More than $3.8 billion has been paid in Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program payments to EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs across the country

More than $738 million was paid in the month of February

Visit the Data and Reports page on the EHR website to review more of more data on continued acceleration in registration and payment data.

Happy Doctor's Day

The first Doctors Day observance was March 30, 1933 in Winder, Georgia. Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, decided to set aside a day to honor physicians. This first observance included the mailing greeting cards and placing flowers on graves of deceased doctors. The red carnation is commonly used as the symbolic flower for National Doctors Day.

On March 30, 1958, a Resolution Commemorating Doctors Day was adopted by the United States House of Representatives. In 1990, legislation was introduced in the House and Senate to establish a national Doctors Day. Following overwhelming approval by the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, on October 30, 1990, President George Bush signed S.J. RES. #366 (which became Public Law 101-473) designating March 30, 1991 as "National Doctors Day."

Doctors Day marks the date that Crawford W. Long, M.D., of Jefferson, GA, administered the first ether anesthetic for surgery on March 30, 1842. On that day, Dr. Long administered ether anesthesia to a patient and then operated to remove a tumor from the man’s neck. Later, the patient would swear that he felt nothing during the surgery and wasn’t aware the surgery was over until he awoke

2012 HIMSS New York State Conference

Meaningful Use: Next Steps

Friday, April 27, 2012

Lighthouse International

111 East 59th Street

Midtown Manhattan
(Between Lexington & Park Avenues)

Spend a day with the leading New York experts as they discuss how to continue your approach towards meaningful use.

The conference is to be followed by a Cocktail Reception.

Early Registration (prior to April 17th) is:

$125 for HIMSS membership
$200 for non-HIMSS members
$30 for students

Late Registration (after April 17th) is an additional $25.

If you are not a HIMSS member - we recommend joining now!

Join before registering for this conference - and save $75!


Click here for HIMSS membership information.

Event registration link

HIMSS Virtual Career Fair

Save the Date for the HIMSS Virtual Career Fair...and find your ideal health IT job!
By matching skilled candidates with employers, HIMSS is helping ensure organizations find people—just like you—to advance patient care. By simply going online, job seekers can post a profiles and resumes, browse available positions and even chat, text or email prospective employers.

Recruiters and employers will be searching nationwide to fill positions from the executive level to mid-career and entry level in many sectors across the health IT industry.

Take the next step in your career! By attending the Virtual Career Fair you will:

•Browse and apply for healthcare IT jobs on the Job Board that can be sorted by employer, job title, location and salary.
•Create your online profile and post multiple resumes.
•Connect with employer representatives via text, video chat and e-mail to answer your questions about the company and its open positions. Employers have instant access to your resume so you can engage in immediate dialogue.
•Attend accredited professional development education sessions via dynamic, live webinars
•Network with fellow job seekers and prospective employers in the Lounge.
•Collect professional development materials from HIMSS Career Services in the Resource Center.


Save the date and polish up your resume for May 16th—when the HIMSS Virtual Career Fair come right to you!

Register for CMS’ National Provider Call on the EHR Incentive Programs

CMS is holding a National Provider Call on Thursday, March 29, from 3:00 – 4:30 pm ET for eligible professionals (EPs) to discuss program basics for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. The call will help EPs learn if they are eligible for the programs.

As of February 29, 2012, more than $3.8 billion in Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive payments have been made; and more than 211,000 EPs, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals are actively registered. Remember, this is the last year that EPs can participate in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program and still receive the maximum incentive payment.

The call will focus on EP participation in the EHR Incentive Programs. More information on eligibility requirements can be found on the Eligibility page of the CMS EHR website.

The call will cover general program topics, including:

Are you eligible?
How much are the incentives and how are they calculated?
How do you get started?
What are major milestones regarding participation and payment?
How do you report on meaningful use?
Where can you find helpful resources?
A question and answer session

Registration Information:
In order to receive call-in information, you must register for the call. Registration will close at 12pm on the day of the call or when available space has been filled; no exceptions will be made, so please register early.

The presentation for this call will be posted at least one day beforehand. In addition, the presentation will be emailed to all registrants on the day of the call.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?
Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.