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Editor's e-Note
These days, analytics are everywhere. Whether it’s a batter’s luck with balls in play or detecting high-crime areas by examining taxi cab patterns, the science of parsing data into meaningful information is all the rage. And health care is no different.

The industry is looking to turn its reams of data into better—and less expensive—patient care. This month’s E-News Exclusive explores ideas on how organizations can turn their facts and figures into a foundation for making the switch to a value-based care environment.

Lee DeOrio, editor
e-News Exclusive
Analytics Are Key to Transition
to Value-Based Care

By Jay Sultan

Both the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and commercial payers are rapidly advancing new payment methods that cannot easily be administered. Under most value-based care (VBC) agreements, health care organizations are paid on a combination of service utilization (volume) and the quality and efficiency of the care provided (value). Measuring the value components requires new data sources and new calculation methodologies. This impacts every part of the revenue cycle. Additionally, the lack of standard approaches and measures in VBC agreements creates significant challenges for revenue cycle management (RCM).

Payers and providers alike are developing new analytical capabilities and new workflows to improve their management, measurement, and delivery of value. During the last few years, much of the analytics development has been focused on care delivery transformation in the form of population health management, new models of care and disease management, and the adoption of value considerations into EMR workflows. But the industry is already at a point where the adoption of VBC agreements has far surpassed the ability for either payer or provider to administer the revenue cycle for them to scale. The same type of tools being added to the transformation of care delivery need to be incorporated into RCM.

Full Story »
AHDI News
AHDI Announces 2016 Integrity Award Winners at Annual Conference

In support of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity’s (AHDI) professional programs, standards, and best practices, the association conducts an annual awards program to acknowledge the significant contributions of its members and other individuals and organizations that have made an impact on the health care documentation sector over the previous year. The association is proud to promote and honor those who have supported the professional practice standards and goals that AHDI has developed for advancing the profession and positioning this sector for continued relevance in the future of health care delivery.

Congratulations to all of these dedicated members. Award winners were announced during AHDI’s Healthcare Documentation Integrity Conference in Milwaukee.

Full Story »
 
In this e-Newsletter
Recently in For The Record
Information Governance:
A Bright Future in the Cloud

Up in the cloud, complicated IG processes can be streamlined, but caveats apply. Read more »

Speech Recognition Meets the Web
Minimizing the time between a patient encounter and documentation can add richer detail. Read more »

Devil of a Time
Reporting outpatient time-based CPT codes may seem straightforward, but that's hardly the case. Read more »

@Risk-Filled Routine
Commonplace though it may be, sending an e-mail containing patient information can't be taken lightly. Read more »
Other News
Mayo Clinic Seeks Ways
to Avoid Physician Burnout

Since computerized physician order entry is associated with a higher risk of burnout, Mayo Clinic wants to incorporate EHRs, patient portals, and electronic order entry in a way that does not increase clerical burden for physicians or reduce their efficiency, according to the Post-Bulletin.

Ransomware Accounts for Nearly
One-Third of July’s Health Data Breaches

Ransomware attacks launched by cybercriminals including a hacker known as TheDarkOverLord represented nearly 30% of the 39 data breaches in July, reports Healthcare IT News.
A Secure, Anonymous Résumé Bank
Job Alerts Sent to Your E-mail
Tech & Tools
Smartphone App Diagnoses Fractures Without X-rays
ScanDx is developing FractureDx, an app that diagnoses bone fractures without the use of X-rays. The smartphone-based prototype demonstrated 100% accuracy when compared to plain film X-rays of documented foot and ankle fractures. The system offers mobility, low cost, and safety. Learn more »

Coding and Reimbursement
for EMscribe CAC Software Introduced

EMscribe Encoder, Artificial Medical Intelligence’s (AMI) new coding and reimbursement software, can be purchased independently or as part of a full integration with the EMscribe Computer Assisted Coding solution. EMscribe Encoder offers immediate access and analysis to diagnosis-related group (DRG) and ambulatory payment classifications (APC) reimbursement data, fully integrates with AMI’s proprietary natural language processing technology and allows users to reference and search for all the codes and terms that support the final steps before billing. Once the codes are generated for Medicare Severity-DRG, All Patients Refined-DRG, and APC, coders can use the grouper function to include reference materials used by coders and revenue specialists such as AHA coding clinic, CPT assistant, and Medicare edits. In addition to searching printed ICD-10, CPT, and tabular indexes, EMscribe’s code finder seamlessly searches against AMI’s historically accumulated dictionaries of medical terms, sourced from the actual patient care documentation. The EMscribe Encoder provides a direct medical record view and workflow administrative functionality within the application. Learn more »

AHIMA Introduces Patient Engagement Toolkit
A new AHIMA Patient Portal Toolkit for HIM professionals highlights trends and provides guidance on the issues, latest regulatory requirements, opportunities, and challenges of a patient portal. Major technology trends for patient portal solutions highlighted in the toolkit include the capability to use portals to provide remote health care services for nonacute care conditions, the ability to personalize the patient portal experience for increased patient engagement, patients’ ability to access their health information on mobile devices, and the inclusion of patient-generated health data from wearable technology devices. The toolkit also includes definitions of the different types of patient portals, recommended practices for selection and implementation, guidance on workforce and consumer education and training, a sample registration/enrollment form, and a sample portal user agreement. Learn more »
Featured Jobs
The nation's top employers and recruiters of HIM talent advertise in For The Record magazine and post their job openings on AlliedHealthCareers.com. Check out the most recent opportunities that have been submitted by employers across the country!

HIM Coding Specialist/DRG Validator—The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ
Inpatient Coder—The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ
Clinical Documentation Specialist—The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ
Coding Compliance Specialist—Vail Valley Medical Center, Vail, CO
HIM Coding Specialist I-IV—Vail Valley Medical Center, Vail, CO
HIM Director/Privacy Officer—Vail Valley Medical Center, Vail, CO
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Industry Insight
McKesson and Change Healthcare
to Form New HIT Company


McKesson Corporation, a global health care services and IT company, and Change Healthcare Holdings, a provider of software and analytics, network solutions, and technology-enabled services, recently announced the creation of a new HIT company. The entity will combine substantially all of Change Healthcare’s business and the majority of McKesson Technology Solutions (MTS) into a new company with fiscal year end March 31, 2016, pro forma combined total annual revenues of $3.4 billion.

The new organization brings together the complementary strengths of MTS and Change Healthcare to deliver a broad portfolio of solutions that will help lower health care costs, improve patient access and outcomes, and make it simpler for payers, providers, and consumers to manage the transition to value-based care. As a separate entity singularly focused on health care technology and technology-enabled services, the new organization will be positioned to better respond to customer needs and deliver next-generation innovations.

Read more »
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