HIMSS News
5/16/2008 - The Pennsylvania chapters of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) recognized State Senator Rob Wonderling (R-Montgomery) on Monday, May 12, for his dedication to improving the health of Pennsylvanians by promoting the use of information technology in the care delivery process. The award was presented as part of the inaugural "Pennsylvania Healthcare Information Technology Awareness Day" at the State Capitol, which was sponsored by HIMSS along with other 35 other co-sponsors from throughout the healthcare industry.
5/9/2008 - Much has been written about the potential catastrophic impact on physician and hospital cash flow when the industry moves to NPI-only claims submission on May 23, 2008.
5/8/2008 - Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and senior level healthcare professionals from around the Commonwealth will gather in Harrisburg on May 12 to promote the broader adoption of healthcare information technology to lower costs, reduce medical errors and improve the quality of care provision.
5/8/2008 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today proposed enhanced protections for beneficiaries who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) health plans and Medicare prescription drug plans. CMS' actions today will strengthen marketing standards and extend additional protections to all beneficiaries including those receiving the low-income subsidy (LIS) and beneficiaries enrolled in special needs plans.
5/8/2008 - Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano has issued an Executive Order to significantly increase patient safety through the use of e-prescribing in Arizona. It is estimated that patients in the United States suffer 1.5 million preventable adverse drug “events” every year because of mistakes with their medications. Costs associated with those errors are estimated to exceed $4 billion annually. The executive order is available online.
5/8/2008 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new pilot test project that expands its efforts to encourage beneficiaries covered by original Medicare to take advantage of Internet-based resources to track their healthcare services and better communicate with their providers.
5/8/2008 - After analyzing the bipartisan Healthy Americans Act (S. 334), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (Joint Tax) today released a report that found the Act would be roughly budget neutral in 2014 and found that implementation of the Act would actually create surpluses after that year. The findings were released by CBO Director, Peter Orszag, in a closed-door briefing with a bipartisan group of cosponsors.
4/30/2008 - The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)announced it will endorse and support a statewide health information exchange system currently being developed by the California Regional Health Information Organization (CalRHIO), a not-for-profit organization committed to providing health care providers and patients access to vital health information. CalPERS directed its current health plans – Anthem Blue Cross (formerly Blue Cross of California), Blue Shield of California and Kaiser Permanente – to negotiate contract terms with CalRHIO. CalPERS will work with CalRHIO to ensure that privacy policies are strictly followed and that member health information is securely transferred.
