Not Ready for ICD-10

Considering all of the coverage ICD-10 has received, it is unlikely you were caught by surprise, but perhaps you were caught unprepared. Health care providers around the nation let out a collective sigh of relief after successfully testing and implementing ICD-10, a project almost twenty years in the making. But the truth is that even for the most prepared the change will be a challenge. Mistakes, delays and rejected claims are sure to occur. For those that did not prepare, even after almost a year of delays, the task at hand may seem daunting. The truth is that if you get started right away, you can quickly make up for any lost time. Read more...

Meaningful Use Final Rule

After spending some time listening to physicians and other health care providers, not to mention some harsh criticism from Congress, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released the Meaningful Use Final Rule last month. That review time was spent gathering more than 2,500 comments about the challenges physicians face in trying to incorporate Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology into their practices and making that technology work for their patients as intended. Now, after the final rule was issued, CMS will continue to collect public comments about the EHR Incentive Program which provides cash incentives to practices that incorporate certified EHR technology under specific guidelines. Read more...