IOD Incorporated

New MU Data from CMS

IOD Incorporated — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:19:47 +0000

According to CMS, out of an estimated 527,000, 255,772 eligible health care professionals have received a combined total of about $5.2 billion in meaningful use incentive payments. Also worth noting:

160,890 received EHR incentive payments through Medicare;
83,765 received EHR incentive payments through Medicaid; and
11,117 received EHR inventive payments through the Medicare Advantage program.

From Maintenance to Management: The Evolution of HIM Part 3

IOD Incorporated — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:32:03 +0000

Editing and auditing health information has long fallen within the purview of HIM. As larger and larger amounts of data are captured electronically, however, ensuring the integrity of that data will become an even bigger part of the HIM role. While EHRs make data collection faster and easier, providing solid quality control requires an understanding of where the data comes from, where it is going and how best to protect it.

Consider, for example, the fact that many of the Meaningful Use criteria encourage patient access to health data. These new rights and responsibilities must be carefully weighed against stringent Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations that govern privacy and security. The ability to walk this “records-release tightrope” increasingly will require the skill of HIM staff versed in regulatory compliance, in addition to clinical workflows and IT capabilities.

It will be up to HIM experts to bring this same knowledge to the development of inward-facing data control policies and procedures as well – such as those regulating the appropriate use of “copy-and-paste” features within the EHR.

From Maintenance to Management: The Evolution of HIM Part 2

IOD Incorporated — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:33:24 +0000

Ensuring Effective Data Capture
The days of physicians hand-writing notes and sending them off to a transcriptionist for inclusion in the medical record are rapidly dwindling. Today, direct documentation into an electronic health record (EHR) at the point of care is considered the gold standard. Yet even with provider-entered EHR documentation, hospitals and health systems still must ensure that the right information is being documented accurately.

The familiar adage “not documented, not done” has taken on a new twist since the arrival of EHRs and the associated upsurge in payer audits. Documentation must not only be available, it must also accurately reflect the salient aspects of each patient encounter. Recognizing when documentation is at risk requires both a broad knowledge of clinical processes and an understanding of payer and regulatory requirements.

HIM professionals are among the few with the background necessary to assess documentation against all of the clinical needs, quality initiatives, payer uses and regulatory requirements for which it might be necessary. For example, while information technology (IT) staff can see whether specific EHR data fields are complete, they typically cannot tell whether the information in those fields is relevant for coding or quality measurement purposes. By contrast, HIM staff can use their understanding of the data being entered to drive beneficial clinical documentation improvement (CDI) efforts.

Furthermore, coding functions appear to be moving along much the same path as transcription. In the sense that voice technology and speech recognition software have made it possible for transcriptionists to become “editors” rather than “typists,” computer-assisted coding (CAC) and other tools are enabling HIM professionals to step into new roles as code “validators.”

All of these changes in the way data is captured are heavily dependent on technology. It is important, therefore, for HIM to work together with IT to ensure technology supports the appropriate and useful collection of data – whether via participation in vendor selection or by offering assistance with EHR template creation. All this adds to the significance of HIM professionals’ viewpoint on data capture.

From Maintenance to Management: The Evolution of HIM Part 1

IOD Incorporated — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:22:53 +0000

By George Abatjoglou & Shiny B. George, MS, RHIA, CPHIMS, CCS, CCS-P, CPC

Remember the title “medical record librarian?” It accurately reflects the early days of health information management (HIM), when the primary responsibility was to maintain and track clinical records. As technology and healthcare have advanced, however, the role of the basement-bound librarian has evolved into that of full-fledged data manager and information gatekeeper.

This profound transformation continues to elevate the importance of HIM professionals. From Meaningful Use to accountable care, there has never been more pressure to collect and use healthcare data to lower costs and improve care quality. In an environment now dedicated to breaking down traditional data silos, HIM already offers a uniquely cross-functional perspective.

Unlike the quality manager who reviews data only with an eye toward quality indicators, or the director of finance whose focus is limited to the revenue cycle, HIM professionals understand the role of data from all angles. HIM knowledge bridges conventional boundaries to include process improvement, quality assurance and reporting, medical records, regulatory compliance and revenue cycle management.

For this reason, HIM specialists are in the best position to ensure that information not only meets institutional needs, but also conforms to all federal and state regulatory guidelines. The critical responsibility for auditing and validating data now rests squarely on HIM shoulders. Three key data functions – capture, control and analysis – are now evolving to fulfill a variety of new interdisciplinary requirements. As a result, the HIM perspective is becoming increasingly valuable to the future delivery of healthcare.

Meaningful Use Brief Illustrates Increased Capabilities

IOD Incorporated — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:08:27 +0000

A recent ONC data brief revealed that the percentage of U.S. acute care hospitals that met the meaningful use objective for:

Clinical decision support increased from 66% in 2008 to 87% in 2012;
Drug interaction checks increased from 59% in 2008 to 85% in 2012;
Clinical summaries increased from 60% in 2008 to 81% in 2012;
Advanced directives increased from 45% in 2008 to 80% in 2012;
Maintaining problem lists increased from 44% in 2008 to 78% in 2012; and
Using computerized provider order entry for medication increased from 27% in 2008 to 72% in 2012.

ONC said the “findings indicate that acute care hospitals have made considerable progress since the passage of the HITECH Act toward the goal of improving health and health care through the use of advanced information technologies” (Health Data Management, 3/6).

RAC Article

IOD Incorporated — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:24:20 +0000

Short Stays, Complicated Decisions – very interesting RAC article in For the Record….read more

CIOs Share Factors Critical to Success

IOD Incorporated — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:11:42 +0000

In a recent white paper, CIOs of 12 major healthcare systems described the following factors as critical to the success of their IT department as well as the entire organization:

adequate financial resources;
technology supplier sustainability;
organization oversight and support;
qualified IT professionals; and
scalability.

Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2013/2/20/health-care-cios-share-short-and-long-term-concerns-report-finds.aspx#ixzz2LTFeTiEX

Top 3 Concerns for Healthcare CIOs? Survey Says MU, EHRs & Compliance

IOD Incorporated — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:33:44 +0000

According to a recent report, CIOs list electronic health record implementation, meaningful use and compliance as their top three health IT priorities for 2013. The survey asked 100 CIOs and other healthcare executives about their priorities for 2013 and found that:

36% of survey respondents cited EHR implementation;
31% cited meeting meaningful use criteria; and
19% cited meeting compliance deadlines (Level 3 report, 2/4).

Meaningful Use Requirements Challenging for Providers

IOD Incorporated — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:19:27 +0000

In December 2012, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) distributed a record $1.2 billion in meaningful use (MU) payments. However, a recent poll* suggests that healthcare administrators still face significant obstacles to qualify for incentive payments. When asked about MU challenges:

29% cited training and management changes;
19% cited a lack of monitoring processes to help ensure sustained demonstration of MU;
19% cited capturing the relevant data electronically as part of clinical workflow;
12% cited the lack of a dedicated MU team; and
6% cited the limited availability of vendors that have appropriate certified technology.

*Read more at: www.ihealthbeat.org

Differences from I-9 to I-10: Part 3

Kim Felix — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:52:56 +0000

Afib/Aflutter- There are only two codes to identify atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, 427.31 and 427.32 respectively. However, ICD-10 allows for expansion of these arrhythmias including paroxysmal, persistent and chronic for atrial fibrillation and Typical (Type I) and Atypical (Type II) to describe atrial flutter. Right now, atrial flutter is a CC in ICD-9, keep an eye out for some possible reimbursement changes depending on the type of atrial flutter code assigned.