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Medicare
PCMH and Healthcare Reform: Avoiding Drowning in an Ocean of Opportunity
This article appears in the April 2010 issue of Medical Home News.
First, the good news: There are a lot of pilot and demonstration projects potentially involving the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) in newly enacted Federal health care reform legislation – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Then, the bad news: There are a lot of pilot and demonstration projects potentially involving the PCMH in the PPACA.
…so many that the PCMH risks being drowned in an ocean of opportunity.
I’d […]
Is HITECH Working? #2: Key physicians will sit on the sidelines (at least for now).
(click on any of the above graphics to be linked to the orginal source)
by Vince Kuraitis JD, MBA and David C. Kibbe MD, MBA
In the previous post in this series on “Is HITECH Working?”, we straightforwardly noted that hospitals are playing in the HITECH game. The issue of whether physicians will play is MUCH thornier.
As the headlines above succinctly convey — we conclude that for now there is too much fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) to expect significantly increased EHR technology adoption by […]
Is HITECH Working? #1: Hospitals are grumbling but are playing in the game; success is not guaranteed.
by Vince Kuraitis JD, MBA and David C. Kibbe MD, MBAÂ
The rationale for hospitals having to play in the HITECH game is straightforward: the financial carrots through 2015 are helpful, and the financial sticks after 2015 will be very painful.
We’ll discuss:
Financial Impacts on Hospitals
Survey Data Showing Hospitals Will Play
Why Success is Not Guaranteed
Financial Impacts on Hospitals
Even prior to HITECH, most hospital executives already had passed the threshold decision and concluded that they need to implement EHR technology. Thus, the issue for most […]
Pilots, Demonstrations & Innovation in the PPACA Healthcare Reform Legislation
Here’s a bit of trivia that will make you the hit of the next cocktail party you attend. How many times are the words “demonstration” and “pilot” mentioned in the newly passed Federal healthcare reform legislation — the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)?
Answer:
“demonstration” — 312 mentions
“pilot” — 80 mentions
This weekend I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the question “Just what are these demos and pilots in the PPACA all about?” I have been boggled by the sheer number […]
A Compendium of Resources on the Federal HIT Meaningful Use NPRM and Standards IFR
* = highly recommended
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Descriptive Summaries and Documents
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 *Dissecting the Meaningful Use Proposed Rule PowerPoint
eHealth Initiative Policy Webinar; January 8, 2010
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*What You Need to Know About the Meaningful Use Proposed Rule, Standards and Implementation Specification, and Interim Final Rule Certification Criteria PowerPoint
Is Gawande Right? Are Pilot Programs the Key to Delivery System Cost Reductions?
Atul Gawande’s most recent New Yorker article “Testing, Testing” addresses the critics who lament that there is no master plan to curb delivery system costs in pending health reform legislation.
Gawande retorts: “Is that a bad thing?”
…and he answers his own question by describing the value of pilot programs contained in both the Senate and House versions of health reform legislation.
Is Gawande correct? Yes and no….
Medicare Extends PHR Pilot — Big Mistake!
Medicare announced today that it is extending its Personal Health Record (PHR) pilot project for residents of Utah and Arizona.
This is a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. Those of you who read my blog know that I’m a big fan of PHRs, but you have to know when you’re backing the wrong approach.
What’s wrong with this pilot project? A lot:
The Real Secret Sauce of Medicare’s Participation in Regional Collaboratives — Network Effects
Last week I asked whether Medicare’s Biggest Change in 40 Years is on the horizon. That post described and discussed implications of Medicare’s new direction for the medical home — the shelving of Medicare Medical Home Demonstration (MMHD) and the refocusing on the recently announced Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Initiative (MAPCI).
In that post I touched briefly on the potential for MAPCI to create effective networks at multiple levels — contracting networks, health IT networks, social and collaborative care networks. I’d like to expand […]
Three Years Of Medical Home Demonstration Preparation Down the Drain?
Do you remember the scene in the movie Animal House where Bluto Blutarski laments “…seven years of college education down the drain?”
Why aren’t primary care physicians expressing similar laments about  the shelving of the MMHD (Medicare Medical Home Demonstration) in favor of the MAPCI (Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Initiative).
My colleague Jaan Sidorov, MD and I pick up on no signs of discontent. Read our essay “Three Years of Medical Home Demonstration Preparation Down the Drain?” on Dr. Sidorov’s blog.
Medicare’s Biggest Change in 40 Years on the Horizon?
Earlier this week CMS issued a typically cryptic Announcement indicating that they were shelving the Medicare Medical Home Demonstration (MMHD) and instead would focus on the recently announced Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Initiative (MAPCI). My blog post from Tuesday provides details and asks the question “What does all this mean?”
Today’s blog post will tackle:
Medicare’s biggest change in 40 years?
The rise of MAPCI
The fall of MMHD
Implications/discussion
Medicare’s Biggest Change in 40 Years?