Headlines about "Technology"
Gathered from the web by the editors at BenefitsLink.com.
DOL Set to Begin Transition to Form 5500 E-Filing on July 1
Excerpt: "As the transition to EFAST2 -- the second-generation e-filing system for Form 5500 -- gets underway, benefit plan sponsors and other filers could see an immediate impact: As of July 1, the Department of Labor (DOL) will eliminate an informal correction process that has allowed filers 30 to 60 days to correct deficiencies in their reports before substantive review begins. Starting with reporting for the 2009 plan year, DOL generally will accept only electronically filed Form 5500 annual reports for retirement, health and welfare plans." (Mercer LLC)
The Convergence of Quality and Efficiency and the Role of Information Technology in Healthcare Reform (PDF)
16 pages. Excerpt: "[R]educing waste in healthcare is a unique example of how doing the right thing (improving outcomes) can also save money. How much waste is present that could eventually be removed? Milliman's actuaries have concluded that the amount of waste in the healthcare system is in excess of 25% of total healthcare spending, or more than $600 billion in 2008. In pursuing the elimination of waste, can the dual objectives of quality care and cost effectiveness be achieved simultaneously? Milliman's clinicians believe that best medical practices lead to this result -- that quality and cost effectiveness converge. However, realizing even a significant portion of this potential will not be quick, simple, or easy, nor will it be unilateral and one-dimensional. A cohesive framework must be established and implemented -- one that is sound clinically, financially, and operationally and is based on demonstrated approaches." (Milliman)
[Guidance Overview] Expanded HIPAA Requirements and HHS Guidance on Securing Protected Health Information
Excerpt: "On April 17, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released guidance on technologies and methodologies for securing PHI, which takes effect immediately. Employers will have to review and possibly update agreements with business associates, revise privacy practices and systems, update notices about privacy practices and make other changes. The effective dates generally vary by provision -- the stricter penalties are already in effect, while other changes and requirements take effect next year or later." (Watson Wyatt Worldwide)
[Guidance Overview] The Stimulus Push for Electronic Health Records and Strengthened Privacy and Security
Excerpt: "A significant chunk of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), approximately $20 billion, is aimed at motivating health care providers to implement electronic health record (EHR) systems. The incentives will be paid in the form of increased Medicare and/or Medicaid payments. Medicare incentive payments will begin in 2011 and will be paid over four years for eligible hospitals and over five years for eligible health care professionals who can show 'meaningful use' of a 'certified EHR' system. The incentive program for hospitals is based on the 'Medicare share' of a base payment amount of $2 Million, adjusted based on the hospital's discharge data. The Medicare share takes into account the proportion of inpatient bed days that are paid by Medicare as well as an adjustment for charity care." (Poyner Spruill LLP)
[Opinion] Information Technology: Not a Cure for the High Cost of Health Care
Excerpt: "President Obama made information technology a linchpin in his plan to reform health care when he included $19 billion in computerized medical record funding in the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The goal: Use technology to reduce costs and improve the quality of care. The reality: Technology could increase health care costs without markedly improving quality, according to experts at Wharton." (Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania)
[Guidance Overview] DOL's Webcast Tomorrow Featuring the Form 5500 Electronic Filing Requirements
Excerpt: "Tomorrow there will be a DOL webcast on the new Form 5500 electronic filing requirements which will go into effect for the 2009 plan year (for filings in 2010). I would highly recommend that practitioners and fiduciaries listen in for the following reasons: (1) These webcasts are free to the public and generally contain great information that might not otherwise be available. (2) At yesterday's Mid-Atlantic Pension Liaison Meeting that I attended in Washington, D.C., Michael Auerbach, Chief of the Division of Accounting Services for EBSA, gave a great overview of these new rules. Practitioners seemed surprised at the impact these rules will have on a number of aspects of the current 5500 process. A couple of the surprises are as follows . . . ." (ERISA Fiduciary Guidebook)
Key Health IT Definition Expected Soon
Excerpt: "The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's number-two man, Charles Friedman, told industry members that an official definition of the term 'meaningful use' of health information technology is 'in the works' and they should expect its release 'in the not too distant future.' " (Kaiser Health News)
How Safe Are Your Medical Records?
Excerpt: "Stealing medical data has become more attractive to hackers and identity thieves as banks and individuals have become more sophisticated about protecting credit-building information." (Forbes.com)
Health Plan Claims Procedures Cost Physician Practices Billions; Per-Doctor Average Is Near $70,000
Excerpt: "Physicians know that the phone calls, faxes and e-mails sent between their practices and health plans take time. Researchers have determined how much time it takes and what it costs." (American Medical Association)
[Opinion] American Benefits Council Comment Letter to FTC Regarding Protected HITECH Health Information Guidance (PDF)
5 pages. Excerpt: "The American Benefits Council . . . appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Federal Trade Commission's . . . Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Request for Public Comment . . . , which provide rules for personal health record (PHR) related entities with respect to the security breach notification requirements under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health . . . ." (American Benefits Council)
[Guidance Overview] HHS Guidance on Securing Protected Health Information and Avoiding Breach Notification
Excerpt: "The first guidance implementing the breach notification rules was published by HHS in April 2009.1 The guidance sets forth a safe harbor rule that plan sponsors can follow to secure PHI and therefore avoid the breach notification requirements. In the guidance, HHS clarifies when information is secure (and therefore not subject to the breach notification rules) or unsecure." (The Segal Group, Inc.)
[Official Guidance] DOL Explanation to Employees: Appealing a Denial of COBRA Premium Subsidy, Including Online Filing Procedure
Excerpt: "If you believe you are eligible for COBRA continuation coverage and for this premium reduction through a private sector health plan sponsored by an employer generally with at least 20 employees, but your request for these benefits or the reduced premium has been denied, you may apply to the U.S. Department of Labor to review the denial. If your continuation coverage is provided through a Federal, State or local government plan, or if it is provided pursuant to State insurance law, you should direct your request for review to the [United States] Department of Health and Human Services." (Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor)
New Maryland Law Requires Insurers To Provide Incentives for EHR Adoption
Excerpt: "Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on Tuesday signed a bill making the state the first to require private insurance companies to offer physicians financial incentives for adopting electronic health records, the Baltimore Sun reports. Starting in 2011, insurers will have to provide physicians who adopt EHRs with increased reimbursements, a single sum payment or in-kind services that have monetary value. According to the Sun, physicians who do not adopt EHR systems by 2015 could face penalties. The bill also requires Maryland to establish a health information exchange that eventually will link all the state's physicians, hospitals, medical laboratories and pharmacies." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
[Opinion] American Benefits Council Letter on HHS Guidance and Request for Information: HITECH Breach Notification (PDF)
5 pages. Excerpt: "[The Council comments on the Guidance] specifying the technologies and methodologies that render protected health information (PHI) unusable, unreadable or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals and thus 'secure' PHI, not subject to the breach notification requirements imposed by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. . . . The HITECH Act added new privacy and security obligations for covered entities subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA). The comments . . . specifically address the Guidance on technologies and methodologies that render PHI 'secure', as well as the breach notification requirementsmore generally." (American Benefits Council)
[Guidance Overview] Disclosure Accounting in Electronic Health Records Could Be Big Problem for HIPAA Covered Entities
Excerpt: "The new accounting of disclosures requirements for EHRs under the HITECH Act dictates that providers log all disclosures made through EHRs -- including those made for treatment, payment and health care purposes -- and report them to patients when requested. Formerly, HIPAA required that providers log when protected health information (PHI) is disclosed for purposes other than treatment, payment or health care operations. The new requirements are a ticking time bomb for covered entities mainly because so much has yet to be defined, says Frank Ruelas, privacy and compliance trainer for CEs. 'So many people are reading the [provisions], which are saying 'You must do X, Y and Z -- and by the way, we'll let you know what X, Y and Z are later,'' he contends." (AISHealth.com)
[Opinion] Obama and Rising Health Care and Entitlement Costs: Spend Now and Save Later
Excerpt: "If he is going to sustain his agenda, if he is going to prevent national insolvency, he has to control health care costs. Health care costs are now the crucial issue of his whole presidency." (The New York Times; free registration required)
Electronic Medical Record Systems Offer Three Kinds of Potential Benefits: Efficiency Savings, Drug Safety, and Improved Patient Health
Excerpt: "The charts [on the target page] compare only the efficiency savings to the total costs of adoption and implementation of electronic medical record systems by 90 percent of U.S. physician offices and hospitals -- a gradual process that would stretch over the next 15 years." (RAND Corporation)
The Promise of Health Information Technology for Cost, Quality, and Privacy
Excerpt: "Our focus is on the costs and benefits of HIT for the United States at a national adoption level of 90 percent, which might take 15 years to attain. Over those 15 years, we project total HIT costs of $115 billion, potential efficiency savings of $628 billion, and thus potential net savings of $513 billion or more. This translates to average annual costs of $8 billion, average annual efficiency savings of $42 billion, and average annual net savings of $34 billion or more. All these estimates are in 2004 dollars." (RAND Corporation)
[Guidance Overview] HITECH Act HIPAA Guidance
Excerpt: "The FTC and HHS have issued the first set of HIPAA privacy/security guidance under the new HITECH Act requirements. The new guidance relates to the security breach notification requirement, which will go into effect in September 2009 (the exact date will depend on the date final regulations are issued). [The target page links to a four-page overview of HHS Guidance, a Breach Notification Chart, and a HITECH Act Timeline.]" (Groom Law Group)
Public Sees Value in Electronic Medical Records But Is Skeptical of Cost Savings Potential
Excerpt: "The great majority of adult residents of the United States agree that it is important that the U.S. health care system adopt, and that medical providers use, electronic medical records (EMRs). However, they fear the security of those records, and doubt that they will yield any cost savings. In addition, Americans do not trust government or insurers to identify the best medical treatments. These are among the findings of a recent study of American consumers conducted for National Public Radio, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health." (Wolters Kluwer)
[Guidance Overview] HHS Guidance on Safe Harbor from Data Breach Notification Requirements
Excerpt: "The Guidance describes what is essentially a 'safe harbor' from within which covered entities and business associates need not comply with ARRA's data breach notification requirements. At its center, the Guidance establishes an encryption and destruction standard for health information, and explains that covered entities and business associates will not be subject to ARRA's data breach notification requirements for breaches of data that is encrypted or destroyed in accordance with this standard. Although the Guidance raises more questions than answers, it does offer a process-oriented approach. Entities and business associates covered by the Guidance should take careful note of its provisions, and, if needed, provide input to HHS. The Guidance solicits comments, which must be made before May 21, 2009." (Davis Wright Tremaine LLP)
HHS Will Release Guidance on 'Meaningful Use' of Health Information Technology This Summer
Excerpt: "HHS soon will issue guidance and specifications on the definition of 'meaningful use' of health information technology, National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal said on Friday, CongressDaily reports (Noyes, CongressDaily, 5/8). 'Meaningful use is very much on our mind,' he said, adding, 'We hope to provide a direction and some specifications in the late spring, early summer' (Goldstein, 'Health Blog,' Wall Street Journal, 5/8)." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
[Guidance Overview] HIPAA Guidance and Request for Comments: Securing Protected Health Information and Breach Notification
Excerpt: "As required under HITECH, on April 17, 2009, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued guidance regarding the proper methods for securing PHI. Also contained in the guidance is a request for information on: (1) the introduced methods for securing PHI, and (2) the breach notification process. Comments must be submitted on or before May 21, 2009." (McGuireWoods LLP)
GE Plans to Invest $6B to Lower Health Care Costs in Underserved Regions
Excerpt: "The broad program sets goals of reducing health care costs by 15 percent through $3 billion of spending on new, lower cost medical technology. The initiative also plans to broaden the use of tools such as electronic medical records and other medical information technology, with the hope of providing more advanced care to 100 million additional people each year. That will include $2 billion of financing for rural health care systems in the United States to adopt medical IT systems. It will also expand clinics in Cambodia and provide additional funding for maternal health care programs in Bangladesh." (AP via The New York Times; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] FTC Proposes Health Breach Notification Rule
Excerpt: "Vendors of personal health records and related entities ? although not covered by HIPAA's privacy or security rule ? will soon be required to provide notice to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and to affected individuals when personal health records are acquired without the individual's authorization. Personal health records are broadly defined, and include information that relates to the 'payment for the provision of health care' (e.g., a database containing names and credit card information), and the mere fact of having an account with a vendor whose products relate to a particular health condition." (Deloitte via BenefitsLink.com)
[Guidance Overview] FAQs About Disposing of Protected Health Information
Excerpt: "Recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the form of six frequently asked questions reminds providers to properly dispose of Protected Health Information in compliance with HIPAA. So this is a good time to review how your organization handles PHI and update your policies. If you don't have policies in place already, you need to fix this right away. Here is the gist of what DHHS has to say. Everyone who handles PHI should know this." (Poyner Spruill LLP)
[Guidance Overview] Final Updates to HIPAA EDI Rules
Excerpt: "Implications for Plan Sponsors: Although there is still plenty of time to achieve compliance, plan sponsors may want to begin discussions with system vendors and third-party administrators to ascertain their plans for complying with these new requirements on behalf of their group health plan clients. Plan sponsors that are self-insured and self-administered will need to ensure that they are compliant, while those that are insured or rely on an administrator should monitor their service provider's compliance efforts." (The Segal Group, Inc.)
[Guidance Overview] Required Notifications of Breaches of Unsecured PHI Under HIPAA (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "Group health plan administrators and designated HIPAA Privacy and Security Officers should consult with their information technology professionals to determine if their electronic systems on which PHI is stored, used, or destroyed or over which PHI is transmitted comply with the standards set forth in the guidance. They should also review their disposal policies for destroyed hard copies of PHI to ensure the procedures comply with the standards." (Bryan Cave LLP)
OPM Announces New Governmentwide Telework Policy
Excerpt: "Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry on Wednesday announced a broad new telework plan for employees, in part to deal with growing concern over the spread of swine flu in the United States.Berry, who said President Obama and the Cabinet are committed to expanding telework, met with department secretaries this week to discuss the importance of the practice as a continuity of operations measure in the face of the global disease." (GovernmentExecutive.com)
[Guidance Overview] HHS Proposes Encryption and Destruction as Exclusive Methods for Securing PHI
Excerpt: "As required under the HITECH Act, the Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance identifying the methodologies that will render protected health information (PHI) unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals. HITECH's new breach notification requirements will not apply to PHI that has been so secured through either encryption or destruction ? but HHS is seeking comments on whether PHI in limited data set form, or whether additional technologies and methodologies, should be added to the list." (Deloitte via BenefitsLink.com)
Intranet Posting of Form 5500 Pension Information Required for 2008 Plan Year
Excerpt: "Defined benefit plan sponsors will be required to post Form 5500 actuarial information (Schedule SB or MB) on their internal website for employees starting later this year. The Pension Protection Act requirement is effective for the 2008 plan year even though Form 5500 e-filings are not required until the 2009 plan year. Pending further guidance, calendar-year plans filing the 2008 Form 5500 in July 2009 would be well-advised to post the required information on their intranet by October. Posting is not required if a plan sponsor doesn't maintain an intranet site for employee communications." (Mercer LLC)
The Dubious History, Promise of Digital Medicine
Excerpt: "In Washington, where partisan bickering over how to revive the economy flares on several fronts, sweet consensus reigns on health-tech spending. Congressional Republicans sound just as enthusiastic as the White House. Encouraged by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, now an influential industry consultant, lawmakers cheer electronic records as a business-based remedy for much that ails medical care. That rare agreement, however, is obscuring the checkered history of computerized medical files and drowning out legitimate questions about their effectiveness. [Some] industry leaders are pushing expensive systems with serious shortcomings, some doctors say. The high cost and questionable quality of products currently on the market are important reasons why barely 1 in 50 hospitals has a comprehensive electronic records system, according to a study published in March in the New England Journal of Medicine. Only 17% of physicians use any type of electronic records. Hospitals and medical practices that plugged in early have experienced pricey setbacks and serious computer errors." (BusinessWeek)
[Guidance Overview] HHS Issues Guidance on Securing Protected Health Information and Preventing Harm From Breaches
Excerpt: "Employers and administrators will welcome this guidance on what is only one of ARRA's sweeping changes to the HIPAA privacy and security provisions. HHS has asked for public input on the guidance, including whether other technologies and methodologies should be included in future updates to the guidance and whether the risk of re-identification of a limited data set warrants its exclusion from the list of technologies and methodologies in the guidance." (EBIA)
[Guidance Overview] FTC Proposes Regulations on Security Breach Notification Requirements Applicable to Entities Not Covered Under HIPAA
Excerpt: "[T]he FTC has published proposed regulations that would require vendors of personal health records (PHRs) and related entities, upon discovery of a breach of security of individually identifiable health information, to notify affected individuals and the FTC (the preamble notes that the 'FTC is consulting with HHS to harmonize its proposed rule with HHS' proposed rule'). Here are some highlights: . . . ." (EBIA)
[Official Guidance] Federal Register Format of HHS Regs on Indecipherable Health Information Pursuant to HITECH (PDF)
5 pages. The Federal Register document is a reprint of guidance released April 17 by HHS on its web site. Excerpt: "[The HITECH statute] provides that no later than 60 days after enactment, the Secretary shall, after consultation with stakeholders, issue (and annually update) guidance specifying the technologies and methodologies that render [Personal Health Information] unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals. . . . Because the [HIPAA] breach notification requirements apply only to breaches of unsecured PHI, this guidance provides the means by which covered entities and their business associates are to determine whether a breach has occurred to which the notification obligations under the Act and its implementing regulations apply." (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
[Guidance Overview] Unsecured Protected Health Information for Notification of Breaches Under HIPAA
Excerpt: "The new rules provide that protected health information will be 'unsecured' if it is not secured through the application of a technology or methodology that renders it unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals and that meets standards specified in guidance published by the government. Complying with a 60-day statutory deadline for issuing that guidance, HHS has published information and a request for comments on these technologies and methodologies." (Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP)
[Guidance Overview] HHS's Long Awaited Guidance for Securing Protected Health Information (PDF)
Excerpt: "The guidance identifies technologies and methodologies for ensuring that PHI is unusable, unreadable or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals, as mandated by Section 13402(h)(2) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). ARRA required that HHS issue such guidance within 60 days of the law's enactment and annually thereafter." (Alston & Bird LLP)
[Guidance Overview] HITECH's Security Breach Notification Requirements (PDF)
8 pages. Excerpt: "This White Paper discusses guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which requires covered entities, business associates, vendors of personal health records (PHR) and related entities to notify individuals when their unsecured protected health information and PHR identifiable health information is subject to a breach of security." (McDermott Will & Emery)
American Medical Association to Announce Web-Based Information Service for Physicians
Excerpt: "The American Medical Association plans to announce a new online service that will offer physicians electronic prescribing, reference materials on diseases and other resources, the AP/Kansas City Star reports. The effort aims to help physicians adopt information technology and increase AMA membership. The new service, which was developed in collaboration with Compuware, will be tested as part of a pilot program before it is rolled out to members nationwide next year." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Mayo Clinic Launches Site for Storing Health Information with Microsoft Technology
Excerpt: "The Mayo Clinic has combined its medical expertise with Microsoft Corp.'s technology in a free Web site launching Tuesday that will let people store personal health and medical information. The Mayo Clinic Health Manager, as the site is called, is one of many emerging services for so-called personal health records." (AP via Star Tribune)
[Guidance Overview] HHS's First HITECH HIPAA Guidance
Excerpt: "On April 17, 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published its first guidance under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The HITECH Act amends the privacy and security provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This new guidance provides key information to health care providers, health plans, health care clearinghouses and their business associates about the security of protected health information." (Faegre & Benson)
[Guidance Overview] PHR Vendors and Related Entities Face the FTC'S New Health Breach Notification Rule (PDF)
6 pages. Excerpt: "In general, the Proposed Rule is substantively similar to the provisions of Section 13407 of ARRA. The FTC is using this opportunity, however, to shed additional light on certain definitions and aspects of the Health Breach Notification Rule. This advisory highlights the key provisions of the Proposed Rule, including those sections where the FTC is seeking public comment." (Alston & Bird LLP)
[Guidance Overview] Proposed FTC Rule Would Require Notice About Personal Health Record System Breaches
Excerpt: "The Federal Trade Commission, in compliance with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, issued a formal notice seeking public comment on a proposed rule requiring vendors of personal health record systems and related entities to provide notice to consumers in the event of a security breach. Comments on the 50-page proposed rule can be submitted online and must be in by June 1. The stimulus act requires the FTC and HHS to work on a report to Congress due in February 2010 on potential privacy, security and breach notification requirements for personal health-record vendors and 'related entities.' In the meantime, the law required the FTC to publish 'interim final regulations' not later 180 days after the act was enacted." (Modern Healthcare; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Modifications to Form 5500 and Schedules: EFAST2
Excerpt: "In addition to familiarizing themselves with the new electronic filing procedures, 5500 preparers will need to understand the changes to the Form 5500 and the schedules as well as the Form 5500-SF. The following FAQs describe the elimination of certain schedules, the modifications to the Form 5500 and schedules, and the requirements to be eligible for the new Form 5500-SF." (Sungard)
How Payers of Health Care Are Using Telemedicine
Excerpt: "Boston-based data storage company EMC has embraced telemedicine to help its employees better manage high blood pressure, a key indicator of other potential health problems. Two years ago, with help from the Center for Connected Health in Boston, the company set up a program to see how far it could enable patients to manage their hypertension without the help of a doctor. Using special blood pressure cuffs developed by the Centers for Connected Health that plug into a computer, 400 EMC employees volunteered to take their blood pressure three times a week. The information automatically populated an online health record, tracking the changes in a person's blood pressure over time." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] HITECH Changes to HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules for Group Health Plans
Excerpt: "The HITECH Act, which amends the privacy and security regulations promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ('HIPAA'), creates . . . new risks and penalties . . . ." (Dorsey & Whitney LLP)
Electronic Record Keeping Improves Patients' Health and Reduces Costs
Excerpt: "Employers' thinking on switching employees' health records from paper to electronic is shifting, perhaps helped by promised billions from the recent stimulus package. Though some companies have gotten a head start, the reality is still 'years and years of work' away." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
Integrated Health Care Can Improve Chronic Illness Treatment
Excerpt: "Improving care for people with chronic illnesses will require addressing barriers such as fragmented care, poor transitions between care settings, and payment that does not recognize the value of better integration of services, according to a recent report from AARP. Other obstacles to improving care for those with chronic illnesses are 'poor information systems' that make it difficult for medical providers to track patients over time, to integrate care among different providers and different care settings, and to track medication adherence and prevent drug interactions." (Wolters Kluwer)
[Guidance Overview] 5500 Electronic Filing Procedures: EFAST2 ? The Steps
Excerpt: "Probably one of the most significant challenges under EFAST2 for 5500 preparers will be the actual electronic filing. The steps vary depending on whether the 5500 preparer is using IFILE or a third-party web-based system. [These] FAQs address the issues relating to the steps in filing electronically." (Sungard)
Push for Digital Health Records Sparks Debate
Excerpt: "[T]he government has set a goal for every American to have an electronic health record by 2014. Kathleen Sebelius, the White House nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, calls the move to computerization 'one of the linchpins' of overhauling the nation's health care system. Obama casts it as a factor in the nation's economic recovery, saying going paperless would 'save billions of dollars and thousands of jobs.' Naysayers suggest health information technology (IT), the overall move to computerization, is full of false promise. Digital records can lead to better care and fewer medical mistakes, they say, but the costly transformation could waste money if the doctors and hospitals buy systems that can't be connected to share information." (USA Today)
[Guidance Overview] Judicial Development - Gertjejansen v. Kemper Ins. Co.
Excerpt: " A ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals emphasizes the importance of complying with the U.S. Department of Labor's regulations on delivering plan documents electronically." (The Precept Employee Benefits Blog)
[Opinion] President's Stimulus Plan Should Help Ease Financial Obstacles to Electronic Health Records
Excerpt: "The main impediment is money. Many hospitals simply do not have the capital to buy systems that can cost $20 million to $200 million, especially when so many are struggling to remain solvent. Hospitals also worry about high maintenance costs, an uncertain payoff on their investment, a lack of staff with adequate technical expertise and resistance from doctors." (The New York Times; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] New Penalties of up to $50,000 per Violation for Noncompliance with Health Data Privacy and Security Rules
Excerpt: "A portion of the new economic stimulus bill, called the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the 'HITECH Act'), will have a significant impact on employers that sponsor group health plans. The HITECH Act effectively mandates that group health plans secure protected health information ('PHI') of plan participants by using a technology or methodology to be specified by guidance in April 2009. Plan sponsors that fail to bring their group health plans into compliance are at risk for enforcement actions, large penalties, class action lawsuits, and injuries to reputation. By any measure, it is the toughest federal law ever enacted to regulate employee benefit plans." (Dorsey & Whitney LLP)
Electronic Health Record Ownership Needs Clarification
Excerpt: "The question of who owns electronic health data is a significant issue that must be clarified if patient records are to be successfully integrated, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Health Data Management reports (Goedert, Health Data Management, 3/25). Paper health records have a more straightforward owner -- insurers and doctors own the actual storage system paper the information is printed on -- but 'now that digitizing information frees it from particular storage media, confusion reigns,' . . . ." (California HealthCare Foundation)
[Guidance Overview] HITECH Act Modification of HIPAA's Privacy and Security Rules
Excerpt: "The HITECH Act places additional obligations on entities traditionally covered under HIPAA and extends the new rules to traditional business associates. Specifically, the HITECH Act sets forth new rules regarding notification of data breaches and accounting and reporting requirements for data disclosures. All entities traditionally covered under HIPAA, and companies doing business with and for those entities, should be aware of the new obligations set forth in the HITECH Act." (Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP)
Actuaries Can Determine E-Prescribing's Potential for Savings and Improved Outcomes
Excerpt: "In the article, An Electronic Prescription for Health Care Efficiency, [Susan] Pantely asserts that e-prescribing makes a doctor's prescribing practice more efficient by helping the doctor make an 'appropriate determination of the best drug for the patient' in a real-time fashion. To determine e-prescribing's potential, an actuary can review doctors' drug prescribing patterns and their generic proportions; that is, lower order rates for generic drugs shows greater potential for savings, she wrote." (Wolters Kluwer)
[Guidance Overview] Impact of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 on HIPAA Privacy & Security (PDF)
9 pages. Excerpt: "The Act includes a significant portion on Healthcare IT -- including updates to the HIPAA Privacy & Security regulations. There are several new provisions, such as: New Enforcement Rules - Audits will be proactively performed, State Attorney Generals can prosecute criminal violations and fines have been raised. Business Associates & Covered Entities - Now business associates have as much responsibility (and liability) to protect PHI as Covered Entities. Increased Liability - Individuals can be held accountable in addition to organizations. New Disclosure Rules - If a breach occurs, you will be required to alert not only those impacted, but if it's a large breach also notify certain authorities and post announcements in newspapers." (BridgeFront)
Out-of-Network Fee Schedules Will Soon Need to Change (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "A recent investigation by the New York Attorney General of Ingenix, a subsidiary of United Health, as a source for establishing the 'usual and customary' (U&C) charges for provider reimbursement resulted in settlements with major insurers and preferred provider organization networks that could have widespread implications for all private health care payers that provide access to non-network provider coverage. . . . This Bulletin discusses the direct and indirect implications of the settlement for sponsors of group health plans. It includes a list of action items for plan sponsors. An online supplement to the Bulletin [at http://www.segalco.com/publications/presentations/U&C.pdf] provides background on U&C charges." (The Segal Group, Inc.)
[Guidance Overview] EEOC Proposed Regulations Clarify Definitions and Prohibitions of GINA
Excerpt: "Title II of GINA prohibits employers and other covered entities from discriminating [in insurance and employment] on the basis of genetic information. The proposed regulations are designed to provide additional guidance regarding a covered entity's obligations pursuant to Title II. " (McGuireWoods)
[Guidance Overview] Stronger Protections for Health Information (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt: "A key part of the fiscal stimulus package (the 'Act'), signed by President Obama into law on February 17, 2009, included sweeping changes to the health information privacy and security provisions promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ('HIPAA'). Many of these new protections will take effect February 17, 2010 (one year after enactment of the Act); however, some have their effective dates delayed until the Department of Health and Human Services ('HHS') provides specific guidance. The Act calls for guidance in several areas, so increased rulemaking activity should be expected from HHS in the coming months." (Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP)
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