The healthcare industry is now closer than ever to its quest for true interoperable data exchange. July 1, 2021 was the enforcement date for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Interoperability and Patient Access final rule. The rule requires that all healthcare payer organizations participating in a CMS program allow members to download and share their data using API’s (Application Programming Interface). This
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CMS| News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
XFIN Acquires Radiology Revenue Cycle Provider CMS – Health M&A
What You Should Know: - Health IT company XIFIN announced the acquisition of Computerized Management Services (CMS), a provider of comprehensive revenue management services for hospital-based radiology groups and imaging centers. CMS provides a comprehensive suite of outsourced financial services focused on maximizing radiology client revenue and cash flow streams. Its services leverage strong technology systems and analytics,
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As CMS Delays CHART, Rural Providers Need to Take Value-Based Care into Their Own Hands
The answer to solving a healthcare crisis that exacerbates barriers to care among some of the most vulnerable patient populations in the country is staring us in the face. For rural hospitals straining under the weight of erratic patient volumes, sicker populations and lack of funding, the path forward is in value-based care. But providers can’t stand idly by waiting for the government to step in and help them make that change. They need to save themselves. That may sound like a big lift for
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VillageMD Becomes Largest Sponsor for CMS New Direct Contracting Program
What You Should Know: - U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched its new Direct Contract program this month through its Primary Care initiative and VillageMD is the largest participating sponsor. VillageMD estimates it will serve more than 56,000 patients through its growing footprint of Village Medical primary care clinics, in eight states, including Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire and Texas. - This new Direct Contracting
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Boost Operational, Clinical and Financial Performance with Good Data
There’s an old adage that every challenge is merely an opportunity in disguise. COVID-19 highlighted the healthcare industry’s ongoing challenge with producing clean, standardized data. As the industry looks to rebound from the severe financial impact of the pandemic, there’s a renewed urgency among hospitals and health networks to improve operational efficiency. The push toward greater operational efficiency – in a time of constrained budgets and resources – has accelerated
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How the Pandemic is Accelerating the Shift to Alternative Care Delivery Models
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how we interact with one another, with businesses, and with the world around us. From social distancing to hand sanitation to remote working, its impact on society is immense. And among the various industries that are experiencing significant change as a result of the pandemic, healthcare tops the list. Supply chain disruptions, crowded ICUs and exhausted medical staff has taken a toll on hospitals and clinics — and they’ve had to pivot rapidly to new
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Waystar Launches Price Transparency Solutions to Meet Consumer Demand
What You Should Know: - Waystar, a provider of healthcare payments software, today announced the addition of the Text Statements feature to its suite of payment tools. This new solution enables patients to easily view and pay medical bills directly from their smartphone, bringing transparency and convenience to the patient financial experience – a long-standing focus for Waystar. - Patients frequently don’t know what they’ll owe weeks, if not months after the point of care, If
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Payers Struggle with Provider Data Management Too
Provider data management is usually discussed from the provider perspective: the busy staff, the needless paperwork amid a pandemic, the faxing, emailing and uploading of data. In these scenarios, the health plans are often painted as the villains for their bureaucratic processes and unique requirements. But the reality is that health plans aren’t totally to blame. Payers and providers share a common goal: to provide the best quality care for their patients. The amount of data, including
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Untapping the Potential for Virtual Care in a Pandemic and Beyond
Virtual care is everywhere and ubiquitous. But at a time when the world is amid a global pandemic, virtual care is also being underutilized. The technology exists today to help our healthcare system not only more effectively and efficiently manage care during COVID-19, but also exponentially scale capacity in the face of future outbreaks. Virtual care defined Virtual care is a broad term. It encompasses all the ways healthcare practitioners provide for care remotely. This can mean
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Health Plans Must Go Beyond the ONC Mandate and Prioritize Member Experience
We are all frustrated when there’s a glitch with our online banking, or if bandwidth problems interfere with streaming the movie we want to watch. Imagine how individuals will react when the results of a cancer screening don’t find their way into Apple Health or Google Health, where such information is supposed to be easy to find. Or worse, if an individual is given the wrong information about a cancer diagnosis. An individual’s first call about missing health data or claims is going to
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