Providers utilize business intelligence to monitor referral patterns and collaborate with clinicians who order their services. Such analytics tools have also been deployed in the specialty to improve productivity, track patient satisfaction and bolster quality.
UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley is expected to make the announcement in front of Congress, where he will also offer other policy solutions. The company said it’s still working out details on how to best distribute its profits to customers.
Extravascular ICDs were developed to avoid complications such as vascular injuries, lead fractures and lead infections. Although rare, these issues can cause serious, life-threatening complications for patients.
The insurer is planning to reduce reimbursement timelines for hospitals in Oklahoma, Idaho, Minnesota and Missouri from 30 days to 15. The details are unclear, but the company said the framework could extend nationwide.
In a lawsuit, the EHR giant accuses Health Gorilla, et al., of posing as patient care entities to gain access to nearly 300,000 medical records, in violation of HIPAA. Health Gorilla vehemently denies the allegations.
Diagnostic radiology has been chosen as one of seven specialties to follow a new accreditation process for graduate medical education beginning in July 2013.
The Colon Cancer Alliance and the American College of Radiology are both calling on Medicare to cover virtual colonoscopy procedures after a recent study showed they were just as good as standard colonoscopy.
After promises to see official drafts of the proposed Stage 2 Meaningful Use EHR rules today, the scuttlebutt from HIMSS12 was that some technical hang-ups in the federal release process would delay the document at least another day; possibly until Monday. Then, just before the end of the working day on the East Coast, the Office of the Federal
The Colorado Legislature is considering a bill that would limit the amount hospitals can charge uninsured patients with low to moderate incomes. In addition, hospitals would be required to disclose prices of various services.
It’s not a lack of financial resources that are a barrier to implementing health information technology. Rather a concern over staffing levels top the perceived obstacles to a well-established IT system, based on the 23rd annual HIMSS Leadership Survey.
The ECRI Institute’s Patient Safety Organization has identified over-crowding and long wait times in emergency departments as key factors in delays in treatment, patient dissatisfaction and in some cases unnecessary mortality.