Reimbursement

Government Health IT Editor Tom Sullivan speaks to Wendy Whittington, MD, who is CMO of Anthelio Healthcare Solutions about the possibility of an ICD-10 delay.

The possibility of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services delaying ICD-10 sure did cause a ruckus on Tuesday. What began as CMS acting administrator Marilyn Tavenner telling attendees at an AMA meeting that CMS will re-examine the pace of ICD-10 implementation, turned into reports of the agency "signaling" a delay with plenty of physicians stating their support on the record.

In a deal that aims to create a technology company focused on providing real-time data to doctors from both medical records and private payers, Lumeris and payers Highmark Inc., Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Independence Blue Cross announced they will acquire NaviNet for an undisclosed price.

MEDfx Corporation and Community Health Alliance, Inc., a Richmond, Va.-based not-for-profit organization, have announced a partnership to create a Virginia statewide health information exchange (HIE).

More than two-thirds of the complete electronic health records of providers and hospitals that have qualified for meaningful use incentives are dually certified under both the ONC-ATCB and the CCHIT Certified programs, the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) announced.

Revenue and payment cycle specialist Recondo Technology announced last week it had acquired revenue cycle competitor Lakewood, Fla.-based Trilogi, Inc., in a move that broadens Recondo's customer base.

The Congressional Budget Office’s January issue brief on the failure of almost all of more than thirty Medicare demonstration projects to cut costs generated considerable discussion.

A new HHS regulation set to take effect October 1 will require health insurers to publish marketing materials in plain language in an attempt to eliminate technical or confusing language that can often make if difficult for consumers to understand exactly what they are buying.

 The eHealth Initiative (eHI) issued a report on Thursday, providing health IT recommendations to support accountable care organizations.

The current shortage of primary care physicians has received a great deal of attention in recent years, but very little has happened to impact or reverse the trend and the problem just continues to get worse.