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FMQAI
the Medicare
QIO for Florida, is your
collaborative, quality
improvement partner
working with nursing homes, home health agencies, hospitals, physicians and managed care organizations.
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IMMUNIZATION
NEWS
February
Flu Shot
Reminder | |
Get Your Flu Vaccine - Not the Flu. Don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. While seasonal flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, flu activity usually peaks in January. This year's vaccine will protect against three different flu viruses, including the H1N1 virus that caused so much illness last flu season. The risks for complications, hospitalizations and deaths from the flu are higher among individuals aged 65 years and older. Medicare pays for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for seniors and others with Medicare with no co-pay or deductible. Health care workers, who may spread the flu to high-risk patients, should get vaccinated too. | |
Remember - Influenza vaccine and its administration are covered Part B benefits. Note that influenza vaccine is NOT a Part D covered drug. For information about Medicare's coverage of the influenza vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational resources for health care professionals and their staff, please visit:
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Important
Dates
February 2011 | |
American Heart
Month
click here...
National Wear
Red Day
February 4, 2011
click here... |
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Greetings!
Welcome to the February 2011 edition of Health eNotes: |
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February 
American Heart
Month
For more information, click here...
National Wear
Red Day
February 4, 2011
For more information, click here... |
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CMS
NEWS
CMS to Revamp IT Systems to Improve
Patient Outcomes & Quality of Care
On Jan. 17, a number of publications reported that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is engaging in a massive overhaul of its health information technology systems to improve business operations and integration. The new configurations, called the Greenfield projects, are expected to provide the foundation to transform the agency into a data-driven business. CMS is attempting to obtain more robust analytics for quality of care in relation to the new health care delivery models and to drive quality improvements by rewarding physicians based on performance metrics. Additionally, CMS hopes to achieve improved business operations, effective performance measurement, enhanced public accountability and innovation. Under the health reform law, CMS plans to phase in the new system gradually and expects lower administrative costs and significant program savings. Read more: http://tinyurl.com/4cncv68 or http://tinyurl.com/4vcrjt6.
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CRC
NEWS
U.S. Ranks Seventh Highest in
Cancer Rates Worldwide
On Jan. 25, HealthLeaders Media published a new report from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), that found Americans are diagnosed with cancer at the seventh highest rate in the world. The AICR is an organization that investigates the relationship between cancer risks and such behavioral factors as high weight, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle and alcohol consumption. The report says that about 300 out of every 100,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with cancer each year. Other countries with high cancer rates include Denmark, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The report also states that high-income countries have higher cancer rates in general due to their improved ability to correctly diagnose and record new cases. Read more: http://tinyurl.com/4sjon86. |
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HIT/EHR
NEWS
Office of the National
Coordinator for HIT
The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) is the principal federal entity charged with coordination of nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology (HIT) and the electronic exchange of health information. The position of National Coordinator was created in 2004 through an Executive Order and legislatively mandated in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) of 2009. Dr David Blumenthal currently serves in this National Coordinator role.
The ONC not only coordinates a variety of programs to implement HITECH, but also supports the efforts of several related initiatives to facilitate nationwide adoption of HIT. Through working with these initiatives, ONC is able to reach diverse stakeholder groups that are imperative to the success of the HITECH Act. These include state-level health initiatives, nationwide HIT, federal health architecture, adoption, as well as clinical decision support and the CDS collaborator.
Specific information regarding the ONC and various initiatives is available at the ONC website.
Regional Extension Centers
Available to Help Providers
with Meaningful Use of
Certified EHRs
ONC has funded 62 Regional Extension Centers (RECs) to help more than 100,000 primary care providers meaningfully use electronic health records (EHRs) within two years. Specifically, the RECs' focus is to provide on-the-ground assistance for:
- individual and small practices, including primary care providers, physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners;
- medical practices lacking resources to implement and maintain EHRs; and
- those who provide primary care services in public and critical access hospitals, community health centers, and other settings that mostly serve those who lack adequate coverage or medical care.
Services that the REC will provide include outreach and education, EHR support, and technical assistance in implementing health IT and using it in a meaningful way to improve care.
Under HITECH, $677 million is allocated to support a nationwide system of RECs that cover every geographic region of the United States to ensure plenty of support of health care providers in communities across the country.
For more information on the RECs, including the list of the 62 RECs and their contact information, visit the Health Information Technology Extension Program page of the ONC website.
The center for the Advancement of Health IT (AHIT) is the Regional Extension Center for north and southwest Florida. Visit AdvanceHealthIT.org for more information.
FMQAI is the AHIT REC outreach partner for Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Contact RECteam@fmqai.com or call 813-865-3351 for more information. 
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PAY FOR
PERFORMANCE
NEWS
New Tools Available to Help with Registration for
Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs
Did you know?
Since registration opened January 3rd:
- 14,455 providers have initiated registration for the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
- Kentucky issued the first Medicaid EHR Incentive Program (ARRA) payment to the University of Kentucky Healthcare Hospital for $2.86 million on January 5.
- Oklahoma issued payments to two physicians at the Gastorf Family Clinic of Durant, OK, for $21,250 each for having adopted certified EHRs.
New Tools for Providers:
- Interactive Eligibility Tool for Eligible Professionals - Are you eligible to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs? Use the tool found at the bottom of the Eligibility page on the CMS website.
- Registration Webinar for Eligible Professionals - How do I register? CMS created a video containing step-by-step instructions to help ensure the registration process is a success. Watch the video found on the Registration and Attestation page of the CMS website.
- Medicaid State Launch Dates and Websites - When will your state offer an EHR Incentive Program? Information on when registration will be available for Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs in specific states is posted at Medicaid State Information. Click on the map for information about your state: State EHR Incentive Program Launch Times and HIT Websites.
- Medscape Participant Self-Assessment, Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentives: What do you know and do you know enough? - Earn CME credit while you learn! Take the Medscape EHR Self-Assessment. Participation may require the user to log in to Medscape; however, registration is free and does not require any commitment.
For more information about the EHR Incentive Programs and to register go to www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms.
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