U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced final rules for expanded use of electronic health records (EHR).
     Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, eligible health care professionals and hospitals can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments when they adopt certified EHR technology and use it to achieve specified objectives. One of the two regulations announced defines the "meaningful use" objectives that providers must meet to qualify for the bonus payments, and the other regulation identifies the technical capabilities required for certified EHR technology. With "meaningful use" definitions in place, physicians can acquire EHR systems that achieve "meaningful use" objectives
     One regulation, issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), defines the minimum requirements that providers must meet through their use of certified EHR technology in order to qualify for the payments.  The other rule, issued by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), identifies the standards and certification criteria for the certification of EHR technology, so eligible professionals and hospitals may be assured that the systems they adopt are capable of performing the required functions.
     As much as $27 billion may be expended in incentive payments over ten years.  Eligible professionals may receive as much as $44,000 under Medicare and $63,750 under Medicaid, and hospitals may receive millions of dollars for implementation and meaningful use of certified EHRs under both Medicare and Medicaid.
     For more information, please click here.

     On July 9th, the government of the District of Columbia purchased the United
Medical Center (UMC) at a public auction for $20 million.
     The DC City Council passed legislation on June 29th that established a nonprofit corporation to manage UMC and its assets if the facility was acquired at today's  foreclosure auction.  The Not-For-Profit Hospital Corporation Establishment Emergency Amendment Act of 2010 immediately establishes an independent, nonprofit corporation that would receive and manage all the assets, obligations and operations of the acute care hospital and skilled nursing facility until a new owner can be found. The corporation would be responsible for appointing the hospital's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who would be responsible for the daily operations and management of the corporation.
     Currently, the new corporation's Board of Directors structure does not include mandatory physician representation.  MSDC Board member and UMC's Medical Staff President Julian Craig, MD and MSDC Executive Vice President Ed Shanbacker will be working with the DC Council to ensure that a physician board member is mandated in a revised Board structure.
     Clinically, United Medical Center has made significant improvements in quality and service to the patients and community it serves.  Most recently, Children's National Medical Center has opened a state-of-the-art pediatric ER at UMC.  UMC continues to pursue other collaborative efforts to deliver the highest quality of care possible for its patients.
     To read an article published last year by MSDC on changes being made at United Medical Center, please click here.

    CMS has announced that the agency will not
enforce the July 6 date for requiring all physicians (except those who have opted-out of
Medicare) who refer or order services for Medicare patients to be enrolled in PECOS, the Medicare enrollment database.
     CMS will not begin rejecting claims as long as the legal name and NPI of the referring/ordering physician is listed.
     For more information we recommend reviewing the June 30 CMS press release here.

     Registrations are being accepted.  Just contact Barbara Allen at (202) 355-9403 or allen@msdc.org to join the crew.  Registration is $60 for members, $105 for members and spouses, $50 for students/residents, and $80 for non-members.
     Hurry and register soon - if you don't make the Captain's Log before Sail Date, registration at the door will increase to $80 for members and $100 for non-members, with no member/spouse or student/resident ticket available.

Meeting Sponsorship
     Annual Meeting sponsors are currently being accepted.  If your company or practice would like to sponsor our Annual Meeting and receive your entry, please e-mail Barbara Allen at allen@msdc.org.
     Thank you, ProAssurance and Professional Risk Associates, for registering early in support of the Medical Society and our Annual Meeting.  You continue to be wonderful partners of the Medical Society and our members!

Animals, Research and Alternatives Conference
A Continuing Medical Education event (Category 1, maximum 16.5 credits)
August 26-27, 2010 · Washington, D.C.
Join experts from around the world fifty years after the development of the key model for the refinement, reduction, and replacement of animals in research.
Register today at: www.researchalternatives.org.