October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) offers free clinician and patient resources that help inform treatment decisions for a variety of health conditions. These materials are created from patient-centered outcomes research, which objectively compares the benefits and harms of different ways to treat a health condition. Using this and other information, clinicians and patients can work together to make the best treatment decision for the individual patient.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. AHRQ offers two free, evidence-based guides for women, their families and their health care providers. The clinician guides provide an overview of clinical issues and clinical bottom line information. The patient versions, available in English and Spanish, are written in plain language and provide an overview of the topic along with the comparison of benefits and harms.

Click on the link to download and print out the guides. Or, call 800-358-9295 to order free copies, including bulk quantities, from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse. Provide the code C-02.

Clinician Guides:

Medications to Reduce the Risk of Primary Breast Cancer in Women

Core-Needle Biopsy for Breast Abnormalities

AHRQ also offers a free CME, "Comparative Effectiveness of Therapies for Reducing the Risk of Primary Breast Cancer: Guidance for Shared Decision Making," accredited for a multi-disciplinary audience of health care practitioners including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners and others.

Patient Treatment Guides:

Medicines to Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer

Having a Breast Biopsy: A Guide for Women and Their Families

The Georgia Rural Health Association is coordinating with AHRQ to provide our members quick access to these evidence-based materials and to announce new AHRQ resources as they become available.

Important Updates on Registration for the EHR Incentive Programs

CMS wants to remind eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) of the key registration dates for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, and provide information to help them successfully register and start their path to payment for 2011.

Important Registration Dates to Remember

• November 30, 2011- Last day for eligible hospitals and CAHs to register and attest to receive an incentive payment for Federal fiscal year 2011.
• February 29, 2012- Last day for EPs to register and attest to receive an incentive payment for calendar year 2011.

When Should Providers Register?
CMS encourages providers to register for the Medicare and/or Medicaid EHR Incentive Program(s) as soon as possible to avoid payment delays. Please note that not all states have launched a Medicaid EHR Incentive Program yet.  Providers will not be able to complete their registration for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program until their state's program has launched and that state's site has opened. Providers should check their state's status.

Note: Providers can register before they have a certified EHR and can also register if they do not have an enrollment record in PECOS.

Registration Resources
CMS has a number of resources to help providers successfully register for the EHR Incentive Programs:

• Step-by-step registration guides, available on CMS' Registration page
• A number of FAQs  about registration on the EHR Incentive Programs website
• Webinars on YouTube to help guide providers through the registration process- one for EPs, and one for hospitals.

Vaccination is the Best Protection Against the Flu  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouragingeveryone 6 months of age and older to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu.  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.  And remember, vaccination is particularly important for healthcare workers, who may spread the flu to high-risk patients; don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff.  Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Get the Flu Vaccination - Not the Flu.

Remember - Influenza vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits.  CMS has posted the 2011-2012 seasonal influenza vaccine payment limits at http://www.CMS.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/10_VaccinesPricing.asp.  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

 healthcare professionals and their staff, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp.