In This Issue

Important Dates for MU

How to Survive a Security Breach

Medical Identity Theft Hits a Growth Phase

HIPAA Gets Tougher

Historic Day in Healthcare

Important 2014 MU Changes

Get the ICD-10 Help You Need

Free Webinars on ICD-10 Coding

Free Webinars on Network Security Testing

PQRS Deadline - 10/15/13

HealthShare MT Webinar

Discounted Prices for MU Services

See All HTS Services

Join Our List

For EHR Meaningful Use Incentives in 2013

October 1, 2013

90-day reporting begins for eligible hospitals and critical hospitals for FY 2014. You must utilize the 2014 version of your EHR!

October 3, 2013

Last day for eligible providers to start 90-day MU reporting period.

November 29, 2013

Eligible hospitals must attest for 2013 calendar year.

December 31, 2013

Reporting year ends for eligible professionals.

See Complete CMS MU Timeline

How to Survive (if not prevent) a Security Breach

Security breaches are no fun. Your organization's name is splashed all over the news. Your reputation takes a hit. Your patients' trust is eroded. And the prospect of a hefty monetary settlement is something few want to think about. But it's not the end of the world.

Medical Identify Theft Hits a Growth Phase

Medical identity theft is on the rise and hasn't shown signs of slowing down anytime soon.

HIPAA Gets Tougher

HHS and OCR promise the September 23 Omnibus Final Rule will be the toughest yet. The new rule promises to bring hefty fines, more audits and added enforcement pertaining to the issue of patients' protected health information.

More Enforcement is Coming

What our Clients are Saying About Us

"I just wanted to take a minute to tell you that without a doubt, we would have been unable to achieve meaningful use without your help. Not only did you guide us through a process that was extremely frustrating and foreign to us, but you also helped us improve many of our workflows throughout the office. You kept us motivated and on-track and pushed us through to completion. I can't thank you enough for all your help and sincerely hope that you will be around to help us through Stage 2."

Kalispel OBGYN

Happy Halloween!

From all of us at Health Technology Services

Deb Anderson

Susan Clarke

Lisa Corino

Mary Erickson

Patty Kosednar

Sarah Leake

Daniel Meyers

Sharon Milanos

Mark Norby

Issue #13

October, 2013

EHR and Health IT Perspectives Newsletter

Welcome to the Montana/Wyoming Health Technology Service's (HTS) EHR and Health IT Perspectives Newsletter.

Historic Day in Healthcare

October 1 marked a historic day in healthcare as the Health Insurance Marketplace opened, providing a new way for individuals, families, and small businesses to find quality health coverage to meet their needs and their budgets. For more information go to Healthcare Marketplace.

Important 2014 Meaningful Use Changes

New 2014 Meaningful Use changes apply regardless of which stage of Meaningful Use you are reporting for 2014.

Let HTS help you through the changes.

Contact your HTS REC Health Technology Consultant for help or

Patty Kosednar 406-461-4410

Get the ICD-10 Help you Need

The transition to ICD-10 on October 1, 2014, is going to change how you do business-from registration and referrals to superbills and software upgrades. But that change doesn't have to be overwhelming.

Get Implementation Guides, Timelines and Checklists as well as step by step instructions on planning for this important transition from CMS.

ICD-10 Provider Resources from CMS

Free ICD-10 CM/PCS Coding Webinars

Don't miss Mountain-Pacific Quality Health's upcoming ICD-10 webinar with featured guest speaker,

Amy L. Hayes, MBA, AHIMA Approved ICD-10 CM/PCS Trainer

Thurs., Oct. 17, 12-1 pm MDT

ICD-10 - Inpatient Procedural Coding

Registration is Required for this seminar. Please follow the instructions to register for this ICD-10 webinar at our website www.healthtechnologyservice.com

Free Webinars on

Network Security Testing and Important New MU Changes in 2014

free webinar

Join us for our seminars below - registration is required.

Wed., October 16, 1-2 pm MDT

Network Security Testing - Session 1

Wed., November 6, 1-2 pm MDT

Network Security Testing - Session 2

Wed., November 13, 1-2 pm MDT
Important New MU Changes in 2014

To learn more about becoming a MU Subscriber, visit Become a MU Subscriber!

Also...Stay Tuned for Future Webinar Dates

Open Meaningful Use Q&A (for HTS MU subscribers only)

Preparing for a CMS Meaningful Use Audit

NLR/SLR Registration/Attestation Preparation for EPs

See details on our website www.healthtechnologyservice.com

PQRS Deadline - October 15, 2013

How can Providers avoid the 1.5% payment adjustment deadline under the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) in CY 2015? The methods below will not earn an

incentive this year but will avoid the penalty if you act this year...but time is running out.

Providers can report 1 measure or measures group using a claims, qualified registry, or EHR-based reporting mechanism during 2013. This criterion only requires that an eligible professional or group practice report 1 measures group for at least 1 applicable patient. However, we strongly encourage eligible professionals and group practices to report on as many applicable patients as possible. For more information please reference PQRS.

Administrative Claims is another reporting option available, but EPs must register by October 15, 2013. It is a reporting option where the individual EP or the entire group practice is required to register at the registration website of CMS Portal with an IACS account that has the appropriate PV-PQRS role With this option the practice does not do any physical "reporting" by claims, but CMS analyzes the individual EP or GPRO's claims that have been billed to Medicare Part B regarding the specific Administrative Claims measures to analyze the quality of care, etc. (ACO GPRO's may NOT elect this option.)

If you have questions, please contact the QualityNet Help Desk at 866-288-8912 (TTY 1-877-715-6222) or via qnetsupport@sdps.org. They are available Monday through Friday from 7am-7pm CT.

HealthShare Montana Offers Free Webinar on Personal Health Management Platform

Jonathan Griffin, MD, MHA, will demonstrate the benefits and functionality of the new and innovative personal health management platform - Dossia. Plan now to meet Meaningful Use Stage 2 for patient engagement and activation with a dynamic and user-friendly patient portal that has a statewide scope.

Pick a date that fits your schedule -

Wednesday, October 16 at Noon - register here

Wednesday, October 23 at 5:30 pm - register here

Become a MU Subscriber Today and Enjoy Discounted Prices on MU Services!!!

MU Consulting Services

Stage 1, Year 2 in 2013

Health Technology Services (MT/WY) is offering Meaningful Use services at a discounted rate of $599 per clinic location, for Eligible Providers who are in their Second Year of MU Stage 1 (2013).

Our services include -

Year 2 MU Readiness Assessment and Action Plan
2 Hours MU Consulting on a Variety of Topics
Access to Exclusive Materials and Resources
Summarized HIT Information and Timelines (includes deadlines, revenue ramification, penalties, etc.)
Access to Free MU Webinars
Monthly MU Q&A Sessions with our Consultants

Contact Patty Kosednar @ 406-461-4410,
email pkosednar@mpqhf.org

or contact your local HTS Health Technology Consultant

See detailed information on this service offering on our website

Additional HTS Services

Let Health Technology Services assist you with all your HIT needs, from EHR selection/implementation to meaningful use and beyond. Our HIT services also include:

MU Year 2 Monitoring and Stage 2 Preparation
MU Stage 1 Year 2 Risk Assessment Review
HIT Consulting and Project Management
HIPAA Privacy and Security Assessments and New Network Penetration Testing
New Lean Sigma Healthcare Methodology
New Lean Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH)
New HSMDirect Secure Messaging

Contact your HTS REC Health Technology Consultant for help or

Patty Kosednar 406-461-4410
See more at about these services on our website

Health IT Resources (Links)

HealthLinkNow

HealthLinkNow

HealthLinkNow is an Online Clinic where meaningful care comes to patients via telemedicine at home, work, school or vacation.

HealthShare Montana

HealthShare Montana

HealthShare Montana is a statewide, non-profit organization, created to develop a system for the electronic exchange of healthcare information.

eHealth

eHealth Resource

ONC launches new eHealth resource site to help providers effectively engage patients in choosing how they want their electronic patient health information shared.

Thank you for reading our newsletter. Please contact us if you have any questions or comments. We also welcome your feedback.

Thank You!

Patty Kosednar

Executive Director

Health Technology Services, MT/WY Regional Extension Center

...a division of Mountain-Pacific Quality Health

406-457-5897