Health Technology Services NEWSLETTER

Issue 41 - February 2016 
 
Services2016NEW 2016 Health Technology Services!
   
As you know, health care quality reporting programs are moving toward a value based payment model. 
  
HTS can help you manage and align all of your quality program requirements, fully leverage your EHR functionality and data to improve outcomes, simplify and streamline your processes, and maximize your reimbursement opportunities.
  
Our new 2016 services are designed to help you -
  
* Simplify and streamline your quality reporting requirements
* Stay current on the changing regulations for Meaningful Use, PQRS, MACRA, etc
* Simplify HIPAA compliance
* Advance and fully leverage your EHR usage to advance care deliver
* Enhance patient engagement and satisfaction
* Improve health outcomes to maximize value based performance payments
 
Contact Patty Kosednar or Deb Anderson for details about our new 2016 services!
  
    
Save the Date!
  MT HIMSS 2016 Annual Conference & Trade Show
 
May 10-12, 2016
Big Horn Resort
Billings, MT
  
Are you interested in Reporting and Advancing Quality Improvement with your EHR?
 
HTS invites IT Staff, Directors of Nursing, QA Coordinators, HIT students and any other interested people to attend a FREE Montana Health Association (MHA) Summit Pre-Conference workshop -
EHRs-The Future is NOW! Are you Ready? 
 
Tuesday, March 15
(1 day before MHA Summit on March 16-17)
12:30 - 5 pm
Best Western Grantree Inn
1325 N 7th Ave
Bozeman, MT
 
Don't miss this FREE half-day workshop sponsored in part by HTS, MT Rural Health IT Network and MHA.  Join us for interesting lectures, active discussion, EHR demos and activities.
 
Space is limited.
 
 
Need more info?  Email Mary Erickson or call 406-521-0488.
Provider/Clinic Corner
 
As an EP, what help is available with attesting to Modified Stage 2?
 
Get the latest information on these important topics at our Provider/Clinic Corner.
Hospital Corner
 
Are there deadlines for 2015 PQRS I need to be aware of?
  
Get the latest information on these important topics at our Hospital Corner.
Join Our List

QIO Corner
  
Get Your Red Out - February is American Heart Month!
    
This month Mountain-Pacific is focusing on tools and resources that can help educate patients about the importance of their heart health.
  
Don't forget to wear red on February 5th - National Wear Red Day - to show your support for the fight against heart disease.
  
Please share these tools with you patients.

 

Controlling High Blood Pressure

 

Know the Facts about Heart Disease

 

 

 Come See Us!
  
February 11-14, 2016
Stop by and visit Sharon Phelps, Population Health Improvement Lead, at the Mountain-Pacific Quality Health/Health Technology Services booth at the 2016 Frontiers in Medicine Conference in Jackson, Wyoming.
 
Feb 29 - Mar 4, 2016
If you are going to the HIMSS National Conference in Las Vegas, be sure to look for Deb Anderson, HTS Business Development Manager, and Susan Clarke, HTS Department Manager.
 
April 20-22, 2016
Patty Kosednar, HTS Consultant will be speaking at the Montana MGMA Conference in Bozeman, Montana.
  

Planning An Upcoming Event?

 

HTS has HIT/CMS Program subject matter experts who can present current and relevant information on many HIT/Quality Reporting topics.  

 

Contact Susan Clarke for details

Quick Links
  
  
  
  
  
YOUR TRUSTED SOURCE FOR KEEPING CURRENT WITH HEALTH TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION 
       TOP 5 - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW NOW!      
Click on the links for more information...
 
 Don't Wait!-Register for FREE Webinars

 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Thursday
February 4
2-3 pm MST
PQRS-Finalizing 2015 and A Look Ahead to 2016 
Presented by Health Technology Services
Webinar Description
Join us to identify key activities for participating in PQRS in 2015, as well as suggest where your facility should be in the process.  Deadlines will be reviewed and ideas shared on how other facilities are moving toward this requirement. We will also take a quick look at the key dates and changes in requirements for reporting in 2016.
Topics include
*  Key Deadlines for 2015 PQRS
*  Where You Should be NOW with 2015 PQRS
*  Some Lessons from the Field
*  Key Dates and Changes for 2016
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Wednesday
Feb 10 & 17
9:30-11 am MST
The Medicare Quality Reporting Programs: What Eligible Providers Need to Know in 2016
Presented by CMS
Webinar Description
The CMS Philadelphia Regional Office will be presenting this same webinar on two dates.
Topics include
*  Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) Preview
*  2016 Incentive Payments and 2018 Payment Adjustments
*  2016 PQRS Updates
*  2018 Value-based Payment Modifier (VM) Policies

*  Physician Compare Updates for 2016

*  Meaningful Use of CEHRT in 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feb 10 

register

 

Feb 17

register 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Wednesday
February 24
1-2 pm MST 
2016 MU Modified Stage 2 Program Requirements Review
Presented by Health Technology Services
Webinar Description
The reporting timeframe for Meaningful Use Modified Stage 2 in 2016 is for the full year.  There are many tasks you will need to do throughout the year to meet meaningful use.  Join us to learn the step by step tasks needed for your successful attestation of meaningful use for the 2016 reporting year.
Topics include
*  Review of the 2016 Meaningful Use Modified Stage 2 program requirements
*  A walk through of the entire meaningful use process from determining eligibility through attestation preparation
*  Review MU CMS audit documentation requirements
*  Receive a 2016 MU checklist to assist you with the management of your 2016 meaningful use tasks

 
  
  
  




Did You Miss our Latest Webinar - 2015 Modified Stage 2 Attestations - What Has Changed?
 
Are you up to speed on attesting for 2015 Modified Stage 2?  On January 13, Deb Anderson, HTS Business Relationship Manager, gave us all the details of what to do to successfully attest for Modified Stage 2 in 2015.  View the recording or get the presentation slides.
 
Do you have a webinar topic you would like us to present?  Email your hot topic to Susan Clarke.  See our upcoming webinars.
Top 5 - What You Need to Know Now      
Top1MU: Is Meaningful Use really over?
Providers need to be aware that while the meaningful use program by itself may be winding down, the foundation and use of the EHR for streamlined quality reporting will play a significant role in the future value-based payment models.  
 
There is a lot of activity right now in the alignment of health care quality reporting and emphasis is on moving everyone to electronic quality reporting. Keep an eye on the development of the emerging MACRA and MIPS payment programs.  These programs aim to give you a composite score to base your reimbursement on.
 
  
  
  
  
Eligible professionals that need to meet the specialized registry public health measure in 2016 are required to have registered with the reporting agency by February 29 to meet the requirement of being registered within 60 days of the start of the reporting period.
Who needs to meet this requirement? If you are an eligible provider that operates in a specialty that could be sending data to a national public health registry, then this applies to you. Some registry examples are: American College of Physicians Diabetes Registry, Oncology Nursing Society QI Registry, American Joint Replacement Registry, State Cancer Registries, etc.
How do I meet this requirement? You will need to interface with the registry directly from your EHR. To do this -
  1. Have a conversation with your vendor to see what existing relationships they have with available registries
  2. Register your intent to interface with that registry by February 29
  3. Work on making the interface successful to achieve ongoing transmission of data from your EHR to the registry
If you are confused by this requirement or possibly work with many specialty providers, it is best to have HTS help you take a case by case look at your group.  Contact HTS.
 
 
Recent Medicare legislation, Patient Access and Medicare Protection Act (PAMPA), launched important changes to the EHR incentive program hardship exception process designed to reduce burden on clinicians, hospitals and critical access hospitals. CMS has now posted the new hardship applications for eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals (EHs) and critical access hospitals (CAHs).
  
The deadline for EPs, EHs, and CAHs to submit their applications are -
  
  • Eligible Professionals -  March 15, 2016
  • Eligible Hospitals & CAHs -  April 1, 2016
  
The applications and instructions for a hardship exception from the Medicare Electronic Health Records Incentive Program 2017 payment adjustment are available -
  
  
 
Physician Compare is a CMS website that helps you find and choose physicians and other health care professionals enrolled in Medicare so that you can make informed choices about the health care you get, as required by the Affordable Care Act.
 
CMS posts quality measure data on Physician Compare which is available to the public.
 
To learn what public reporting information is available at Physician Compare, CMS will host public reporting information webinars about recent updates to the Physician Compare website and future plans for public reporting on Physician Compare. This one-hour webinar will offer stakeholders an opportunity to ask questions about public reporting and quality measures on Physician Compare.
  
During each webinar, the Physician Compare Support Team will present information and then address participant questions. 
 
This webinar will be offered on the following days -
 
Tuesday, February 23, 10-11 am MST - register now
Wednesday, February 24, 2-3 pm MST - register now
Thursday, February 25, 9-10 am MST - register now
  
  
Top5PQRS:  CAHs - do you have questions about PQRS? 
National Coordinating Center (NCC) has partnered with the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) Team to host a virtual office hour webinar to address your PQRS-Critical Access Hospital (CAH) questions.  CAHs are encouraged to register for this webinar!
PQRS-CAH Virtual Office Hour webinar
Monday, February 8, 1-2 pm MST
Register Now
  
This call will be recorded and available to those who are unable to attend the live event.  The webinar presentation will include scenarios to help illustrate who is eligible for PQRS.
Need help with PQRS - contact Sarah Leake, HTS Quality Reporting and Payment Reform Specialist, or
Check out new 2016 HTS Services designed to help you stay current with changing regulations for MU, MACRA, PQRS and so much more
       HTS Contact Information      
Health Technology Services is a department of Mountain-Pacific Quality Health Foundation, QIN-QIO for Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and Wyoming.  Together we can help you use technology to deliver the quality care your patients deserve! 
Thank-You!    
Health Technology Services
Mountain-Pacific Quality Health
Contact HTS at (406) 457-5897