Health Technology Services Newsletter

Issue 45  June 2016
Your Trusted Source for Staying Current with Health Technology Information   
Top 5 What You Need to Know Now!
click on the links for more information






Register for FREE Webinars
Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - 1-2 pm MDT
Intro to Building and Governing Your HIPAA Compliance Program
Presented by HealthInsight
Webinar Description
This webinar will help you to establish a foundation for your organizations HIPAA compliance efforts and increase your comfort level as a privacy and/or security officer. 
 Agenda
  • Review of Essential Terms
  • Introduction to the HIPAA Privacy, Security  and Breach Notification Rules
  • Introduction to Documentation and Periodic Tasks
  • Strategies to Govern Your HIPAA Program


Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - 1-2 pm MDT
PIN UP - Lessons Learned
Presented by Health Technology Services
Webinar Description
Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and Montana Hospital Association (MHA) funded Performance Improvement Network's Unleashing the Power (PIN UP) project is winding down. Now we want to share what we've learned with you!

Join Mary Erickson of Health Technology Services, department of Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, as she shares lessons learned, successes and obstacles. 

Wednesday, July 16, 2016 - 1-2 pm MDT
2016 Meaningful Use Mid Year Review
Presented by Health Technology Services
Webinar Description
Are you completing the needed tasks for Meaningful Use reporting for 2016?  Join Patty Kosednar, HTS Consultant, to review what you need to know and do to successfully attest to Meaningful Use for the 2016 reporting year.  We will also provide an overview of the alignment/conversion of the existing MU program into MACRA/MIPS for 2017.

Agenda
  • Review the of requirements for 2016 MU reporting
  • Share the list of tasks and deadlines needed to meet the requirements
  • Provide suggestions on how to overcome obstacles in reporting
  • Overview of MU program alignment with MACRA/MIPS for 2017
  • Open Q&A session

SAVE THE DATE for Upcoming HIPAA Webinars! 
Introduction to Essential Steps for HIPAA Compliance 
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
 1-2 p.m. MDT
 
Introduction to Preparing for a HIPAA Audit
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
1-2 p.m. MDT

Did You Miss our Latest Webinar - Are You Planning for 2016 PQRS?
Need help with your PQRS planning?  On May 18, Sarah Leake, Technology and Quality Consultant with Health Technology Services, reviewed changes in the 2016 PQRS program and key dates for scheduling your activities. We also looked at the pros and cons of group versus individual reporting as well as options you have for reporting.  View the recording and presentation slides.
 
Do you have a webinar topic you would like us to present?  Email your hot topic to Deb AndersonSee our upcoming webinars.
Top 5 What You Need to Know Now!
T1Meaningful Use (MU):  What should I be working on for 2016 MU?
We are about halfway through the year, and half way through your meaningful use reporting period for 2016.  Following are the items you should either have completed or be working on for providers and hospitals.
  • Confirm ongoing submission or active engagement with public health registries (or ability to take exclusions)
  • Determine your Medicaid eligibility (if appropriate)
  • Periodically run your YTD MU reports and check performance for all measures and correct workflows as needed
  • For the electronic access measure, have at least one patient seen view, download or transfer health information (1 per hospital  for EH, 1 per provider for EPs)
  • (EP only) For the electronic secure messaging measure - have at least one patient receive an electronic email via CEHRT (one per provider)
  • Perform or revise your HIPAA security risk assessment
Register now for the 2016 MU Mid Year Review webinar on July 16th where you will learn what the requirements are for 2016 MU reporting.  

See 2016 MU Resources

Find all the latest Meaningful Use resources on our HTS website. Need assistance with MU?  Please contact HTS for questions on MU and HIPAA SRA services.

Top2eClinical Quality Improvement(eCQI):  What are some ways to advance my quality improvement activities to increase performance on quality measures and improve outcomes?
Electronically facilitated clinical quality improvement (eCQI) uses a variety of processes and tools to help continuously improve care and support improved health. eCQI is not only about a set of health IT tools but also about helping people to design and maintain efficient processes that make effective use of technology to sustain continuous improvement cycles and optimize care quality and outcomes.  See more information from CMS on eCQI.
 
HTS has created an eCQI Toolkit to act as a practical guide to assist organizations with leveraging health information technology (HIT) and the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) process improvement methodology to support and advance their health quality improvement initiatives.  This toolkit is designed:
  • to provide eCQI tools and resources that may be used by organizations to help manage their eCQI priorities in an organized, efficient and repeatable manner
  • for use by inpatient and outpatient organizations who are currently utilizing certified EHRs to manage patient encounters
  • to help identify, align and manage quality initiatives for both internal and external QI goals  
Find all the latest eCQI resources on our HTS website. Need assistance with eCQI?  Please contact HTS.
 
Top3Meaningful Use (MU):  Workflows, Workflows, Workflows - why is everyone talking about workflows?
Everyone is talking about workflows because they are a key factor in improving the use of your EHR! How data is being entered into your system affects the downstream functionality and quality reporting from your system.

How do you get started looking at workflows? Where are your data errors?  What workflow irritates your users?  Start there!

You can get help looking at EHR workflows at our HTS website or email our workflow expert, Mary Erickson, HIT/Quality Improvement Consultant at Health Technology Services, or call at 406.521.0488.

Top4Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS):  Where can I find information on current PQRS participation and payment adjustments?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the 2014 Reporting Experience Including Trends (2007-2015), referred to as the 2014 PQRS Experience Report. 
The annual PQRS Experience Report provides data and trends on participation, incentive eligibility, incentive payments and payment adjustments as applicable since the beginning of PQRS, including measure performance and program participation broken down by specialty and geographic location. The full report can be found on the PQRS Analysis and Payment webpage.

Some highlights:
  • Participation increased by 11 percent in 2014 from 2013.
  • Participation via Electronic Health Record (EHR) more than doubled in number since 2013.
  • 558,885 EPs are currently subject to the 2016 PQRS negative payment adjustment.
  • The 2014 PQRS incentive payments paid equaled $224,088,411.
Read more information about PQRS, including information on how to avoid the negative payment adjustment.
 
Need help with PQRS - email Sarah Leake, HTS Health Technology and Quality Consultant, or check out our new 2016 HTS Services designed to help you stay current with changing regulations for MU, MACRA, PQRS and so much more.

T5HIPAA Security:  Being HIPAA compliant is part of how physicians will get paid in MACRA!
On April 27, CMS announced a proposed rule on how physicians will get paid under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).  The foundation of this new system is tying physician payments to quality and value, and is directly related to the Triple Aim of improving patient experience, improving population health and reducing costs.
 
Without going into the details -- what is important to know is that the MACRA regulation changes the fundamental Fee-For-Service (FFS) system that CMS has used since Medicare's enactment in 1966.  It is also important to know that in order to receive a substantial portion of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and maximize revenue opportunity, each provider will have to perform a HIPAA Security Risk Analysis (SRA) within their practice.  Protecting patient health information is a requirement of MIPS, and failure to meet this requirement will result in a hit to your payments.
   


Need help with your organization's privacy and security requirements? Email Susan Clarke, ISCCertified Health Care Information Security and Privacy Practitioner with Health Technology Services, or call 307.248.8179.  
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
  
Share Your IT Issues and Challenges
ONC has launched an easy way to share your concerns about health IT certification, safety, usability, and information blocking.  An easy-to-use online form is now available as a single point of entry to address concerns you may have with your health IT products.
 
This centralized and streamlined customer service process will also help ONC understand your key challenges-including potential ways to address information blocking and improve the security, safety, and usability of health IT.
 

New Quality Payment Program Resource Webpages

Find the latest CMS resources on Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs), Advancing Care Information (ACI), upcoming webinars, fact sheets, timelines and more.
 

Register for Upcoming MACRA Webinars

MIPS:  Clinical Practice Improvement Activities (CPIA) Overview
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
12 - 1 pm EST

MIPS Scoring Overview
Friday, June 17, 2016
12 - 1 pm EST

MIPS:  Clinical Practice Improvement Activities (CPIA) Overview
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
12 - 1 pm EST
Register Now

MIPS Scoring Overview 
Friday, June 24, 2016
12 - 1 pm pm EST
Register Now

Hospital Patient Safety Improves and Hospital Readmissions Reduced

According to a May 25th CMS Blog, progress continues towards a safer health care system through integrated efforts to improve patient safety and improve hospital reductions.
 
Dr. Patrick Conway, CMS Chief Medical Officer states  "...A report released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality back in December showed an unprecedented 39 percent reduction in preventable patient harm in U.S. hospitals compared to the 2010 baseline. This has resulted in 2.1 million fewer patients harmed, 87,000 lives saved, and nearly $20 billion in cost-savings from 2010 to 2014. The nation has also made substantial progress in reducing 30-day hospital readmissions."
 
Read full CMS Blog
 
Clinic Corner
Are you familiar with the new MACRA proposed ruling that will replace MU for Medicare EPs?  Stay current with the latest MU and PQRS information and webinars in the Clinic Corner at our HTS website.

Hospital Corner
Do you know what to do to meet EHR Incentive Program requirements for 2016?  Visit the Hospital Corner at our HTS website for the latest webinars and current information you need to know.

When will your SLR be available for 2015 MU Medicaid Attestation?
Below are the various state level registry websites and deadlines for 2015 Meaningful Use attestation.

EPs - 4/29 - 6/30
EHs - 9/30 - 11/30

EPs - 4/29 - 6/30
EHs - opens in August

EPs - opens mid April
EHs - opens mid August

EPs - 5/2 - 6/30

Access a copy of Wyoming's updated Medicaid manual 2016 WY EP Meaningful Use Manual Stage 2.

QIO Corner
NHRI Wants Your Feedback at the National Payment Reform Summit

On June 17 the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) will host a National Payment Reform Summit in Washington DC.

The final plenary session at the end of the day will be streamed live to share the recommendations from the Summit's working sessions.

NHRI would like to get your reactions and feedback during the live stream.
 
During the first week of June, Mountain-Pacific will email details on how to join the live stream on June 17. Stay tuned!

Come See Us
Sept 7-8, 2016
Be sure to visit us at the 2016 Wyoming Hospital Association Annual Meeting and Conference in Cheynne, WY.
 
Sept 28-30, 2016
Stop by and see us at the 2016 Montana Hospital Association Annual Meeting and Conference in Billings, MT.
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 Deb Anderson for details.
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