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     An e-NEWSLETTER from Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network                                  October 7, 2015
CHRONIC LOUD NOISE LINKED TO HEART DISEASE

A recent study found that people with long-term exposure to loud noise at work or in leisure activities may be at increased risk of heart disease.
Researchers found the strongest link in working-age people with high-frequency hearing loss, which is typically the result of chronic noise exposure.FREE
  
"Compared with people with normal high-frequency hearing, people with bilateral high-frequency hearing loss were approximately two times more likely to have coronary heart disease," said lead author Dr. Wen Qi Gan of the University of Kentucky College of Public Health in Lexington.
  
Read the full study to learn more.
IS THE CHANGING HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE DIZZYING? WE CAN HELP.
  FREE
As a physician, you are committed to providing the best care for your patients while maintaining the financial viability of your practice. As we adjust to an ever-changing healthcare landscape, many practices struggle to make sense of new requirements of quality reporting, reimbursement and health information technology, along with how to delve into population health management. 
 
Quality Insights understands these challenges and has created an array of no-cost initiatives to help your practice improve financial performance, successfully participate in incentive programs, avoid Medicare payment penalties and demonstrate better outcomes for patients.
 
Quality Insights can help your practice with:
  • PQRS, Quality Reporting and Incentive Programs
  • Cardiac Health Improvement
  • Diabetes Care and Self-Management
  • Health Information Technology and Meaningful Use
  • Adult Immunization Practices and Rates
Learn more about how your practice can benefit from participating in one or more of these free initiatives. Contact us today.
breaking news:
ehr meaningful use rules finalized

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a 752-page final rule covering three components of the electronic health records Meaningful Use program. The rule finalizes modifications to Stages 1 and 2; the 2015 edition of electronic health records certification criteria; and Stage 3 of Meaningful Use.

 

For years 2015-2017, providers participating in the electronic health records Meaningful Use program will have far fewer objectives and measures to report under final rule making. Download the MU Measures 2015 thru 2017 table now.  

 

Many of the measures have "topped out," meaning they have substantially been adopted and are commonly used so they no longer need to be attested to under the Meaningful Use program, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

 

The dropped measures are:

  • Eligible Professionals: Record demographics, vital signs and smoking status; clinical summaries, structured lab results, patient list, patient reminders, summary of care (Measure 1-Any Method and Measure 3-Test), electronic notes, imaging results and family health history.
  • Hospitals: Record demographics, vital signs and smoking status; structured lab results, patient list, summary of care (Measure 1-Any Method and Measure 3-Test), eMAR, advanced directives, electronic notes, imaging results, family health history and structured labs to ambulatory providers.

 

While removing these measures from the Meaningful Use reporting process, CMS in a final rule issued on Oct. 6 encourages continued use in daily practice. "The removal of these measures is in no way intended as a withdrawal of an endorsement for these best practices or to discourage providers from conducting and tracking these activities for their own quality improvement goals. Instead, we would no longer require providers to calculate and attest to the results of these measures in order to demonstrate Meaningful Use beginning in 2015."

 

The final rule, which also finalizes Stage 3 of Meaningful Use-the last stage-is available here.

FREE CARDIOSMART INFOGRAPHIC POSTERS ENCOURAGE PATIENTS TO TAKE HEART
 
Medication adherence is a challenge for many patients who are at risk for or live with cardiovascular disease. To address this issue, the American College of Cardiology created an infographic poster to help patients understand the importance of medication adherence. This infographic is just one in a series of free posters that make great additions to waiting and exam rooms.
 FREE
The two latest posters in the series focus on cholesterol and atrial fibrillation. Check out the whole series of CardioSmart's posters, which includes posters focusing on active living, blood pressure, cardiac rehab, heart attack, heart valve disease and stroke.
 
Practices may request up to 25 infographic posters at no charge. You may also download the files and print them as flyers for your patients.
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QRUR WEBINAR RECORDING AND HANDOUTS AVAILABLE
 
Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network recently hosted a webinar to help physician practices better understand Quality Resource Use Reports (QRURs). If you missed the Obtaining and Understanding Your QRUR: Why Quality Ratings Matter webinar, you can still benefit from the information presented. All handouts, along with a recording and transcript, from the webinar are available online.
 
The presentation featured Barbara Connors, D.O., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer, and Patrick Hamilton, Health Insurance Specialist. Both of these experts are from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Philadelphia Regional Office.
 
To download the webinar recording, handouts and transcript. visit our Archived Events webpage.
  
ContactUsCONTACt us
  • Learn more about  how your practice can improve cardiac care - contact Kevin Massino.
  • Seek assistance with quality reporting programs - contact Dawn Strawser.
  • Achieve meaningful use and maximize your electronic health record's efficiency - contact Kathy Rivard.

This material was prepared by Quality Insights, the Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization for West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Louisiana under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. QI-B1-B4-D1-100215