On Friday, HHS announced the Regional Extension Center ("REC") awards and the State Health Information Exchange ("HIE") awards. The funding for these programs comes from the Recovery Act and is part of the EHR initiative. The State HIE money is … [Continue reading]
OFM Releases 2010 State Health Resources Strategy
January 29, 2010 By
In May of 2007 the Washington Legislature passed SB 5930 providing for the creation of a new Strategic Health Planning Office in the Office of Financial Management (OFM). The purpose of this office is to establish health planning policies and goals … [Continue reading]
Change in Property Tax Exemption for NonProfit Hospitals
January 28, 2010 By
A revised WAC 458-16-260 – Nonprofit day care centers, libraries, orphanages, homes for sick or inform, hospitals, outpatient dialysis facilities – will take effect at the end of January 2010, clarifying what property owned by a nonprofit hospital is … [Continue reading]
HHS Issues Meaningful Use & EHR Incentive Payment Proposed Regulations
December 30, 2009 By
The much awaited proposed regulations regarding the ARRA incentive funds and "meaningful use" have finally been released. HHS has issued the proposed rules for the Medicare & Medicaid Programs & EHR Incentive Program (556 pages) and … [Continue reading]
Final Physician Supervision Rules for Hospital Outpatient Therapeutic and Diagnostic Services for CY 2010
December 2, 2009 By
CMS recently released the CY 2010 Outpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule. The Final Rule finalized, among many other items, several provisions concerning physician supervision of hospital outpatient therapeutic and diagnostic services … [Continue reading]
Health Information Exchange
November 22, 2009 By
Earlier this month Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, published a letter describing the benefits of health information exchange. In his letter, Dr. Blumenthal highlights four aims of health information … [Continue reading]
FTC Extends Enforcement Deadline for Red Flags Rule to June 1, 2010.
November 2, 2009 By
The FTC has extended the deadline for enforcement of the Red Flags Rule until June 1, 2010, at the request of Congress. This delay comes on the heels of a U.S. District Court ruling on October 30, 2009, which held that the FTC may not apply the Red … [Continue reading]
Critical Access Hospital Bed Limit Temporarily Waived for H1N1
November 1, 2009 By
This past week, President Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius officially declared a national state of emergency allowing Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) to exceed the daily limit of 25 occupied beds. This is not an indefinite waiver of the … [Continue reading]
HIT Policy Committee Meeting Re: Meaningful Use for Specialists & Smaller Practices/Hospitals
October 19, 2009 By
The Office of the National Coordinator published this recent announcement: The HIT Policy Committee will be holding a two-day meeting, October 27 and October 28, focusing on specialists, smaller physician practices, small community hospitals, etc. … [Continue reading]
Final Meaningful Use Matrix
October 14, 2009 By
Recently, Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, issued a press release regarding “meaningful use” and the recommendations of the HIT Policy Committee. The HIT Policy Committee was charged with making … [Continue reading]
