Some Ah-Ha Moments in CMS’s Stage 2 Rules of the EHR Incentive Program
Health Data Management – August 27, 2012
Health IT experts who have closely read the stage 2 meaningful use rules are pleased with some of its provisions, including the extended compliance deadline for hospitals, provisions for hardship exemptions and the simplified number of functional and clinical quality EHR measures. The final rule presents some challenges, though, including the requirements for patient accessing of EHRs and use of secure messaging.

Support and Concern Over ICD-10 Delay
HealthcareITNews – August 27, 2012
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Aug. 24 decision finalizing a one-year delay for the ICD-10 switchover has elicited both favor and concern among industry groups.

U.S. Performs Worst on Potentially Preventable Death Rates Compared to France, Germany, and the U.K.; U.S. Also Improving at Slowest Pace
Commonwealth Fund – August 29, 2012
The United States lags three other industrialized nations—France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—in its potentially preventable death rate, and in the pace of improvement in preventing deaths that could have been avoided with timely and effective health care, according to a Commonwealth Fund–supported study published as a web first online today in Health Affairs.

N.Y. Makes Rx Database Mandatory for Doctors and Pharmacists
Silive.com – August 28, 2012
Doctors will be required to check a database before writing a prescription for commonly abused drugs, and pharmacists will be required to enter dispensing information into the database under a law signed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The database tracks whether patients are bouncing from doctor to doctor to stockpile prescriptions of drugs like oxycodone.

The CIO as the (IT) Supply Chain Manager
GIGOM – August 26, 2012
The role that IT plays is transforming. Thus, the skills, roles, and tools for CIOs have to transform too. Why? If the trend toward cloud-based services continues, then the role of the CIO will shift from being a builder/technologist to becoming an integrator/vendor-manager.

Implementing Insurance Exchanges — Lessons from Europe
NEJM – August 23, 2012
State-based health insurance exchanges are a key component of the health care reforms included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Starting in January 2014, each state’s exchange will provide a marketplace where individuals and small employers can compare and purchase health plans. The idea is both to expand health insurance coverage and to foster competition among insurers, thereby promoting cost containment.

Big Grant Aims to Help Patients Maintain Dignity
WSJ – August 28, 2012
large health-care grant unveiled Tuesday is aimed at tackling an often overlooked side effect of hospital care: the loss of dignity that afflicts particularly sick patients.

WElkins’ Device to Manage Patient Temperature Gets FDA OK
Becker’s – August 28, 2012
WElkins has obtained clearance from the FDA for its EMT/ICU device, which is used to help providers manage patient temperature across the entire care continuum less invasively. The company aims to offer the device on the U.S. market immediately, with plans for global expansion in early 2013.