The following excerpt is from an article found on Medical Economics. It was written by Joseph Burns. --------------------------- Beginning in 2019, the new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), which is part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), will raise the focus on physician performance measurement to a new level. Robert A. Berenson, MD, a fellow at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC, recently authored an article in JAMA Forum critical of the legislation’s focus on doctors’ performance on what he calls a few, random, unreliable measures that he says give a misleading view of a physician’s work. A board-certified internist who practiced for 20 years before pursuing a health policy career, Berenson is one of the nation’s best-known health policy experts. He has served on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, has headed up Medicare payment policy and private health plan contracting in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and served as an assistant director of the White House Domestic Policy Staff under President Carter.

The following excerpt is from an article found on PR Newswire. It was written by The Advisory Board. ----------------------------------------- While care transformation continues to lead the list of concerns for hospital and health system executives, this year two of the top four topics relate to patients' non-clinical needs, according to The Advisory Board Company's Annual Health Care CEO Survey. Specifically, meeting consumer expectations and patient engagement made notable moves up the list.

The following excerpt is from an article found RevCycleIntelligence.com. It was written by Vera Gruessner. ------------------------------- Revenue cycle management remains relatively elusive in the new healthcare landscape, as new regulations and reforms have led the industry to evolve and left many hospitals scrambling to keep their revenue strong in a value-based care reimbursement model. Today, technology platforms can play a role in assisting providers, payers, and consumers communicate and interact more efficiently, which will lead to a more durable revenue cycle management strategy. There are several key areas that revenue cycle managers could focus on to ensure their medical facility optimized their reimbursement.

The following excerpt is from an article found on Revcycleintelligence.com. It was written by Catherine Sampson. ------------------------ In some cases, definitions for terms and acronyms related to healthcare revenue cycle management can come across as fairly straightforward. Other times, they can sound more like a foreign language. A healthcare professional may find it difficult to fully comprehend various acronyms, such as MIPS and MACRA, as various agencies word their definitions/interpretation of laws slightly differently. Listed below are definitions as well as supporting details for phrases that come up all over the place for anyone who does a Google search on “healthcare revenue cycle management.

The following excerpt is from an article found on Health Data Management. It was written by Joseph Goedert. -------------------------------------- Physician practices that implement new electronic health records/practice management system should use them to target a short list of efficiency goals and clinical outcomes to gain the biggest initial impact from their investment, an expert in implementing these systems advises.

The following excerpt is from an article found on HIT Consultant. It was written by Catalyze’s Travis Good who talks about why there’s more to EHR integration than the API. --------------------------- Last year digital health funding reached $5.8 billion, leaving no question that the potential is aplenty for ambitious health-tech innovators. Still, it takes more than seed funding to bear fruit in this market. While innovating in digital health may truly be something, integrating in digital health—well, that’s everything.

The following excerpt is from an article found on Harvard Business Review. It was written by William B. Weeks, MD and James N. Weinstein, DO. ------------------------------------------------- In health care, value accrues to patients, insurers, and society at large. We believe that patients’ perceptions of value are what really matter and that insurers and society derive more value when patients are served well.

The following excerpt is from an article found on www.ehrinpractice.com. It was written by Jeff Green. ---------------------------- A consequence of EHR products including more functionality has been the development of the market for EHR software integrations or add-ons that further enhance functionality. A software add-on is any third-party software program or script that is added to a program and enhances it by providing additional features and abilities. For example, Adobe Flash is a software add-on that gives Internet browsers the capability to watch flash movies or play flash games.

The following excerpt is from an article found on EHR Intelligence. It was written by Sara Heath. ----------------------------- When it comes to patient engagement, efforts must go beyond checking boxes. Patient engagement is increasing in importance in the healthcare industry, with several initiatives requiring patient access to health information and other patient engagement functionalities such meaningful use and accountable care organizations. However, creating a genuine connection with a patient and then getting him to engage with his care outside of the doctor’s office can often present quite a challenge.

The following excerpt is from an article found on Revcycleintelligence.com. It was written by Jacqueline DiChiara. ---------------------- “The front-end of the revenue cycle must be diligent with determining Medicaid eligibility and assist uninsured patients understand their coverage options with the insurance exchanges." RevCycleIntelligence.com recently polled over 60 readers to assess revenue cycle management challenges and opportunities, from the front-end, to the back-end, and everything in between.