Financial Services

Spurred on by Meaningful Use, there has been an explosion in the implementation of EHRs over the last several years. This tidal wave has been sweeping through the healthcare community, sucking up much of the available bandwidth that organizations have to deal with change of this magnitude. The effect is really no different than what […]

Farzad Mostashari , in a meeting with the National Quality Forum in late April, says, “In 2016, it’s going to be rare to find a doctor without EHRs.” He went on to say we need to “… find people who have done it, who understand deeply what it takes and not just the challenges but […]

Perficient recently paired up with Epic Systems to create the first integration of the two systems in the U.S. for DuPage Medical Group. The solution also incorporates the Microsoft Business Intelligence solution, which improves reporting accuracy to drive business efficiency.

On April 17, 2012 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a proposed rule that would delay, from October 1, 2013 to October 1, 2014, the compliance date for the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition diagnosis and procedure codes (ICD-10). HHS is seeking comments by May 17. The proposed rule extends the […]

We all know that the healthcare delivery system in the United States is decentralized. Patient information is in multiple sources and often times not even accurate or complete. This fragmented system leads to large gaps in care, contributing to poor quality, patient safety issues and increased costs. A nationwide audit assessing 439 quality indicators found […]

Two recent studies have published conflicting results regarding the correlation between EHR/ HIE usage and the number of tests ordered by physicians. First, a general comparison of the studies and their outcomes: The study Bridging the Chasm: Effect of Health Information Exchange on Volume of Laboratory Testing concluded that doctors order fewer lab tests when […]

While we discuss the ICD-9 to ICD-10 conversion mandate, many people are questioning the value of such a change. Questioning change is a good thing, but by now we all know that updating from an outdated 1970s code set to a more modern 1990s code set is critical for providers to be accurately compensated for […]

In a recent article by John Lynn, he explains that ACOs are a good idea, but physicians can influence the outcomes and not control the outcomes. In my earlier blog I started to explain that ACO success and longevity will depend on changing patient behavior. This starts with the physicians. For decades, patients, and some […]

Choosing your clearinghouse or VAN is a very important step, especially if you are in healthcare. In healthcare you need to make sure they are HIPAA compliant, which means they will be able to handle all the mandated transaction sets. Other industries have different requirements. Whichever clearinghouse you choose, you need to make sure they […]

Since Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen G. Sebelius announced that HHS will initiate a process to postpone the date by which certain health care entities have to comply with International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition diagnosis and procedure codes (ICD-10), the healthcare industry is still trying to figure out the scope and the impact […]

I was reading my collegue Mike Berard’s blog, on ICD-10 Revenue Neutrality: A Strategic Approach. We have discussed the importance of testing before production between Payer and Provider (e.g., Physicians and facilities). In his 2nd to last paragraph Mike proposes the following: “The reality is that Revenue Neutrality verification is still subject to the availability […]

About a year ago I blogged, “Will we be reading in 2011 ACOs partner with large carriers?” I am hearing that carriers are staying away from ACOs and are not planning on partnering. What have you heard? Was my assumption incorrect in 2011?