What's New at the PHO
Rhode Island Regional Extension Center(REC)
Introducing Rhode Island's newest ally in health IT
DocEHRtalk.org is now the home of the newly established Rhode Island Regional Extension Center (REC). Formed from a federal grant program to advance the use of electronic health records (EHRs), REC's mission is to work with healthcare providers across all stages of an EHR adoption in order to ease the process and aid in the achievement of meaningful use standards. REC and DocEHRtalk.org are operated by the Rhode Island Quality Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety, and value of healthcare in the state and is made possible with the generous support of The Rhode Island Foundation, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and other partners.
Meaningful Use Final Rule!
July 13th, 2009 - Health information technology has the potential to improve health care quality, increase the efficiency of the care delivery system, reduce health disparities, and further engage patients and families in their health care.
Realizing the full benefits of an electronic health record (EHR) requires use in a meaningful way. As you are well aware, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 gave authority to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) to provide incentives for providers who become meaningful users of certified EHRs. Click here for an overview of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program Final Rule.
The Final Rule for Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certificate Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology has also been posted and can be found here.
Summary Overview for "Meaningful Use" Objectives
NCQA Certification Survey Program
The National Committee on Quality Assurance Physician Practice Certification Survey Program is dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA has been a central figure in driving improvement throughout the health care system, helping to elevate the issue of health care quality to the top of the national agenda. To receive NCQA recognition you must complete a rigorous, comprehensive review and must annually report on performance. NCQA recognition is a reliable indicator that your practice is well-managed and delivers high quality care and service.
» Learn more about the NCQA Certification Survey Program
ICD-10 Implementation
The department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has mandated the replacement of the ICD-9-CM code sets medical coders and billers in the United States use now to report health care diagnoses and procedures with ICD-10 code sets, effective Oct. 1, 2013. This will radically change the way coding is currently done; the code-set will grow from its current 17,000 codes to more than 141,000, and the format is new with seven alpha-numeric codes instead of five numeric digits. These dramatic changes, and others, will require very significant effort to implement, and the time to prepare is now.
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PHO Office
101 Dudley Street
Providence, RI 02905
Phone
(401) 274-1122 ext. 2067
Fax
(401) 453-7597 |
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