1. Bill would shorten MU reporting periods from 1 year to 3 months.
EHR Intelligence reports that several legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced the Flexibility in Health IT Reporting (Flex-IT) Act of 2015, which if enacted, would shorten the meaningful use (MU) reporting period for the various electronic health records (EHR) Incentive Programs from 365 days to 3-month quarters during 2015. Supporters of the bill argue that, with as many as one-third of eligible hospitals applying for MU hardship exemptions, a reduced MU reporting period is necessary. A previous attempt to pass similar legislation failed to pass before the 113th Congress adjourned. Read more…
Read the bill…
Other News
2. Study: What factors increase risk of SSI in pediatric spinal fusion patients?
A study published in the Jan. 15 issue of the journal Spine attempts to identify risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI) in pediatric spinal fusion patients. The authors conducted a matched, case-control study of 598 pediatric patients who underwent spinal fusion at a single center; SSI developed in 22 patients. Factors associated with increased risk of SSI were weight-for-age at the 95th percentile or higher, American Society of Anesthesiologists score 3 or more, and prolonged operation duration. Overall, gram-negative organisms caused more than 50 percent of SSIs. On average, SSI was associated with 2.8 days of additional postoperative length of stay. The authors state that neuromuscular scoliosis was the only factor significantly associated with hospital readmission.
Read the abstract…
3. Study: When fasciotomy wounds can’t be closed during first post-fasciotomy procedure, should skin grafting be considered?
Findings published online in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma suggest that early skin grafting should be considered when fasciotomy wounds are not able to be closed during their first post-fasciotomy surgical procedure. The researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of 104 patients with acute compartment syndrome in the setting of a tibia fracture. Overall, 19 patients were treated with delayed primary closure (DPC), while 42 were closed with split thickness skin grafting (STSG) in a subsequent procedure. Of the remaining 43 patients, three were treated with DPC during their second debridement. The researchers found that no patients who underwent more than two washouts could be treated with DPC, and no patients who sustained open fractures were able to be closed by DPC. They noted that patients who underwent STSG on their first post-fasciotomy procedure had a significantly shorter hospital stay than patients who underwent additional procedures prior to closure.
Read the abstract…
4. Billing, insurance paperwork inefficiencies cost $375 billion annually.
According to a study published online in the journal BMC Health Services Research, inefficiency in medical billing and insurance-related paperwork may cost the U.S. economy as much as $375 billion per year. The research team reviewed billing and insurance-related (BIR) costs across a variety of healthcare sectors, and found that BIR costs in the U.S. healthcare system totaled approximately $471 billion in 2012. Overall, they estimated costs to be $70 billion to physician practices, $74 billion to hospitals, $94 billion in settings providing other health services and supplies, $198 billion to private insurers, and $35 billion to public insurers. Compared to a simplified financing system, defined as a single-payer such as U.S. Medicare, the research team estimates that 80 percent of total BIR costs in the United States may be linked to overhead under the current multipayer system. Read more…
Read the complete study (PDF)…
5. Massachusetts.
According to a report from the Massachusetts Center for Health Information and Analysis, acute care hospitals in the commonwealth improved from 2011 to 2013 and scored favorably compared to national results, based on a composite score of patient safety indicators. However, the report finds that 80 percent of Massachusetts hospitals received penalties for excessive readmissions from 2011 to 2012—a rate that the Boston Business Journal says would make Massachusetts the fourth-most penalized state in the United States. Read more…
Read the complete report (PDF)…
6. North Carolina.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has released an online cost tool to help consumers compare costs for various medical procedures. The Charlotte Observer notes that some procedures vary widely in price, citing knee arthroplasty as an example, which the paper says ranges from $20,000 to $40,000 in the Charlotte area alone. A spokesperson for the insurer says that the stated costs are all-inclusive, and combine fees for factors such as facilities, anesthesiology, pathology, and physicians. Read more…
View the online tool…
7. AAOS computer systems to undergo planned maintenance; partial shutdown begins tomorrow, Jan. 15.
Beginning at noon CT, on Thursday, Jan. 15 AAOS will be upgrading its business computer systems. During the upgrade, all AAOS eCommerce will be unavailable. Online Annual Meeting registration will remain open, but members will need to log in using their last name as their user name and their AAOS membership number as the password. Members will also be able to access JAAOS content at the jaaos.org website by logging in using their AAOS membership number (without the leading zeros) as their username and their last name (with the first letter capitalized) as the password. Normal service is expected to resume by 8 a.m. CT, on Tuesday, Jan. 20. AAOS customer service will be available by phone to assist with product purchases, course registrations, dues payments, and any other questions at 1-800-626-6726. (International callers, please dial +1-847-823-7186.) AAOS apologizes for the inconvenience.
8. Call for volunteers: HHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections.
AAOS seeks to nominate interested members to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections (SACHRP). SACHRP provides advice and recommendations to the secretary of HHS on protections for human subjects in research. Applicants for this position must be active fellows, candidate members, candidate members osteopathic, candidate member applicants for fellowship, or candidate member applicants for fellowship osteopathic. In addition, all applicants must provide the following: an online AAOS CAP application, a current curriculum vitae, a 100-word biosketch, and a letter of interest highlighting his or her expertise in the subject area and a statement that he or she is able to participate in full capacity. All supporting materials must be submitted by Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. CT, to Kyle Shah at shah@aaos.org.
Learn more and submit your application…(member login required)
