New Online Interactive Tool from CMS Aims to Simplify Quality Payment Program for Clinicians
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In October, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Quality Payment Program website, an interactive site to help clinicians understand the program and successfully participate. The release, commonly referred to as an Application Program Interface (API), builds on that site by making it easier for other organizations to retrieve and maintain the Quality Payment Program's measures and enable them to build applications for clinicians and their practices.
The API, available at
qpp.cms.gov/education, will allow developers to write software using the information described on the Explore Measures section of
QPP.cms.gov. Based on interviews with clinicians, CMS created the Explores Measures tool, which enables clinicians and practice managers to select measures that likely fit their practice, assemble them into a group, and print or save them for reference. Already, tens of thousands of people are using this
tool.
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DARS and HQI Present Master Trainer Course for Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
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Last week, the
Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
and
Health Quality Innovators (HQI)
presented a four and a half-day Master Trainer course for the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program in Richmond. Pictured are Jim Rothrock, DARS Commissioner, with Venisha Lambert, Erica Morrison, Michelle White and April Holmes. This course expands the number of master trainers available to train other leaders and facilitate chronic disease workshops in communities across the state.
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Time Running Out For Annual Security Risk Analysis
Time is running out in 2016 if you have not already done your annual security risk analysis to demonstrate Meaningful Use. These assessments are also required to remain compliant with HIPAA regulations through the Office of Civil Rights.
Having solid privacy and security policies are important for your patients' privacy and your practice's protection, and maintaining the privacy and security of health information is a legal requirement for all health care providers. Even if your electronic health record (EHR) is ONC-certified, you are still responsible for meeting privacy and security requirements for electronic health information.
Health Quality Innovators (HQI) continually monitors changes to Meaningful Use privacy and security regulations and can help you meet these objectives and take the proper steps to protect data and patient privacy. Our highly-trained professionals can show you how to navigate the challenges associated with privacy and security risk mitigation, business contingency planning and continued compliance as privacy and security requirements change. Let us show you how these safeguards can shield patients from possible identity theft and protect the reputation of your practice.
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Succeeding Under MACRA's Merit-Based Incentive Payment System: How EvidenceNOW Can Help
Small and medium-sized primary care practices face substantial challenges in meeting the requirements of The Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act (
MACRA) of 2015's Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), an ambitious value-based payment system that adjusts Medicare payments based on clinical quality, practice improvement activities, electronic health record (EHR) capabilities, and resource use. Because of that, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initially predicted that solo and small practices would be the groups most financially penalized by MIPS, with 87% of solo practices receiving reductions in payments. This is because the major challenge that small and medium-sized practices face is that they often don't have the resources or infrastructure to report data or to engage in the types of quality improvement work envisioned by MIPS. Through the work and data of
EvidenceNOW, there are lessons to help all small practices succeed under value-based payment.
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Controlling Cholesterol for Maintaining Cardiovascular Health
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Thursday, December 15 from noon to 1 PM
Join us at noon on December 15, as guest speaker, Adrian Stephens, PharmD, a pharmacy resident at Williamson Medical Center, discusses the importance of controlling cholesterol for maintaining cardiovascular health. Dr. Stephens will describe practical strategies providers can implement to address common patient barriers.
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Understanding Opioids to Improve Outcomes, Safety
Listen as Dr. Don Teater from Teater Health Solutions identifies the relative effectiveness of common pain medications and examines alternative treatments for pain that will improve clinical outcomes and reduce costs. Continuing education credit is available for this recording. Access the recording
here.
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The Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship
The Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship provides a framework for antibiotic stewardship for outpatient clinicians and facilities that routinely provide antibiotic treatment.
Access the CDC report regarding this framework.
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Final Recommendation: Statin Use for the Primary Prevention of Heart Disease in Adults
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on statin use
for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults. The Task Force found that statin use
is beneficial for some people ages 40 to 75 years who are at increased risk for cardiovascular
disease, but did not find enough evidence to recommend for or against statin use for people older
than age 75 years. To view the recommendation and the evidence on which it is based, please click
here
.
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