Healthcare IT News For VARs — August 22, 2014
By Megan Williams, contributing writer
In this week’s news, data breaches and ACOs face barriers to IT implementation.
Moberly Medical Faces HIPAA Data Breach
A criminal cyberattack by a foreign-based intruder has led to the breach of five years of records for patients seen at Moberly Medical Clinics in Missouri. The breach has affected about 4.5 million people in the county area. The information compromised includes patient names, social security numbers, phone numbers, and addresses. Moberly reports that credit card information and medical records were not compromised. The company has filed a report with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission and cleaned the offending malware from its systems. It has also taken measures to prevent future breaches. All affected patients will be notified through the mail. More information is available at ABC 17 News.
ACOs Tackle Barriers To Health IT Implementation
According to Health IT Outcomes, a survey conducted by eHealth Intiative and Premier Inc. has revealed that most ACOs have not progressed from the collection stage of health data, to using it for analysis and care coordination. Few ACOs participate in health information exchanges (HIEs) or even view achieving seamless integration to be strategically important. Key findings include information around how many ACOs offer EHRs (86 percent), their use of messaging, application of revenue cycle and customer relationship management, and use (or lack thereof) of advanced health IT elements.
First CMS ICD-10 Webcast Launched
CMS has announced the on-demand availability in its “Road to 10” series. This first presentation addresses details about the agency’s offerings to small practices in transitioning to ICD-10. Initial Q&A sessions revealed concerns about vendor readiness, according to EHR Intelligence. The webcast is the first in a series that is a key a part of CMS’ effort to aid the healthcare industry in transitioning to the new code set.
Apple Approaches Senior Market With EHR Tech
The announcement of Apple’s HealthKit service has the industry watching to see what innovations it brings with it. To connect with the senior market, the company has been in talks with providers at Mount Sinai, the Cleveland Clinic, and Johns Hopkins, as well as Allscripts, to discuss how the tool can be used for caregivers and patients. The announcement holds special promise for seniors, because Apple’s technology would give providers the ability to better monitor patients between visits. Read more at Senior Housing News.
Healthcare IT Talking Points
According to Premier Inc., an alliance of 3,000 hospitals and 110,000 other healthcare providers, health data is lacking in context. A letter they sent this week to the Senate Finance Committee warned that government efforts to increase transparency needed to consider context in order to bring value to consumers. Premier cautioned the senators that “broad release of provider payment data, without proper context, explanation and linkages to quality and other factors, can lead to incomplete and inaccurate conclusions by patients and other users.” Read more at Health Data Management.
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Healthcare IT Resource Center.