Healthcare IT News For VARs — September 26, 2014

By Megan Williams, contributing writer

In this week’s news, a conflict with an IT solutions provider shuts down access to 4,000 patient files, and CMS prepares for ICD-10 implementation…again. A survey shows almost half of behavior health organizations are thinking of changing their electronic health records (EHR) systems, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an Oct. 3 deadline for volunteers to sign up for end-to-end ICD-10 testing.

Conflict With IT Solutions Provider Leaves Practice Without EHR Access

Patient data is being held by an EHR solutions provider from a rural primary care provider because of a dispute. Full Circle Health stopped paying its monthly fees to CompuGroup, largely because of billing disputes over alleged undelivered hardware and overcharging. In response, CompuGroup shut down access to the practice’s cloud-based files of 4,000 patients. According to the Boston Globe, the shutdown poses a serious health risk to the patients who depend on the practice for healthcare. 

Behavioral Health Organizations Considering Changing EHRs

According to Globe News Wire, almost half of behavioral health organizations are thinking of changing their EHR systems. A survey conducted by Core Solutions revealed that the health and human services market is seeing major shifts in their attitudes about their technology. The survey focused on areas including the following:

• EHR satisfaction
• Behavioral health organization executive motivations for looking at new technology solutions
• The leading cost categories for EHR implementation and operations failure
• Growing demand for innovation in the use of technology

A web briefing to discuss additional findings of the survey will be conducted on Sept. 30, 2014.

CMS Volunteer Testing Deadline Approaching

CMS has announced an October 3 deadline for volunteers to sign up for their end-to-end ICD-10 testing. Testing is slated to begin in January of 2015 and selected volunteers will be notified by Oct. 24, 2014. CMS conducts these tests to demonstrate that organizations are able to successfully submit claims that use the newly implemented ICD-10 code set. Read more at Health Data Management.

CMS Hosting National ICD-10 Provider Call

CMS will host a 90-minute National Provider call to discuss issues around ICD-10 implementation. The call will cover these areas:

• The final rule that set the Oct. 1, 2015 implementation date
• Medicare fee-for-service testing
• The MS-DRG (Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groups) conversion project
• A partial code freeze and annual code updates
• Plans for National Coverage Determinations and Local Coverage Determinations
• Home health conversions
• Claims spanning the implementation date

The call, open to solutions providers, begins at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and can be registered for here. Registration closes at 12 p.m. the day of the call.

EMS System Industry Market Research Report Available

IBISWorld has released a report on the EMR market covering demand and growth in the EMR sector. According to Digital Journal, the industry is characterized most pointedly by a low level of market share concentration. Read more about the industry and accessing the report here.

Healthcare IT Talking Points

The summit, held in San Francisco on Tuesday, addressed issues around social-minded projects and their disconnect from actual application. It covered the use of technology in real-world health applications like spotting the rise of the Ebola virus nine days before the World Health Organization, and extending benefits like those deeper into the healthcare arena. Read more on this and the use of machines and technology in empowering human endeavors at ZDNet.  

For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Healthcare IT Resource Center.