News From Around the Web
> The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has extended the comment period for the proposed rule that would require a controlling health plan to submit compliance documentation for three electronic transactions adopted under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Third-party administrators and self-insured plans now have until April 3, 2014, to submit feedback. Proposed Rule
> The United States can boost the economy and create jobs under a single-payer healthcare system that eliminates pharmaceutical monopolies and "administrative bloat," according to University of Massachusetts economics Professor Gerald Friedman, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported. Article
> A group of health insurers--including Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Cigna, Health Net, Kaiser Permanente and WellPoint, among others--have gone live on a patient registry that automatically identifies patients eligible for coverage under more than one plan and which plan pays first, according to Health Data Management. Article
> Gary Cohen, the director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), will resign at the end of the month, LifeHealthPro reported. Article
Health IT News
> The president's proposed 2015 budget includes $3.9 billion for IT projects within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The funds will be focused on expanding digital access to services and eliminating the claims backlog, according to an announcement. Article
> When considering ways to innovate in healthcare and incorporate technology into better patient care, look to other industries--and don't hesitate to hop on a plane. That advice came courtesy of Edward Marx, senior VP and CIO at Texas Health Resources, who was speaking at FierceHealthIT's executive breakfast last week at HIMSS14 in Orlando, Fla. Article
And Finally... Seasick at the airport. Article