News From Around the Web
> Electronic health record vendor Epic is working on a new clinical decision support tool for falls assessment for its clients, which will be released later this year. The tool, which will be based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, makes it easier to screen for falls, intervene to reduce risk and provide follow-up care. The tool is one of several initiatives announced by the White House at its Conference on Aging to improve the quality of life for older Americans. Fact sheet
> More than $30.9 billion in incentive payments have been made pursuant to the Meaningful Use program from its 2011 inception through May 2015, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' latest data. The figures represent 468,595 unique providers. Of those, 50,398 eligible professionals and 1,461 eligible hospitals have attested to Stage 2 of the Meaningful Use program. Statistics (.pdf)
> The newest updates to the Cypress eCQM testing toll will be released July 23. The three updates include new features, such as additional validation checks and a new patch, and align with corrections made in June. Announcement
Health Finance News
> A significant number of hospitals across the United States are opening up special emergency rooms for elderly patients. The facilities are designed to be less chaotic and more calming to patients than the typical general ER. The construction of such facilities aims to meet market demand, as about a quarter of all ER visits involve elderly patients. Article
Health Insurance News
> Despite the Supreme Court's ruling to uphold a key provision of the Affordable Care Act, funding cuts have led some states to reduce their efforts to help people sign up for health insurance through either federal or state-based exchanges. Connect for Health Colorado, for example, plans to cut by about half this year the number of sites where consumers can receive in-person assistance navigating the state exchange. Article
And Finally... If you want something done right, get a wench to do it. Article