News From Around the Web
> The American Academy of Ophthalmology has announced plans to implement the nation's first comprehensive electronic eye disease patient database. The database will enable ophthalmologists to review and analyze their care and compare it to benchmarks. The database will also enable physicians to automatically participate in the Physician Quality Reporting System. Announcement
> A federal court has dismissed a class action lawsuit brought against Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adventist Health System for breach of privacy, Health IT Security reported. More than 740,000 patient records from Adventist's electronic health record system had been compromised by employees who sold the information to third parties. A judge said that the breach of privacy claims belonged in state court. Article
> Cerner has announced its support for the Blue Button + initiative. The program, formerly known as the Automatic Blue Button Plus Initiative, enables patients to exercise more access to and portability of their electronic medical records, as well as improve the accuracy and completeness of the information. Announcement
Health Finance News
> Despite the common belief that acquiring physician practices will result in savings, a recent poll conducted by the American College of Physician Executives revealed costs actually increased after a hospital or health system bought a medical group or practice. According to the ACPE poll, 32 percent of the 459 respondents said costs went up after a physician practice acquisition. Sixteen percent indicated costs remained the same and only 5 percent said costs decreased. The remaining respondents either said they weren't sure (12 percent) or the situation wasn't applicable (35 percent). Article
> Hospitals are generally satisfied with how cuts in the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program will occur as part of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, AHA News Now reported. According to a letter sent last week by American Hospital Association Executive Vice President Rick Pollack to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Director Marilyn Tavenner, the proposed reductions as they now stand would not interfere with the expansion of Medicaid under the ACA, or hurt hospitals in states that choose not to expand their Medicaid coverage. Moreover, Pollack said the two-year window for implementing the reductions was a "responsible approach." Article
Provider News
> As Affordable Care Act implementation deadlines near, physician-patient discussions often don't include healthcare reform, according to a new poll by HealthPocket. The survey of 1,176 people found that half of all respondents who have a regular physician have not talked about the ACA with him or her. For patients whose physicians have discussed healthcare reform, 38 percent heard mostly negative comments, 33 percent said their doctors made mostly positive remarks and 29 percent heard neutral comments. Article
> Despite the challenges of a practice overhaul, adoption of the patient-centered medical home model (PCMH) has shown to benefit patients, practices and the health system at large. According to an analysis of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's PCMH program, for example, practices that fully implemented the model achieved a 3.5 percent higher quality measure, a 5.1 percent higher preventive care measure and a $26.37 lower per member per month medical cost for adults.
And Finally... Maybe it was the only place carrying extra long sizes. Article