HIMSS weighs in on draft interoperability standards advisory; New York health info network successfully connects regional HIOs;

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> The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society applauds the six new characteristics included in the best available standards and implementation specifications in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's draft 2016 interoperability standards advisory, but has many questions and suggestions, according to its 38-page comment letter regarding the document. HIMSS also warns that while including maturity levels in the standards was positive, it's a complex and "nuanced" area that cannot be viewed in a simplistic, "two dimensional" way. Letter (.pdf)

> The State Health Information Network for New York has successfully connected all eight regional health information organizations in the state, linking more than 80 percent of the state's hospitals and federally qualified health centers. The network now will turn to adding independent physicians to the network. Article

Health Finance News

> Geisinger Health System will launch a quasi "money back guarantee" for its patients.Geisinger CEO David Feinberg, M.D., said the hospital system has introduced a new smartphone app called the Geisinger Proven Experience. The app allows patients to rate the service that has been provided. If they are unhappy, the patients can ask for a refund of up to $2,000, depending on the medical service and the cost.  Article

Health Insurance News   

> Healthcare in America is undergoing massive change, and that will ultimately alter how payers and providers define their roles, according to Paul Keckley, managing director for the Navigant Center for Healthcare Research and Policy Analysis. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act and other new regulations from the federal government, financial risk is going to be shifted from payers to doctors and hospitals, and doctors will be paid based on their management of cost and quality of care that they give, Keckley says. Article  

> In response to concerns about the rise of narrow-network health plans, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners has proposed new regulations to ensure that the trend doesn't harm consumers' access to affordable, quality care. The insurance commissioners have been working to create a new model network adequacy law for states, noting the need for greater oversight as narrow-network plans became increasingly common on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. Article   

And Finally... It's a dog-eat-pizza world. Article