News From Around the Web
> Meaningful Use payment growth slowed significantly in May after a record boost in incentive payments made just one month earlier, according to figures released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In May, 892 providers received Meaningful Use incentive payments, a massive decline after more than 34,000 providers received such payments in April. Figures (.pdf)
Health Insurance News
> The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services released its final rule regarding contraception coverage, requiring that religious-affiliated companies' employees can obtain birth control through stand-alone policies issued by insurers. The rule, which was issued Tuesday and is almost identical to the proposed version published in January, finalizes that religious-affiliated companies don't have to directly pay for contraception coverage, but their workers can still receive that coverage through a separate health plan provided by the insurance company at no cost. Article
> In a shocking move, the White House announced Tuesday it is delaying the reform law's mandate that employers provide health insurance coverage for their workers.The decision to postpone the mandate, which requires companies with at least 50 employees offer health plans or pay fines, by one additional year to 2015 is a major concession to business groups and employers and could have a rippling effect on the health insurance industry. Article
Medical Imaging News
> iPads help radiology residents learn, but are less useful when it comes to impacting clinical workflow, according to a study published online in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. According to co-author Justin Kung, M.D., of the radiology department at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, while some sectors of the medical community consider the iPad to be a "revolutionary tool" in healthcare delivery, he and his fellow researchers were interested in assessing how radiology residents used it an academic center. Article
And Finally... I guess death and taxes have company as far as certainties in this world. Article