News From Around the Web
> In a letter to CMS administrator Marilyn Tavenner, Premier Inc. urged full implementation of the ICD-10 coding set in October 2015. "Clear and early guidance from CMS will provide stability in the provider community and guarantee that healthcare stakeholders have time to exercise due diligence in preparation for implementation to begin on October 1, 2015," Blair Childs, senior vice president for public affairs at Premier, wrote. Letter
> Russian sanctions could make life more difficult for U.S. technology firms, the Wall Street Journal reports. "That's because Russia has emerged as a major supplier of outsourced services, especially to tech firms. Approximately 91 percent of the companies sourcing from third parties in Russia are technology companies," including healthcare organizations, according to data from customer records of Hiperos LLC, a vendor of third-party management software, the article reports. Article
> The Veterans Affairs Department plans to develop its next generation electronic health record through challenges and cash prize competitions, which proved successful on previous projects, such as one to provide patients with online access to their health records, NextGov reports. Article
Anti Fraud News
> Medicare overpaid more than $26 million to Medicare Advantage organizations between 2010 and 2012 for 1,591 people not lawfully-present in the United States, according to an Office of Inspector General performance audit report. Article
> Medicaid fraud and abuse are burgeoning problems for insurers and the government. FierceHealthPayer: Anti-Fraud spoke to Ted Radway for a federal law enforcement perspective on Medicaid integrity threats and how payers can respond to them effectively. Article
Provider News
> Three members of Arizona's Congressional delegation called for the head of the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care Center to resign in the wake of a treatment-delay scandal that led to the death of at least 40 military vets, the Associated Press reports. Article
And Finally... Yinz sure do have a lot of dialects in Pennsylvania. Article