News From Around the Web
> Jacob Reider, M.D., Acting National Coordinator for ONC, introduced himself to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee at a hearing this week, EHR Intelligence reported. "I'm a family physician, have been at ONC for about two years, and have been involved in health IT for roughly 20 years, mostly behind the scenes," he told the committee. "I am a self-described health IT nerd and I'm an extroverted health IT nerd." Article
> Scientists are reporting development of a squishy gel that when compressed--like at a painful knee joint--releases anti-inflammatory medicine. According to an announcement, the new material "could someday deliver medications when and where osteoarthritis patients need it most." Their study appears in the ACS journal Biomacromolecules. Announcement
> The North American Spine Society and other medical specialty societies signed a letter recently sent to Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) addressing electronic health record information for clinical data registries. The societies express support for Black's bill-- the "Electronic Health Record (EHR) Improvement Act"--to "recognize the value of specialty clinical data registries as quality measurement and performance improvement tools in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs," Becker's Spine Review reports. Article
Provider News
> The Obama administration has announced $150 million in new grants through the Affordable Care Act that will help more than a million patients across the country access community-based healthcare. Article
> Lack of sleep among surgeons does not increase the risk of adverse patient outcomes, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Article
Health Insurance News
> The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services is discouraging hospitals and other health systems from providing patients with premium payment and cost-sharing support for plans purchased under healthcare reform. In a question-and-answer document, HHS said it has "significant concerns" with hospitals supporting premium payment and cost-sharing obligations because it "could skew the insurance risk pool and create an unlevel field in the marketplace. Article
And Finally... Yesterday's forecast was apparently rainy with a chance of Obamacare. Article