News From Around the Web
> The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' workforce is using tools from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to educate staff and improve patient care, according to a post in the Health IT Buzz blog. More than 700 VA staff logged thousands of course hours over eight weeks in health informatics training "in an effort to improve the way care is delivered to and managed by Veterans," according to the post. Post
> The American Health Information Management Association and College of Healthcare Information Management Executives were among 12 organizations to laud the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' decision to stand pat on the ICD-10 deadline in a letter sent to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner on March 12. Letter (.pdf)
> Online file sharing and cloud content management service Box has brought on former U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and former Allscripts CEO Glen Tullman as advisors, it announced this week. "Healthcare is Box's fastest growing vertical, and it's clear that there's a remarkable opportunity to improve the way information is captured, managed and shared between doctors, researchers, patients, and institutions," Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of Box, said in the announcement. "We're excited to work with Aneesh and Glen, whose years of experience working at the intersection of technology, healthcare, and regulatory reform will be instrumental to our success in this space." Announcement
Health Insurance News
> The Affordable Care Act prohibits insurers from denying cancer patients coverage or charging them much higher rates, and guarantees free cancer screenings. However, coverage expansion provisions don't include guaranteed access to specialty cancer hospitals. Article
> Health insurance exchanges for small business have been gaining traction as more insurers choose to sell plans on these marketplaces, according to a Commonwealth Fund study. Article
And Finally... Caffeinated coast-to-coast. Article