News From Around the Web:
> Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina plans to start outsourcing some of its claims service to Accenture by the middle of next year, reported the Triangle Business Journal. The outsourced work will include preprocessing of low-level or routine claims. Article
> The CEO of Hawaii's largest insurer, Hawaii Medical Services Association, wants the state's health insurance exchange to be shut down because it's too much trouble to fix it, Live Insurance News reported. Article
> Dental insurers want to sell stand-alone dental plans on the District of Columbia's health insurance exchange. But health insurers think dental coverage should be built into plans already available on the marketplace, LifeHealthPro reported. Article
Health Provider News:
> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will restructure its Quality Improvement Organization program by hiring two contractors to oversee quality improvement measures for Medicare beneficiaries. Article
> Almost half of the estimated 127,000 nurse practitioners employed in patient care now work in primary care practices or facilities, according to a national survey by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Article
Health IT News:
> As more providers adopt accountable care models--and take on the responsibility of facilitating medical data exchange--healthcare leaders are under increasing pressure to protect personal health information. Article
> As funding dries up for Regional Extension Centers, some are moving into a new market: Health information exchange and Meaningful Use support. Article
And Finally... No sauce on your pizza. Call 911? Article