Articles and Blogs

On July 12 from 2:00 – 3:30pm EDT, ONC will webcast a panel discussion on innovative approaches to address challenges in using information from disparate EHR systems.  NextGen Healthcare, Greenway, GE, Allscripts, Vitera, Cerner and SuccessEHS have come to consensus on the highest priority elements of patient information necessary for a consistent clinical summary document that…Read More

Since 2005, a group of associations known as the Long Term and Post Acute Care (LTPAC) Health Information Technology Collaborative (the Collaborative) have hosted the annual LTPAC Health IT Summit to discuss and advance health IT issues for long LTPAC providers.  Following the Summit, the Collaborative publishes a Road Map that identifies the progress made…Read More

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report this morning detailing issues found in the use of antipsychotics in nursing facilities.  Utilizing a sample of records from January through June of 2007, the OIG found over 99% of records reviewed failed to meet one or more Federal requirements.  

In analyzing a claim under Article 4A (Electronic Funds Transfers) of the Uniform Commercial Code, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit determined that a bank did not utilize commercially reasonable security procedures when it failed to monitor risk reports and decreased the dollar threshold which triggered use of challenge questions by customers.   Patco…Read More

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just released the 2012 Nursing Home Action Plan; a guide for CMS’ efforts to continue to improve nursing home safety and quality.  The plan features 5 actionable strategies, including: enhance consumer engagement; strengthen survey processes, standards, and enforcement; promote quality improvement; create strategic approaches through partnerships; and advance…Read More

In an on-going push to regulate the use of antipsychotic medications in nursing facilities, another piece of legislation has failed to pass Congress.  The Senate did not pass a proposed regulation that would have standardized protocols for obtaining informed consent before administering antipsychotics for off-label use.  

Earlier this week, the NLRB continued its scrutiny of “overly broad” employer policies.  This time the NLRB held that a hospital’s “No-Access” rule for off-duty employees was unlawful because it gave too much discretion to the employer to determine what access was permitted.  The hospital’s policy was not at all that unusual and provided: 

Since 2003, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has asked Americans to detail how their time was spent during the last 24 hours.  Derived from a sample of 12,500 respondents, the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) details the average number of minutes spent daily in traffic, on the phone, shopping, cooking, etc.  Only last year was a…Read More

In an interesting display of seeming uncertainty, the NLRB’s Division of Advice recommended the dismissal of an unfair labor practice charge against an employer.  In this case, a union alleged that an employer unlawfully threatened its employees over a flyer containing statements that the worksite was contaminated with toxic, unhealthy chemicals.  In an effort to pressure…Read More

The Nursing Home Compare website, originally launched in 1998, is set to launch with a redesign July 19th.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) claims the redesign adopts industry design and usability best practices while also incorporating a considerable amount of new information to increase transparency and usability for consumers.