Organization

Government Accountability Office


GAO: VA's second outpatient scheduling system needs more work

Industry News | Wednesday, June 30 2010
After spending an estimated $127 million over nine years on its outpatient scheduling system project, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has not implemented any of the planned system’s capabilities and is essentially starting over, according to a June 28 report published online by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
 

MedPAC seeks to further stop in-office imaging incentives

Top Stories | Monday, June 21 2010
The Ethics in Patient Referrals Act, known as the Stark Law, was passed almost 15 years ago to prevent physicians from benefiting from referrals that provide them financial gain. However, even after its passage, Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services still struggle with the law's provisions and restrictions.

 

GAO: VA deficient in security controls, information at risk

Industry News | Tuesday, May 25 2010
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs to resolve long-standing deficiencies in securing its information and systems, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
 

House calls on GAO to study effect of self-referrals on Medicare spending

Top Stories | Friday, April 23 2010
The House Energy & Commerce Chair Henry Waxman, D-Calif., Ways & Means Committee Chair Sandy Levin, D-Mich., and Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health Chair Pete Stark, D-Calif., recently called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to perform a study regarding the effects of physician self-referral of advanced medical imaging and radiation therapy treatments on Medicare spending.
 

GAO: FDA's management system lacks conformity

Industry News | Friday, March 26 2010
A report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on March 19 found that while the FDA is aware of the challenges it faces as an agency, it has been hesitant to implement strategic planning procedures to fix the problems.
 

GAO: Patients benefit from HIEs

Industry News | Thursday, March 04 2010
A February report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on health information exchanges (HIEs) cited ways that sharing electronic personal health information about a patient has had a positive effect on the quality of care providers deliver to patients.
 

GAO: DOD, VA interoperability attempts continue

Industry News | Monday, February 01 2010
The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) interoperability efforts continue but the interagency program needs to implement improvements, according to a January report by the General Accountability Office (GAO).
 

House unveils final version of healthcare reform bill

Top Stories | Friday, October 30 2009
Democrats from the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 30 unveiled a revised healthcare reform proposal—H.R. 3692, the Affordable Health Care for America Act—which the Congressional Budget Office estimated carries an $894 billion price tag for the federal government.
 

GAO: Physician profiling could help CMS monitor Medicare spending

Industry News | Thursday, October 29 2009
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) Monday released a report outlining how profiling physicians to give them confidential feedback on their Medicare spending could potentially save money for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
 

States worried about Medicaid when ARRA funding evaporates

Top Stories | Friday, September 25 2009
Although states are now using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to support Medicaid programs, they are worried about sustaining those programs once stimulus money disappears in 2011, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of stimulus spending.
 

JACR: Radiologists hit disproportionately hard by Deficit Reduction Act

Top Stories | Monday, August 31 2009
The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 has had a disproportionately negative impact on radiologists’ private office MRI and CT practices compared with other physicians, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
 

GAO: FDA changes needed to manage workload

Industry News | Friday, August 07 2009
The FDA has long maintained that resource constraints prevent it from meeting its responsibility to oversee the safety and effectiveness of medical products and devices. In a report issued in June, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) agreed.
 

ACR urges inclusion of self-referral prohibition in healthcare reform

Top Stories | Tuesday, July 21 2009
The American College of Radiology (ACR) is asking its members to contact their Representative to request that a recent bill prohibiting physician self-referral be rolled into the healthcare reform bill introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives.
 

House bill introduced to close Stark self-referral loophole

Top Stories | Friday, July 03 2009
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., has introduced HR 2962, the Integrity in Medicare Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Act of 2009, to the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill seeks to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to exclude "certain advanced diagnostic imaging services" from the in-office ancillary services exception to the Stark Law's prohibition on physician self-referral.
 

GAO: Breast cancer screening location affects eligibility for treatment coverage

Top Stories | Thursday, June 25 2009
A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released June 22 has revealed that "significant gaps" in access to screening and treatment services for breast and cervical cancer exist both between states and within states, according to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance.
 

Baucus, Conrad introduce bill to fund comparative effectiveness institute

Industry News | Thursday, June 11 2009
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., introduced legislation to establish a private, nonprofit corporation that will research and compare clinical outcomes of alternative therapies and health strategies.
 

GAO: FDA needs to work on IT infrastructure, Sentinel program privacy

Top Stories | Friday, June 05 2009
The FDA is developing a plan to modernize its IT systems and infrastructure in response to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which revealed that the agency does not have such architecture in place to support its modernization efforts.
 

GAO: Federal IT security vulnerable despite progress

Industry News | Wednesday, May 27 2009
Although federal agencies reported increased compliance in implementing key information security control activities for fiscal year 2008, inspectors general are still noting shortcomings with implementation of information security requirements, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
 

GAO names health IT policy committee members, fulfills stimulus mandate

Government News | Monday, April 06 2009
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has named 13 members to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, an advisory group established by the economic stimulus law that will make policy recommendations for the development and adoption of a nationwide health IT infrastructure, including standards for the exchange of patient data.
 

Stimulus is golden opportunity, if government works through caveats

Conference News | Monday, April 06 2009
CHICAGO—The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is a "once in a lifetime event" for providers to grab economic incentives to adopt health IT, but the government still must define vague terms and settle on certification requirements, according to David W. Roberts, vice president of government relations for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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