Organization

Social Security Administration


HIMSS honors six health IT leaders

Industry News | Friday, June 25 2010
Recognizing contributions to advance health IT in the U.S., the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has honored six individuals at the state and federal levels for fostering the use of health IT in government and private industry.
 

Social Security awards $17.4M in ARRA contracts for EMRs

Industry News | Tuesday, February 02 2010
Fifteen healthcare providers and networks have received $17.4 million in contract awards funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to provide EMRs to their agency, Michael J. Astrue, commissioner of the Social Security Administration, has announced.
 

CBO: Healthcare spending continues to grow faster than U.S. economy

Industry News | Thursday, January 28 2010
The greatest threat to the U.S. budget stability in the coming decade is the growth of federal spending on healthcare, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which found that spending for Medicare and Medicaid, under current law, is expected to keep growing faster than the economy, reaching 6.6 percent of the gross domestic product by 2020 and potentially reaching 10 percent by 2035.
 

CBO: Senate healthcare bill would reduce deficit by $132B

Top Stories | Wednesday, December 23 2009
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation have estimated that the direct spending and revenue effects of enacting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act incorporating the manager’s amendment would yield a net reduction in federal deficits of $132 billion between 2010 and 2019.
 

Detroit investigates two medical record breaches

Top Stories | Thursday, December 17 2009
The internal affairs unit of the Detroit Police Department teamed up with the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion on Tuesday in the investigation of two recent incidents involving medical record theft that took place this fall from health programs within the city.
 

Panel: Gov't could save time, money with open-source NHIN

Industry News | Friday, October 30 2009
Written by Jeff Byers
The federal government’s current shift to sharing health information using open-source technology could potentially reduce costs and time for patients and the government, according to a panel discussion of health IT experts who gathered Oct. 30 in Washington, D.C.
 

Social Security allocates $24M for EMRs

Top Stories | Wednesday, August 12 2009
The Social Security Administration is looking to award $24 million in funding to health information exchanges, regional health information organizations, general medical service providers and specialty care providers to help automate the exchange of medical records.
 

Social Security seeks to link more providers through NHIN

Industry News | Friday, July 10 2009
The Social Security Administration is seeking to expand the number of healthcare providers with which it electronically exchanges medical information in order to improve the speed and accuracy of its disability determinations. Connection software is free and downloadable.
 

House Appropriations Committee approves stimulus bill

Top Stories | Tuesday, January 27 2009
The House Appropriations Committee has approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the newest version of the economic stimulus package.
 

NHIN gets first test-run

Top Stories | Thursday, December 18 2008
 
The Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) will get its first real-world test early next year when the Social Security Administration (SSA) begins using it to access EMRs held by a private health information exchange (HIE), according to NHIN planners and SSA officials.
 

Feds develop national health info network interface

Top Stories | Thursday, November 13 2008
 
Six federal agencies have developed an interface for the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) that they plan to make available to the public at no cost in March 2009.
 
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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