Fall 2011 issue of Horizons

Professional Services – continued

A few examples are the bundled payment and medical home programs. To support these initiatives, the health IT infrastructure will be utilized for collecting and reporting healthcare quality measures. 3. Inspire confidence and trust in health IT The objectives of this goal are to protect the confidentiality of health information and increase transparency regarding the use of protected health information. As a result of the HITECH Act, HHS is drafting new regulations that will impose direct liability on business associates, establish new restrictions on the sale of protected health information (PHI), provide transparency on how health information is disclosed and specify specific reporting requirements when PHI is inappropriately disclosed. 4. Empower individuals with health IT to improve their health and the healthcare system The objectives of this goal are to engage individuals with health IT, accelerate individual

As a result of the Affordable Care Act, HHS will use reimbursement rates to force unrelated healthcare providers to collaborate on managing patient care, which is the underlying objective of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). As a result, there is an industry trend for hospitals to employ physicians and explore the formation of ACOs. 2. Improve care, improve population health, and reduce healthcare costs through the use of health IT The objectives of this goal are to support more sophisticated uses of EHRs to improve health performance, better manage the health of the population through EHR generated reporting measures, and demonstrates health IT-enabled reform of payment structures. The Affordable Care Act emphasizes improving the care for patient while reducing costs. As a result, programs are being developed to combine health IT and clinical care redesign to improve patient outcomes. Currently, there are several innovative payment programs being funded by HHS to promote quality, efficiency and equity of care.

Raise Your Expectations

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