FDA issues draft guidance on UDI convenience kits
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 4 issued a draft guidance: “Unique Device Identification [UDI]: Convenience Kits—Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff.” The document outlines the FDA’s interpretation that the term “convenience kit,” as defined by 21 CFR 801.3, applies solely to…
Bill allowing MU Stage 2 hardship exemptions signed into law
Editor's Note A bill designed to make it easier for healthcare providers to receive hardship exemption from financial penalties for failing to meet Stage 2 meaningful use (MU) electronic health record (EHR) requirements was signed into law on December 28, 2015, the January 4, 2016, iHealthBeat reports. The bill ensures…
Congress considers MU incentives for ASCs
Editor's Note A Bill in Congress would enable ambulatory surgery center (ASC) physicians to receive the same payment incentives for meaningful use (MU) of electronic health records (EHRs) as physicians in other settings, according to the December 15 Healthcare IT News. Currently, physicians practicing in ASCs are excluded. The Electronic…
US healthcare spending grew 5.3% in 2014
Editor's Note Overall US spending on healthcare grew 5.3%, and per-capita spending grew 4.5% in 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid reports. The share of gross domestic product allotted to healthcare spending was 17.5%, up from 17.3% in 2013. The increase in spending was primarily driven by coverage expansion…
Medical societies plead with Congress to fix ‘meaningful use’
Editor's Note A coalition of 111 medical societies on November 4 sent letters asking Senate and House leaders to take legislative action to pause Stage 3 of the electronic health records meaningful use program and revise Stage 2 so that it enables provider success, HealthData Management reports. Stage 3 requirements…
Effect of hospital safety-net burden on surgical costs, outcomes
Editor's Note In this study on the effect of patient and hospital factors on surgical outcomes and costs at safety-net hospitals, researchers found that hospital resources and not necessarily patient factors lead to inferior outcomes and increased costs. Hospital Compare data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website…
Deadline looms for CMS orthopedic bundled care program
Only a few months remain before the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CCJR) goes into effect on January 1, 2016. This orthopedic bundled program, mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is expected to save $153 million as part of the goal to convert 50% of Medicare…
Medical schools including healthcare costs in curricula
Editor's Note Medical schools are beginning to teach students about healthcare costs and payment models as more patients enroll in high-deductible insurance plans and healthcare moves toward value-based care, according to a report by Kaiser Health News/KPCC/NPR. An Association of American Medical Colleges survey found that 129 of 140 responding…
CMS announces additional participants for bundled payment initiative
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on August 13 that 360 more organizations have entered into agreements to assume financial risk for an episode of care during the second phase of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative. The initiative is testing four bundled payment models…
Variation in surgical readmissions mostly patient related
Editor's Note Postoperative readmissions occurred in more than 1 in 10 patients, in this study, with considerable variation across specialties. The majority of variation was attributable to patient-related factors (82.8%); surgical specialty accounted for 14.5% of the variability, and individual surgeon factors accounted for 2.8%. After adjusting for patient and…
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