Renal Business Today

Healthcare Reform

Healthcare reform was ushered in by President Barack Obama and Congress in 2010. Although dialysis care was not mentioned specifically in the legislation, the renal community could still see changes. Most notably, accountable care organizations could start merging with dialysis providers to share in costs savings associated with better care.

HIMSS: 44% of Hospitals Ready for Meaningful Use

CHICAGO—New data from HIMSS Analytics indicates that 44 percent of hospital respondents fall within the “Likely” or “Most Likely” categories for meeting Stage 1 of meaningful use. ...More
February 28, 2011
Posted in News, Government & Regulation
AMGA Releases ACO How-To Book

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) released on Feb. 17 a book on healthcare integration that provides guidance on how to lay the groundwork for a successful accountable care organization (ACO). ...More
February 18, 2011
Posted in News, Business, Government & Regulation, Practice Management
ACOs Beginning to Take Form

Like many physicians, Long Island, N.Y.-nephrologist Simon Prince sees a volatile situation in which more and more physician practices are becoming hospital owned amid a turbulent healthcare landscape. ...More
February 8, 2011
Posted in Articles, Government & Regulation, Practice Management
Performance-Based Payment Incentives May Harm Nursing Conditions

A new study suggests that linking reimbursement to quality of care goals could weaken the nursing workforce and threaten the nursing practice environment. The study was conducted by Ellen Kurtzman, RN, MPH, FAAN, assistant research professor in the GW School of Nursing, and ...More
February 8, 2011
Posted in News, Practice Management
Academic Medical Centers Must Adapt to Health Reform

BALTIMORE—Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) must adjust and adapt to the new healthcare reform laws or risk marginalization in the new healthcare arena, according to a New England Journal of Medicine Perspective article published online February 2. ...More
February 3, 2011
Posted in News, Government & Regulation, Practice Management
Acumen EHR Receives Meaningful Use Certification

NASHVILLE—Health IT Services Group said Jan. 11 that the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) certified that the Acumen EHR (version 6.0) has met meaningful use criteria established by the government. ...More
January 11, 2011
Posted in News, Business, Government & Regulation
Six U.S. Health Systems Team Up to Reduce Costs

LEBANON, N.H.—Six large U.S. healthcare systems have formed a collaboration with the intention of improving healthcare quality while reducing costs. ...More
December 16, 2010
Posted in News, Business, Practice Management
ACO Rules Could be Released Mid-January

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could release the proposed regulations for accountable care organizations (ACOs) by mid-January 2011, according to a posting from the law firm McDermott Will & Emery. ...More
December 9, 2010
Posted in Blog, Government & Regulation
Feds Charge Dozens in Largest Medicare Fraud Ever

A network of Armenian gangsters used fake healthcare clinics and other scams in an effort to cheat Medicare out of $163 million, according to U.S. authorities. This is the most extensive fraud by one outlet in the program's history. ...More
October 14, 2010
Posted in News, Government & Regulation, Practice Management
U.S. Life Expectancy Continues to Fall Behind Other Countries

NEW YORK—America continues to lag behind other nations when it comes to gains in life expectancy, and commonly cited causes for our poor performance—obesity, smoking, traffic fatalities and homicide—are not to blame, according to a study by researchers at Columbia ...More
October 12, 2010
Posted in News, Clinical & Pharma, Government & Regulation