Video: Who Am I?| Webinar: ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Practice Support

Subcategories:EMRsFacilityInsuranceQuality Assurance/ImprovementTechnology

HHS Enforces Stricter Rules on HIPAA

  |  

As of February 17, 2010, entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), such as group health plans and their business associates, will have to take certain actions to ensure continued compliance with the privacy and security provisions of the act.

The REF Preceptorship Experience

  |  

The ACR Workforce Study estimated that nearly half of practicing rheumatologists will retire within eight years, which means that by 2025, there will be a severe shortage of rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals in the United States.

A Glance at the Evolving Rheumatology Practice

  |  

The healthcare delivery environment is ever evolving and has experienced rapid growth in the past few decades. These changes are reflected within rheumatology practices in how the rheumatology care team interacts with patients and how patients manage their care.

I Have the Data—Now What?

  |  

Rheumatologists practicing in the current healthcare environment are experiencing unprecedented information flow, data management issues, and a rise in quality designations and pay-for-performance incentive programs. There is increasing pressure on rheumatologists to document or capture treatment concordance with guideline recommendations and best practices and to monitor gaps in care and patient outcomes. Unfortunately, some quality programs are not considered clinically meaningful, and even those that are often bring administrative burdens related to reporting, data aggregation, and analysis.

Omeract How to Get into the “Act”

Peter Brooks, MD, Maarten Boers, MD,PhD, MSc, Lee S. Simon, MD, Vibeke Strand, MD,and Peter Tugwell, MD  |  

Meet this international organization that focuses on rheumatology outcome measures

Technology and Pay-for-Performance

  |  

Medicare and private payers are increasingly developing programs to reward physicians based on clinical benchmarks. As more payers embrace this approach, practices are looking to technology to help them manage complex reporting requirements.

Update on Meaningful Use

  |  

On December 30, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the long-awaited proposed rule establishing the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, which lays out a set of standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for EHR technology. This program has been developed in response to the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” (ARRA), which authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide a reimbursement incentive for physician and hospital providers who become “meaningful users” of an EHR.