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.
Home Page Makeover: Take a Tour of the ACR’s New Web Site
Take a tour of the ACR’s new Web site
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.
Reach Beyond the Digital Walls of Your Practice
How much time and money do you spend trying to find information about your patients? Are you frustrated by the difficulties in obtaining patient medical records, test results, lab reports, radiology results, and insurance eligibility from organizations across state lines, down the street, or even across the hall? Do you ever order redundant tests simply because you are unable to access the results of tests ordered by another member of the care team?
ACR Online Tools for Learning and Teaching
The ACR is your source for online education
Look at What the New Rheumatology Image Bank Can Do for You
The Rheumatology Image Bank is an online library that features clinical, pathologic, and radiologic images of major adult and pediatric rheumatic diseases and conditions. Launched in late October, the Rheumatology Image Bank is a centralized resource for clinicians, researchers, and health professionals that provides assistance in selfstudy or the education of others.
Digital Footprints: Managing Your Online Professional Presence
Just over a year ago, WellPoint first made headlines when it announced a joint initiative with Zagat (known for their robust restaurant reviews) to poll healthcare consumers through an online survey to assess patients’ satisfaction with their healthcare providers. Since that time, the online community of health consumers has exploded with user-generated healthcare delivery reviews and comments collected in structured surveys and unstructured social media, such as blogs, Twitter, and Facebook.
Open (Access) Sesame
The pros and perils of open access publishing