Morning Headlines 1/8/15

Stage 3 proposals go to OMB, hint at changes

ONC submits a notice regarding Stage 3 MU to the Office of Management and Budget that contains the following description of the yet-to-be-published rule: “Stage 3 will also propose changes to the reporting period, timelines, and structure of the program, including providing a single definition of meaningful use. These changes will provide a flexible, yet, clearer framework to ensure future sustainability of the EHR program and reduce confusion stemming from multiple stage requirements.” 

IBM, Epic already prepping for military EHR work

In pursuit of the DoD EHR contract, IBM and Epic announce the formation of an advisory group comprised of 17 medical informatics specialists, physicians, hospital administrators, and a former US Army Special Forces Major who lost his leg in combat and who will represent the patient perspective, detailing his experience transitioning from the Army’s care to the VA health system.

Avoiding Unintended Incentives In ACO Payment Models

An analysis of ACO shared savings reimbursement levels published in Health Affairs finds that the calculation used to establish benchmark spending level focuses too heavily on spending data from the year immediately preceding the transition to an ACO. Researchers suggest that this could encourage ACOs to ramp up their spending before transitioning to an ACO model so that benchmark costs are falsely inflated, resulting more substantial year-one savings.

Qualcomm announces new connected health collaboration with Walgreens

Walgreens partners with Qualcomm to bring medical device integration to its growing ecosystem of health applications.

Open Enrollment Week 7: December 27, 2014 – January 2, 2015

HHS reports that 6.6 million consumers have used the federal insurance marketplace to enroll in an insurance plan thus far, though many were automatically re-enrolled into their existing plans. The number does not include state-run marketplace enrollments. Open Enrollment ends on February 15.