Morning Headlines 7/7/15

CMS and AMA Announce Efforts to Help Providers Get Ready For ICD-10

AMA announces that after negotiating with CMS, the two have agreed on changes to the ICD-10 transition plan that will provide a one year grace period in which ICD-10 claims without the appropriate specificity documented will still be accepted.

Meaningful Use Program: Why it failed and how to save it

Niam Yaraghi, a Brookings Institute fellow in the institution’s Center for Technology Innovation, suggests that MU2 failed because clinicians were never presented with a compelling reason to fully embrace health IT. He proposes mandating efficiency improvements in hospitals and practices, and then granting providers the flexibility to adopt whatever IT solutions they need to achieve those goals.

Despite regulatory troubles, DNA testing firm 23andMe raises more money

Personal genetics vendor 23andMe raises $80 million of a planned $150 million Series E funding round, its first investment activity since 2012, before it ran into significant regulatory problems with the FDA.

$237 million Tuomey judgment upheld by federal appeals court

A federal appeals court upholds a $237 million False Claims Act verdict against Tuomey Healthcare System (SC), exceeding the hospital’s annual revenue. The fine stems from charges that in the early 2000’s Tuomey knowingly filed thousands of illegal claims worth $39 million to Medicare.

Happy Data Independence Day!

Former national coordinator for health IT Farzad Mostashari, MD launches #DataIndependenceDay, a call to action for the public to request electronic copies of their medical records and then share their experiences.