Morning Headlines 6/23/16

Justice Department Announces Biggest Medicare Fraud Crackdown

Federal agents have arrested 300 suspects in the largest ever crackdown on Medicare fraud, with suspected losses totaling $900 million.

Veterans Health Administration Review of Alleged Manipulation of Appointment Cancellations at VA Medical Center Houston, Texas

A VA OIG report finds that leadership at the Houston VA has been falsely reporting appointments cancelled by the clinic as patient requested cancellations. Investigators identified 223 appointments incorrectly reported as patient cancellations between July 2014 and June 2015.

Workarounds and Test Results Follow-up in Electronic Health Record-Based Primary Care

A study published in Applied Clinical Informatics finds that 43 percent of primary care physicians use workarounds, rather than standard EHR functionality, to manage test results. Authors conclude that analyzing common workarounds in the clinical setting could lead to improved EHR design.

State Department eyes electronic health records

The US State Department has issued an RFI for a commercial EHR to support roughly 1,000 medical professionals along with diplomats and embassy personnel stationed at posts worldwide.