Morning Headlines 4/14/15

Former ONC chief opposes CMS rule weakening patient access to records

Former ONC lead Farzad Mostashari, MD spoke out against CMS’s recent decision to strip MU2 of its five percent view/transmit/download requirement, saying “If this proposed rule stands, it would roll back a lot of progress that’s been made incorporating patient engagement into workflows. To meet even a low threshold, providers have had to change their processes to engage patients.”

athenahealth Announces athenaText App for Apple Watch

AthenaHealth follows in Cerner’s footsteps in announcing an Apple Watch app. Unlike Cerner, Athena’s app is aimed at providers, while Cerner’s will be marketed directly to patients. 

An ACT Relating to telemedicine

Washington state becomes the 23rd state to pass a bill requiring private insurers to cover telehealth services.

Practice Fusion and AstraZeneca Partner on Population Health Management Initiative for Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Freeware EHR vendor Practice Fusion announces a program sponsored by AstraZeneca in which COPD and Asthma patients in Practice Fusion’s system whose care does not meet evidence-based clinical guidelines will be identified and their care providers alerted.