Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
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Mostashari Anticipates 'Big Win' in HIE in 2012
Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the national health IT coordinator, expects health information exchange to ramp up significantly in 2012 because the necessary elements of interoperability will be in place. The health information exchange strategy means finally bringing together the standards, identity authentication certificates, governance for rules of the road, and the availability of directories or digital provider phone books.
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Mostashari Assures Patient Safety Plan Sooner than 12 Months
Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the national health IT coordinator, said that agencies in the Health and Human Services Department will work closely to craft a surveillance and action plan to keep patients safer through health IT, and it will be done sooner than called for by the Institute of Medicine. Read More »
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New Healthcare.gov Is Open, CMS-Free
HHS CTO Bryan Sivak previews details and vision for relaunch of the high-profile government website Read More »
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New National CTO Plans to Expand Lean Thinking to All Federal Agencies
If Todd Park can find entrepreneurs in federal agencies and unleash a flood of health data, leaders in big hospitals and pharma companies can also use startup techniques to change business as usual. Park says that with his new promotion, he will seek out entrepreneurs in all governmental agencies to expand the success Health and Human Services has had with open data initiatives.
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New ONC grants to boost data exchange, population health efforts
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT will award $38 million in grant funding to 20 entities to help boost the adoption of health information exchange technology, improve population health strategies and update training materials for use of health IT tools, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday.
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New Patient-Focused Commitments to Advance the President’s Precision Medicine Initiative
Today, marking six months of progress to advance [Precision Medicine Initiative] PMI, the White House is hosting a Champions of Change event honoring extraordinary individuals from across the country who are making a difference in the lives of patients and driving precision medicine forward. In addition to celebrating these Champions, Federal agencies and private-sector groups are stepping up to the President’s call to action to advance the PMI by making important commitments to... Read More »
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New Transparency Rules for Health Plans: A Huge Win for Consumers
Soon will be gone the days when a person needs a PH.D. in insurance law to understand how health insurance works...On February 9, 2012, the Obama Administration released final rules on what the Kaiser Health Tracking Survey found to be the most popular provision under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — known as “section 2715.” Akin to food labels that we use to compare ingredients in our food, section 2715 requires insurance companies and employers to provide people with an easy to understand 4-page summary of what a health insurance policy covers, what’s excluded, and cost information about deductibles, co-insurance, and copayments.
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New York: Healthcare in Local Politics
Alden Wolfe is vice chairman of the Rockland County, N.Y. Legislature. A Democrat, Wolfe publicly called for the county to apply for an HSS innovation Challenge grant, with which it could work to revive the ailing Summit Park local health system. Read More »
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No, Madam Secretary, Prices On Healthcare.gov Are Not A “Hypothetical Situation”
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, wins the award today for most creative political spin. During a congressional grilling about the failings of the federal e-commerce website, Healthcare.gov, the secretary now claims that insurance prices are merely “hypothetical situations.” Read More »
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Not So Fast: CMS Says Meaningful Use Not Dead, New Incentive Program Will Take Time
One week after Andy Slavitt said meaningful use would be replaced soon, the acting Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator and national coordinator Karen DeSalvo made it clear that the changes would take time and that providers must still follow the current program. Slavitt and DeSalvo in a blog post Tuesday afternoon explained the new regulatory framework would move away from measuring clicks to focusing on care...
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Obama's Budget Cuts Fed IT by $586 Million
President Barack Obama has slashed almost $600 million from last year’s federal IT funding in his fiscal year 2013 budget proposal. If enacted, the proposal would put total federal IT spending at just under $78.9 billion, a 0.7 percent reduction from fiscal 2012. Read More »
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Obamacare Site Flaws Due To More Than ‘Talent Gap’
As Congress begins investigating the rocky rollout of HealthCare.gov, technology experts warn that it may not find any easy scapegoats. Read More »
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Obamacare Website For Spanish Speakers Has Problems, Too
Lost in the hubbub surrounding the malfunctioning HealthCare.gov is another missed deadline and closed door for millions of Americans seeking health insurance: CuidadoDeSalud.gov. Read More »
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Obamacare Website Violates Licensing Agreement For Copyrighted Software
Healthcare.gov, the federal government's Obamacare website, has been under heavy criticism from friend and foe alike during its first two weeks of open enrollment. Repeated errors and delays have prevented many users from even establishing an account, and outside web designers have roundly panned the structure and coding of the site as amateurish and sloppy... Read More »
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Obamacare's Slush Fund Fuels A Broader Lobbying Controversy
A little-noticed part of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act channels some $12.5 billion into a vaguely defined “Prevention and Public Health Fund” over the next decade–and some of that money is going for everything from massage therapists who offer “calming techniques,” to groups advocating higher state and local taxes on tobacco and soda, and stricter zoning restrictions on fast-food restaurants. Read More »
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