MHA News Now

Paper and Fax, Not EHRs or Portals, Are Popular for Health Data Sharing

Faxing in health care ranks higher in patient data information sharing than using secure email, online portals, health information exchange (HIE), or leveraging electronic health records. Welcome to the American healthcare system in 2016, as described in a market spotlight published by IDC, The Rocky Road to Information Sharing in the Health System.

Read more from Jane Sarasohn-Kahn in the Health Populi blog here.

Newborns at your hospital can be winners on May 29th

Hospitals across the state are teaming up with Treasurer Lynn Fitch and College Savings Mississippi to celebrate National 529 College Savings Day on May 29.  Two lucky Mississippi newborns will come into the world with $529 Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) accounts.

And, they could be winners at your hospital if you sign up to participate now.

The accounts will be awarded to the two Mississippi babies delivered at or after and closest to 5:29 AM and 5:29 PM on May 29, 2016, at participating hospitals. In addition, while supplies last, all babies born in participating hospitals on 529 Day will receive an “I’m a 529 Baby” onesie.  Last year, one family from Peal and another from Brookhaven brought home $529 MACS scholarships with their newborn babies.

“Our mission is to foster and encourage higher education in Mississippi,” said Treasurer Lynn Fitch. “A college savings account in a child's name not only gives parents hope for the future, but according to research, it also results in improved social and emotional health for their children.”

To find out more information about how your hospital can participate, please contact Julia Wise at College Savings Mississippi at (601) 359-9272 by May 6^th.

College Savings Mississippi is a division of the State Treasurer’s Office and operates the two state-sponsored 529 college savings plans, MACS and MPACT (Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition).  For more information about these plans and for official contest rules and registration information, visit www.treasurerlynnfitch.com. 

Providers still burdened by separate privacy laws for substance abuse records, AHA says

Proposed changes to laws providing separate, strict privacy protection to substance abuse records won’t go far enough to help providers offer the best care to patients, according to the American Hospital Association. The AHA released a letter April 5 in response to proposed changes to the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records 42 CFR Part 2, which currently requires providers to obtain explicit permission from patients to share substance abuse records with other providers.

Learn more here.

2015 Mid-Year QRURs Available

CMS has released the 2015 Mid-Year Quality and Resource Use Reports (QRURs) to groups and solo practitioners nationwide, including those who participated in the Shared Savings Program, the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model, or the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative in 2015.

The 2015 Mid-Year QRURs were made available for informational purposes only and will not affect a group or solo practitioner’s payments under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. The Mid-Year QRUR contains information on a subset of the measures used to calculate the 2017 Value Modifier. The Mid-Year QRUR provides interim information about performance on the six cost and three quality outcomes measures that CMS calculates from Medicare claims. These are some of the measures used in the calculation of the Value Modifier. The information in the MYQRUR is based on care provided from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, a period that precedes the actual calendar year 2015 performance period for the 2017 Value Modifier. More information about the Mid-Year QRUR can be found on the 2015 QRUR and 2017 Value Modifier web page.

The 2015 Mid-Year QRUR can be accessed on the CMS Enterprise Portal using an Enterprise Identity Management (EIDM) account with the correct role. More information about obtaining a Mid-Year QRUR can be found on the How to Obtain a QRUR web page.

U.S., Canada issue ransomware warning for hospitals after three hit in a week

Cybersecurity agencies in the U.S. and Canada have issued an alert about the growing number of ransomware attacks affecting healthcare organizations. In the past month, five have reported being hit by computer viruses.

On-Demand Learning Opportunities Available at atomAlliance.org

Taking a break from your daily routine to participate in a learning opportunity can be challenging. atom Alliance has made it easier for you to participate on your schedule whenever you are available - day or night, at work or at home.

atom Alliance offers many educational Webinars as On-Demand Learning opportunities. View them by yourself, share them with your peers or schedule a convenient time for a group session.

New On-Demand Learning opportunities are added weekly. Here is a listing of sessions you may have missed out on. Find one you're interested in and simply select the "GO" button to get started.

Mississippi Health Equity Forum in Jackson on April 14

Where you live, your education, your income and even where you were born all have an effect on your health. In Mississippi, these factors have created large differences in health and quality of life.

On April 14, MSDH's Office of Health Disparity Elimination and partners will present a panel discussion on the problem of health inequality in Mississippi, along with the latest data on the state's health disparities. Panelist include Linda Rigsby, Health Law Director at the Mississippi Center for Justice; Beneta Burt, Executive Director for the Mississippi Roadmaps to Health Equity, Inc.; Heather Wagner, Director for the Office of Interpersonal Violence; and Augusta Smith, Executive Director for Living Independence for Everyone (LIFE). Community-based organizations, health care organizations, health care professionals, and community members are encouraged to attend.

Read more here.

Join the Million Hearts® Model: Letter of Intent due April 15

The Million Hearts Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model is a randomized-controlled trial designed to identify and test scalable models of care delivery that reduce cardiovascular risk. The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent is April 15.

For questions about the application, contact CMMIForceSupport@cms.hhs.gov or 888-734-6433, select “option 5.” For questions about the model, contact mhmodel@cms.hhs.gov or 703-894-4399.

Third Zika Case Reported in Mississippi Traveler to Haiti

On April 6, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported its third case of Zika virus. The case was in an Oktibbeha County resident who recently traveled to Haiti.

Two cases have previously been reported in one Madison County and one Noxubee County resident who had both traveled to Haiti. “At least 42 other U.S. states and territories have already reported travel-associated cases,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs said. “With late spring and summer approaching, we know it is a popular time for mission trips and vacations to these areas. Please be especially mindful of protecting yourself from mosquitoes while you’re abroad. Simple steps can make a big difference.”

The MSDH Public Health Laboratory now has the ability to test for Zika in-house to allow for rapid turnaround and high volume testing should the need arise. Learn more here.

AHA Offers Cybersecurity Executive Session and Resources

The American Hospital Association yesterday issued an advisory announcing a special executive briefing session, Online and Secure: How Cybersecurity Challenges Affect Health Care, to be held May 2 at the AHA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Richard P. Miller, president and CEO of Virtua, will be part of a panel discussion at the briefing session.

The advisory also offers resources that can be found on AHA’s Web site to help healthcare providers combat cyberattacks. These resources are in response to all the cybersecurity threats that have been reported by healthcare providers across the nation. 

These cybersecurity resources include tools and other information related to:

• Security gap analysis
• Cybersecurity alerts, audiocasts and publications
• Cybersecurity-related comment letters and other policy-related documentation
• Other cybersecurity-related resources.