HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that more than half of all doctors and other eligible providers have received Medicare or Medicaid incentive payments for adopting or meaningfully using electronic health records (EHRs).
HHS has met and exceeded its goal for 50 percent of doctor offices and 80 percent of eligible hospitals to have EHRs by the end of 2013.
Since the Obama Administration started encouraging providers to adopt electronic health records, usage has increased dramatically.
According to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) survey in 2012, the percent of physicians using an advanced EHR system was just 17 percent in 2008.
Today, more than 50 percent of eligible professionals (mostly physicians) have demonstrated meaningful use and received an incentive payment.
For hospitals, just nine percent had adopted EHRs in 2008, but today, more than 80 percent have demonstrated meaningful use of EHRs.
“We have reached a tipping point in adoption of electronic health records,” said Secretary Sebelius. “More than half of eligible professionals and 80 percent of eligible hospitals have adopted these systems, which are critical to modernizing our health care system. Health IT helps providers better coordinate care, which can improve patients’ health and save money at the same time.”
More than 27,500 providers in California have received approximately $1.2 billion in Medicare and/or Medicaid EHR incentive payments since the programs began.
The Obama Administration has encouraged the adoption of health IT starting with the passage of the Recovery Act in 2009 because it is an integral element of health care quality and efficiency improvements.
Doctors, hospitals, and other eligible providers that adopt and meaningfully use certified electronic health records receive incentive payments through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
Part of the Recovery Act, these programs began in 2011 and are administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC).
Adoption of EHRs is also critical to the broader health care improvement efforts that have started as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
These efforts – improving care coordination, reducing duplicative tests and procedures, and rewarding hospitals for keeping patients healthier – all made possible by widespread use of EHRs.
Health IT systems give doctors, hospitals, and other providers the ability to better coordinate care and reduce errors and readmissions that can cost more money and leave patients less healthy.
In turn, efforts to improve care coordination and efficiency create further incentive for providers to adopt health IT.
As of the end of April 2013:
For more information about the Administration’s efforts to promote implementation, adoption and meaningful use of EHRs and health IT systems, visit www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms and http://www.healthit.gov .
Taking a calcium supplement of up to 1,000 milligrams per day can help women live longer.
That’s according to a study whose lead author was Lisa Langsetmo, a Ph.D. Research associate at McGill University, and whose senior author was Prof. David Goltzman, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism in the Department of Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine and researcher in the Musculoskeletal Disorders axis at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC).
Their findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Calcium, an essential nutrient for bone health, is commonly found in dairy products as well as vitamins.
Although calcium is an essential nutrient for bone health, past studies have linked calcium supplements to heart disease risk.
The researchers, located at universities across the country, analyzed data from the large-scale Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos) seeking to determine whether calcium and vitamin D intake were associated with overall increased risk of death.
“We found that daily use of calcium supplements in women was associated with a lower risk of death, irrespective of cause,” said the study’s lead author, Prof. Goltzman, Director, Calcium Research Laboratory at McGill. “The benefit was seen for women who took doses of up to 1,000 mg per day, regardless of whether the supplement contained vitamin D.”
The longitudinal study of participants living in or near nine cities across Canada monitored the health of 9,033 Canadians between 1995 and 2007. During that period, 1,160 participants died.
Although the data showed women who took calcium supplements had a lower mortality risk, there was no statistical benefit for men.
The study found no conclusive evidence that vitamin D had an impact on mortality.
“Higher amounts of calcium were potentially linked to longer lifespans in women, regardless of the source of the calcium,” said Goltzman. “In other words, the same benefits were seen when the calcium came from dairy foods, non-dairy foods or supplements.”
A new analysis has found a link between exposure to Agent Orange and lethal forms of prostate cancer among US veterans.
Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that Agent Orange exposure history should be incorporated into prostate screening decisions for veterans.
The herbicide Agent Orange was heavily used during the Vietnam War era and was often contaminated with dioxin, a dangerous toxin and potential carcinogen.
Prior research suggests that exposure to Agent Orange may increase men’s risk of developing prostate cancer, but it is unclear whether it specifically increases their risk of developing lethal forms of the disease.
“This is an important distinction as the majority of prostate cancer cases are non-lethal and thus do not necessarily require detection or therapy. Having a means of specifically detecting life-threatening cancer would improve the effectiveness of screening and treatment of prostate cancer,” said Mark Garzotto, MD, of the Portland Veterans Administration Medical Center and Oregon Health & Science University.
To look for a link between Agent Orange exposure and life-threatening, or high-grade, prostate cancer, Nathan Ansbaugh, MPH, designed and conducted analyses on a group of 2,720 US veterans who were referred by multiple providers for initial prostate biopsy.
Biopsy results and clinical information were compiled for analysis by principal investigator Dr. Garzotto.
Prostate cancer was diagnosed in 896 (32.9 percent) of the veterans; 459 (16.9 percent) had high-grade disease.
Agent Orange exposure was linked with a 52 percent increase in overall risk of prostate cancer detection by biopsy.
Exposure to the herbicide did not confer an increase in risk of low-grade prostate cancer, but it was linked with a 75 percent increase in risk of high-grade prostate cancer.
In addition, Agent Orange exposure was associated with more than a two-fold increase in the highest-grade, most lethal cancers.
This study indicates that determining men’s Agent Orange exposure status is a readily identifiable means of improving prostate cancer screening for US veterans, allowing for earlier detection and treatment of lethal cases and potentially prolonging survival and improving quality of life.
“It also should raise awareness about potential harms of chemical contaminants in biologic agents used in warfare and the risks associated with waste handling and other chemical processes that generate dioxin or dioxin-related compounds,” said Dr. Garzotto.
SACRAMENTO – Legislation that would make the Community Based Adult Services (CBAS) program permanent in California is now in the California Senate.
AB 518, authored by Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D–Davis), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, and Bob Blumenfield (D-San Fernando Valley), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, earned unanimous support on the Assembly Floor this week.
The CBAS program, which replaced California’s Adult Day Health Care program (ADHC), offers seniors and persons with disabilities a cost-effective alternative to nursing homes by providing medical and support services in community-based day settings.
“With a rapidly aging population, and California's most turbulent budget decisions behind us, it is time to start re-building a network of home and community-based options for the elderly and persons with disabilities,” Yamada said. “CBAS is both cost-effective and compassionate.”
CBAS was established to settle a lawsuit brought against the state on behalf of disabled individuals whose independence was jeopardized by the elimination of California’s long-standing Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) program. The settlement agreement expires in June of 2014, leaving the future of the program uncertain.
“Thousands of patients and their families don’t know what their future holds when the settlement period expires,” said Blumenfield, author of legislation vetoed in 2011 that closely resembles the CBAS program. “Uncertainty is a nightmare that these families have endured over many years about access to vital care for their loved ones. This bill helps end that.”
The legislation, AB 518 , is intended to provide stability for CBAS by removing it from the uncertainties of the courts and establishing it as a permanent program in state law.
The Legislature agreed to eliminate ADHC during the height of the state’s budget crisis in 2011 based on an understanding that a similar, though smaller program would replace it.
Lawmakers were blindsided when that alternate program was vetoed by Governor Brown, leaving seniors and persons with disabilities stranded without an affordable alternative to institutionalization.
“Making CBAS permanent fulfills the intent of those legislators, including me, who voted to eliminate ADHC, with the commitment to fight for community-based programs,” Yamada said. “A community-based alternative to institutionalization saves money and preserves independence."
The bill Assemblymember Yamada represents the 4th Assembly District, which includes all or parts of Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.