News 5/1/12

General Accountability Office (GAO) examines CMS’s EHR incentive program and offers recommendations to improve processes to verify providers have met program requirements:

• Establish time frames for evaluating the effectiveness of CMS’s audit strategy for the Medicare EHR program.
• Evaluate the extent to which CMS should conduct more verifications before making payments for the Medicare program.
• Collect at least as much information from Medicare providers who are participating in the program as it does from Medicaid providers during attestation.
• Offer states the option of having CMS collect Meaningful Use attestations from Medicaid providers on their behalf.

HHS agreed with the first three recommendations, but disagreed with the fourth.

 

The board of directors of Allscripts elects Dennis Chookaszian its new chair. The former CEO and chairman of CNA Financial Corporation joined the board in September 2010. The board also authorized the repurchase of $200 million in Allscripts common stock. After dropping 36% Friday, Allscripts stock inched up almost 8% Monday, closing at $11.10.

Mr. H, along with readers, have provided a great deal of commentary on the recent Allscripts turmoil. If you are an Allscripts ambulatory client, I’d love to hear your perspective (and will keep your impressions anonymous, of course.)

 

Orthopaedic & Spine Center (VA) expands its use of White Plume solutions with the addition of the AccelaMOBILE mobile charge capture app.

MedAptus selects Intelligent Medical Objects’ Problem IT technology to integrate into its Professional Charge Capture solution. The combined solution will provide clinicians with rapid diagnosis search when completing charge documentation using the ICD-10 code set.

 

Boston Business Journal names eClinicalWorks to its Pacesetters Powerhouse Elite in recognition of its 148% growth over four years.

The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce names CareCloud CEO Albert Santalo winner of its 2012 Technology Entrepreneur of the Year award.

E-mail Inga.