News 2/13/14

ICD-10 implementation costs for physician practices could be almost three times higher than estimated five years ago according to an AMA report that considered such factors as training materials, consulting fees, software upgrades, testing, payment disruptions, and physician productivity losses. The study predicts that small practice costs will range from $56,639 to more than $226,000; medium practices will pay between $213,364 and $824,735; and, large practices could spend between $2 and $8 million. Vendor/software upgrade costs represent a major cost variable that most, though not all,  practices will face. Meanwhile, the AMA “strongly urges CMS to reconsider the ICD-10 mandate,” which the organization believes is financially disastrous for physicians, impedes progress to a performance-based environment, and is unlikely to improve the care physicians provide their patients.

Sobering: a survey of 1,000  (seemingly self-selected) physicians finds that 70 percent don’t think the HITECH program was worth its cost. Other key findings:

• 65 percent say their EHR implementation has led to financial losses.
• 45 percent believe care has become worse since implementing EHR.
• 73 percent of the largest practices would not purchase their current EHR system again.
• 67 percent dislike the functionality of their EHR systems.
• Nearly half believe the cost of these systems is too high.
• More than two-thirds say that coordination of care with hospitals has not improved.
• Nearly 38 percent doubt their system will be viable in five years.
• 26 percent doubt their vendor will be in business in five years.

RelayHealth Financial achieves full EHNAC HNAC accreditation for the 14th consecutive year.

Privia Medical Group (VA) will implement athenahealth’s PM, EHR, patient communication, and care coordination services for its 154 providers and affiliated ACO.

Also from athenahealth: the company  announces that it has integrated drug monographs from its Epocrates acquisition into athenaClinicals.

Four Ellis Medicine (NY) primary care locations deploy PCMH transformation management and analytics tools from Arcadia Healthcare Solutions to earn Level 3 NCQA PCMH recognition.

HIMSS Analytics recognizes 51 clinics of Northeast Georgia Physicians Group with its Stage 7 Ambulatory Award.

CMS and ONC introduce Randomizer, a tool that allows providers to exchange data with a test EHR in order to meet measure #3 of the Stage 2 transitions of care requirement.

Kareo launches a new MU resource center that includes links to articles, websites, and white papers, as well as FAQs that cover basics about MU and attestation.

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