The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took a major step toward establishing accountable care organizations (ACOs) by issuing a notice of proposed rule-making that will define how physicians, hospitals and others can adopt this new organization form, wrote Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), in a perspective paper published March 31 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted new frequently asked questions (FAQs) concerning the latest information on the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

Wayne Memorial Hospital, a 316-bed health care facility serving Goldsboro, N.C., is implementing Ingenixs computer-assisted coding (CAC) tools to increase medical coding accuracy and compliance.

The Medical Center of Plano, a 427-bed acute care facility in Plano, Texas, has selected Wolters Kluwer Healths ProVation MD software for gastroenterology procedure documentation and coding.

High-deductible health plans could potentially lower healthcare spending, but they might also crimp preventive care, according to research published in the March edition of the American Journal of Managed Care.

Although the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) database has been in existence since 1969, more than half of the incidents in it were received in the past decade, according to an article published online March 28 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The 11th annual IHE European Connectathon, to be held in Pisa, Italy, April 11-15, has expanded to a week-long program of activities.

Circle the date: Attestation for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program will begin April 18, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which has posted sample attestation screenshots and additional information on its website.