Category: Commentary

Medical Necessity in the ER

Of all the criteria for a receiving a payment by Medicare, MACRA requirement to establish medical necessity seems to generate the most questions and discussion. With the introduction of ICD10 and the added complexity of coding for medical conditions, the debate over what constitutes medical necessity and how it should be documented runs high. Discussions […]

David and Goliath

In his seminal book on disruptive technology, David and Goliath, business guru Malcom Gladwell points out that Goliath didn’t have a chance against David who was wielding a technology that was a precursor to modern warfare where killing could be done at a distance. While the sling was not a new technology, having been invented sometime in […]

Will Hospital-Acquired Infections Kill Your EMR?

Recent reports of hospitals infected with computer viruses have IT managers very worried as well they should be. EMR systems typically run over the same networks as other hospital functions, often leaving the door open to malware and viruses. In two recent examples, hospitals were crippled by what is known as ransomware. Often emanating from […]

Meaningful Use Has Cost Taxpayers 34.7 Billion Dollars, Was it Worth it?

According to a recent article by John Lynn, founder of HealthCareScene, “CMS has put out the latest data on meaningful use participation and payments. They broke the Medicare dollars out by meaningful use Stage 1 and Stage 2. Meaningful use Stage 1 cost nearly $20 billion. Meaningful use Stage 2 cost $3.4 billion. The amounts were […]