Review of 2014 Top Healthcare Events Based on Repercussions on the US, Our Industry, and Patient Care: VA healthcare scandal: In response to the scandal, President Obama signed into law the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, allowing the VA Secretary to fire or demote VA executives or supervisors who have been found to have manipulated medical and patient data. The law also provided $16 billion in funding for the VA to hire more physicians and nurses, build more facilities to expand capacity, and generally overhaul the system. A scandal ending up empowering bigger central government on the backs of US middle-class taxpayers? ! Apple targets desire for healthcare apps: In June, Apple introduced HealthKit, a mobile platform that combines data from other health-tracking apps and displays information in a dashboard through a single interface on an app called Health. What makes HealthKit different from similar platforms are the partnerships. Apple has been working with the Mayo Clinic for years on the platform, and the Mayo is providing health information and content through HealthKit. In September, Apple introduced another health-related product — the Apple Watch. According to Tim Cook, the watchs ‘biosensing’ capabilities has the potential to help users monitor their health and fitness. Let’s hope Obamacare doesn’t seize control of this amazing innovation. CEO turnover hits record high: 2014 was marked unprecedentedly as the highest CEO turnover in healthcare industry history. If hospitals and health systems cannot retain leaders, how can they address the long-term goals they set for their institutions? How can CEOs establish culture and encourage change if they arent around long enough to see change realized? See American College of Healthcare Executives. ACA’s ‘Obamacare’ so called health insurance ‘Marketplaces’ meets target but not without scandel: Most Americans simply remember the headlines about the sites major problems, which could influence their decision to enroll through an exchange through 2015 — a year that analysts say could be even more challenging for the exchanges as even more Americans visit them to explore coverage options. Ebola outbreak comes to the U.S.: After 42 days an Ebola outbreak ended in the US with no new transmitted cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO declared the end of the outbreak in Nigeria in October, but experts have said the Ebola outbreak worldwide will likely not be contained for months. Progressive Obama administrations top healthcare officials keep leaving office: Resigned - Kathleen Sebelius, then HHS Secretary following the glitch-ridden rollout for the federal health insurance exchange website in 2013. Resigned - U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park. Resigned - National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Karen DeSalvo, MD. Community Health Systems data breach: In August, Community Health Systems (CHS) based out of Franklin, Tenn. reported Chinese hackers gained access to their systems computer network and compromised the data of nearly 4.5 million patients! CHS operates 207 hospitals in 29 states, making it one of the largest hospital organizations in the country. Stolen information included names, addresses, birth dates, telephone numbers and Social Security numbers. Largest-ever HIPAA settlement: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University paid a combined $4.8 million to the Office of Civil Rights to settle a HIPAA violation that occurred in 2010. The settlement served as a reminder of not only the increasing risk of cybersecurity and safeguarding the growing amount of electronic data, but also the increasing fines associated with HIPAA violations. ICD-10 delay causes providers to put off transition process: In February, nearly 50% of all providers had only completed 25 % or less of the ICD-10 implementation process, leaving roughly 8 months to complete the transition. n March, to the excitement of the AMA and others, the House passed legislation, called the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, which stated HHS could not compel healthcare providers to transition to ICD-10 before Oct. 1, 2015. Shortly thereafter, the Senate passed the legislation in a 64-35 vote. Judge finds St. Lukes Health, ID violated antitrust law with physician group acquisition: In January, a federal judge sided with the Federal Trade Commission, ruling that Boise, Idaho-based St. Lukes Health System violated antitrust law with its 2012 acquisition of a 40-physician medical group. The judge said the combination of five-hospital St. Lukes with Saltzer resulted in control of 80 percent of primary care physicians in Nampa. Partners HealthCare, MA expansion sparks debate: Massachusetts Attorney General (Dem.) Martha Coakley, candidating for governor of Massachusetts, allowed Partners to complete its acquisitions if they met conditions, including capping price increases across its entire network to the rate of general inflation through 2020. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Lahey Health, Tufts Medical Center and other providers formed a coalition in opposition to the deal, claiming the settlement would ‘permanently transform how we deliver and receive healthcare’. Significant opposition came from consumer advocacy and health policy groups with no financial ties to the deal. The fact that this settlement was proposed during an election year has not gone unnoticed. Partners is the largest employer in MA and has a lobbying presence on Beacon Hill. Partner’s proposed expansion and surrounding controversy has huge implications for lawmakers and their careers. Health system joint ventures and affiliations proliferate: -San Francisco-based Dignity Health, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare and St. Louis-based Ascension Health reached an agreement for a joint venture last summer. -Greenville-based Vidant Health, Raleigh-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals and Winston-Salem-based Wake Forest Medical Center will retain their independence and governance structures while gaining mutual benefits. The systems ventures, which are not direct competitors, is intended to reduce financial pressures from declining Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, particularly since North Carolina did not expand Medicaid under the healthcare reform law. -Tacoma Washington based CHI Franciscan Health; Edmonds (Wash.) Family Medicine; The Everett (Wash.) Clinic; Kirkland-based EvergreenHealth Partners; Bothell-based Lakeshore Clinic; Bellevue-based Overlake Medical Center and Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 01:18:27 +0000
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