by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 21, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
What you need to know to achieve Success with PQRS While some of the background about PQRS is a review of preview posts, I have included the material so that you have all the basic information in one place and can use this as an easy reference about PQRS. I will do...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 15, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
On October 16, 2015 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released changes to the Meaningful Use program which take effect in 2015 and continue through 2017. The goal of this Final Rule is to reduce the complexity of the EHR Incentive Program and...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 14, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
A few days ago I got an email from a very respected colleague that went like this: “You said that US Wound Registry is Vendor Neutral, however, I asked my hospital IT guru to find out if we could participate and she said no. We are using [she named a major hospital...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 8, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
Twitter.com@CarolineFifeMD Last week we established that the risk of not participating in PQRS is not limited to the penalties of PQRS. There are penalties for your Value Modifier tied to PQRS. You have two options for participating in PQRS as a wound care and/or...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 7, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
The US healthcare “fee for service” payment system is rapidly transitioning away from one based on volume to one that is determined by “value” and which links cost to improved patient outcomes. The problem with the current system is that patients who stay in service...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 2, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
This 51 year old man has horribly painful ulcerations on the plantar surface of both feet. He was cured of Hepatitis C with Sofosbuvir a year ago. The ulcer did not improve with prednisone, cyclosporine, or topical Aczone gel. After multiple biopsies the lesion was...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 25, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
The Mayflower left the port of Southampton in August 1620 but was forced to put into Plymouth, England for repairs. The 102 passengers and 30 crew members finally left Plymouth for America on September 16, 1620. Blown off course by storms, it wasn’t until December...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 25, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
Here’s one more strange disorder that causes staining of the tissues. Ochronosis is a syndrome caused by the accumulation of homogentisic acid in connective tissues. The phenomenon was first described by Rudolf Virchow in 1865. The condition was named after the...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 24, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
CMS recently published a final rule that specifies criteria that eligible professionals (EPs) must meet in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. EHR Incentive Programs Final Rule Provisions The new...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 20, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
In the upcoming November edition of Today’s Wound Clinic, Helen Gelly, MD has written a very informative “Educational Note to Provider.” Helen, and Joe Darrah, the Managing Editor of TWC have graciously allowed me to share this The prior authorization...
