Health care technology (HIT) is frequently oversold. That may be a surprising message coming from a Registry CEO, but it’s the truth. In the quest for answers, too many providers search for a system that can “do it all,” a dream technology that exists, well, only in your dreams. There is intense pressure on providers […]
Boutique Medicine’s Quality Challenge: Can Specialized Registries Aid Consumer Choice?
Many physicians—especially those in primary care—are angry about the practice of medicine. Dogged by high administrative overhead, they feel the pressure of shorter visit times to meet the practice’s income needs. In some geographic areas, PCPs are opting out of Medicare assignment in large numbers and establishing boutique medicine practices (including “concierge medicine”). Indeed, as […]
Ready for Risk? How to Foster Physician Alignment with Your Health System’s APMs
We’ve seen unprecedented consolidation among hospitals, hospital systems and physician groups in recent years, sparked by the drive for greater market share. As systems organize competitively to participate in risk models such as ACOs and bundled payments, however, the dramatic surge in hospital employment of physicians hasn’t helped ACO success. In fact, most Medicare ACOs […]
Still Not Sure of PQRS-VBPM? You Just Gave Your Competitor a Huge Bonus
If you still need a good reason to meet all PQRS requirements and improve your quality tiering under the Value-Based Payment Modifier (VBPM or Value Modifier), listen up: Failure to do so means your penalty will end up in your competitor’s pocket. Not only that—the 2016 Value Modifier Adjustment Factor (AF) for incentive payments has […]
First, Ask Questions: How to Harness CDR Data for Better Patient Outcomes
As more and better clinical data becomes available and demand grows for better outcomes, the Clinical Data Registry is positioned to fulfill the role of data manager—a vital mechanism for improving care. The CDR is the engine driving a smoothly running system toward better outcomes. This involves much more than data collection. A high quality […]
Don’t Hit the Medicare Revenue Wall: What You Must Know About 2016 PQRS-VBPM Benchmarks
What will it take for health care providers actually to focus on improving patient outcomes, while keeping costs under control? CMS has structured quality reporting under the Value-Based Payment Modifier (VBPM) to reward providers who surpass PQRS measure benchmarks, and penalize those who lag behind. But inherent in the new quality tiering is a serious […]
Plenty of Data, Not Enough Answers: What We Need to Improve Health Care Performance
If you read the industry hype, you might believe that we’ve left the data wasteland for the data land of plenty. Some health care technology and analytics companies allege that, with all this enhanced data capability, you can now discover everything you need to know about your operations and patients that will lead you to […]
All Together, Now: Why Specialists Need the CDR Edge for Bundled Payments
With the advent of Bundled Payments for selected procedures and conditions, providers and institutions must collaborate to meet both cost and quality targets. No longer will each provider bill and receive payment separately for services when these bundles become mandatory—as most experts believe will happen. All providers participating in a set “bundled” price must focus […]
Why Traditional VBHC Trouble Shooting Will Get You in Trouble with Performance Improvement
You’ve heard the phrase. You know it’s a key goal in Value-Based Health Care. But many providers don’t understand the full meaning of performance improvement. All too often, health care systems rely on piecemeal, troubleshooting approaches that emphasize short-term gains over meaningful, improved outcomes. Here’s a common example: Almost every hospital has adjusted its discharge […]
The CDR Advantage: Why Registry Research Minimizes Study Bias for Performance Improvement
The Clinical Data Registry is a powerful research tool for improving patient health. But what makes Registry-based study design better than pre-post study design? The answer has far-reaching implications for how we will use data to determine treatment effectiveness in the future, as well as how we will meet the challenge of improving health outcomes. […]