Big Data Series Part I of IV: What is "Big Data" and What Does It Mean for Healthcare?

Big Data Series Part I of IV: What is "Big Data" and What Does It Mean for Healthcare?

The four part HC Topics Series: "Big Data" examines the evolution and utilization of "big data" in the healthcare industry, and its potential effects on various aspects of healthcare delivery in the U.S. Part I discusses the history of big data and an overview of how it has been applied in healthcare to date; Part II will address the intersection of big data in light of HIPAA/HITECH, and protected patient data and information security in a growing age of healthcare technology; Part III of the series will review the regulatory drivers and utility for big data in the changing healthcare reimbursement paradigm; and, Part IV will assess the implications of big data for healthcare delivery, providers, and consumers.

PDF Icon Small Big Data Series Part I of IV: What is "Big Data" and What Does It Mean for Healthcare?
In this first installment of a four part series, the history and background of big data are discussed, and the increasing attention being paid to big data in healthcare is explored within the context of the Four Pillars: the regulatory, reimbursement, competition, and technological environments of the healthcare market. (Read more...)

PDF Icon Infection Control and "Never Events" Series Part I of IV: An Overview of Infection Control and Patient Safety in an Era of "Never Events"
The four part HC Topics Series: Infection Control and Patient Safety in an Era of "Never Events," examines the history and development of the current patient safety and infection control environments within the context of current regulations regarding mandatory public reporting and the reimbursement impact of never events. Part I reviews the history of infection control in healthcare and an overview of the current patient safety environment. (Read more...)

PDF Icon IRS Proposes Requirements to Make Charitable Hospitals More "Charitable"
The IRS recently issued a proposed rule that further defines hospitals' responsibility to conduct Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The rule requires hospitals to conduct and publicize the results of CHNA at least once every three years and requires hospitals to develop an implementation plan to address community health needs found in the CHNA. Consequences for failing to comply with the rule are serious and may result in loss of tax-exempt status, or an excise tax for failure to complete the CHNA. (Read more...)

PDF Icon CMS Proposes Changes to Medicare Incentive and Enrollment Programs to Combat Fraud
As a part of the government's ongoing battle against fraud and abuse, CMS recently issued a proposed rule to the Medicare Incentive Reward Program-a 15 year old program designed to encourage individuals to report Medicare fraud and abuse. The April 29, 2013 proposed rule increases the potential reward money an individual can receive for reporting fraud and abuse by five percent, and increases the program cap for individual awards from $10,000 to $66 million. (Read more...)