Big Data Series Part II of IV: "Big Data" Privacy and Security Challenges Under HIPAA/HITECH
In this second installment of a four part series, the intersection of big data with the security of patient information under HIPAA/HITECH, data, and information security in a growing age of healthcare technology is addressed. The first installment discussed the history of big data and provided an overview of how it has been applied in healthcare. (Read more...)

Infection Control and "Never Events" Series Part II of IV: Regulatory and Reimbursement Penalties for "No Pay" 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 II of the series evaluates the impact of current regulation and reimbursement environments regarding "no pay events" on healthcare providers and enterprises. (Read more...)

Proposal to Repeal the Flawed SGR System
The Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means recently revised a proposal to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), the latest in a series of proposals to replace a fundamentally flawed system which attempts to control healthcare spending by using payment rate reductions as a means to control increases in spending on physician services without addressing the potential growth in costs associated with increasing volume or the complexity of providing those services. The new proposal will replace the SGR with a system that would utilize predetermined and stable reimbursement rates for a period of time while sustainable alternative payment models (APMs) are developed. (Read more...)

The Role of Potential Overutilization on Increased Healthcare Spending: A Case Study Regarding Colonoscopies
The ever-growing issue of rising healthcare costs and budget deficits has become a routine point of discussion and debate for providers; insurers; consumers; and, policymakers over the past several years. Several healthcare policy associations and industry experts have used the growth in utilization and the cost of colonoscopies as a case study to elicit a compelling view of how unnecessary and overpriced procedures can significantly drive up the cost of U.S. healthcare. (Read more...)