Push for e-prescribing will cut phone bills, groups say
Five physician organizations have launched an e-prescribing push called “Get Connected” that aims at reducing the $8 billion phone bill caused by paper and fax prescription. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) are launching an online portal, www.GetRxConnected.com, where physicians can follow a step-by-step process designed to help them transition from paper-based prescribing to e-prescribing.
Companies support physician gift legislation
Medtronic and two manufacturers of supplies recently testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging to support the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. The bill, S. 2029, proposed by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), would require drug and device companies to report, on a quarterly basis, any payment or transfer of value to any physician. The bill would establish penalties of $10,000 to $100,000 for companies that fail to report contributions to physicians.
Report outlines system for renal dialysis providers
Medicare is moving closer to a prospective payment system for dialysis centers that supply ongoing care to beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease. The president’s budget for fiscal year 2009 contains a legislative proposal for implementing a fully bundled prospective payment system for ESRD beginning Jan. 1, 2011. ESRD is one of the last segments of care that Medicare doesn’t set prices for prospectively. These services are on an outpatient basis in free-standing and hospital-based dialysis facilities. Payments for these composite rate services represent about 60 percent of total Medicare payments to ESRD facilities.
Milliman announces care claims MGT. initiative
Milliman, Inc., the international firm of consultants and actuaries announced that its STEP Solutions(R) team is working with STA Group LLC to offer customers the ability to design, build and implement a next generation Long Term Care Claims processing platform. Milliman and STA will leverage the STEP-FAST technology developed by Milliman to provide a straight-through solution for the origination, issue, underwriting, claims and policy administration of insurance products.