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File: Spring 2012_AIR_TOC

eileen.corcoran — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:06:00 GMT

File: Spring 2012_Trends_Teaching Judgment in Beginning Accounting

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File: Spring 2012_Optimizing Course Management System Resources in the Introductory Accounting Course

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File: Spring 2012_A Study of Student Performance in an Online Introductory Financial Accounting Course Compared to a Traditional Classroom Setting

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File: Spring 2012_Homework Policy: Computerized Versus Computerized and Hand-Written Homework in Introductory Financial Accounting

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File: Spring 2012_Using Outkast On Tour: An Instructional Mini-Case for Learning Accrual Accounting Concepts

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File: Spring 2012_Presentations with Maximum Impact: Helping Students Succeed

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Page: Staying Connected

Anonymous — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:17:00 GMT

News for the week of May 14, 2012

Billing Errors Lead to $1 Million in Medicare Overpayments

Medicare overpaid Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and Indiana University Health in Indianapolis more than a million dollars combined because the healthcare organizations did not have adequate controls to prevent billing errors. Billing errors included excess charges and medical devices, and high-severity DRG codes.

Source: OIG (Office of Inspector General) Summary Reports

Healthcare Becoming Top Employer

The Los Angeles Times reported that healthcare organizations are becoming the top employers in large cities and rural communities. For example, in Detroit, Beaumont Health System has replaced General Motors as the region's top employer.

Source: LA TImes article

CMS Expands Definition of Medical Staff

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expanded its definition of the medical staff, allowing nonphysician practitioners to have privileges like other medical staff members. The goal was to allow hospitals to explore new approaches to care.

Source: HHS Announcement

News for the week of May 7, 2012

Privacy Guide

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's Office has posted a Guide to Privacy and Security of Health Information. This free guide was designed to help healthcare practitioners and their staffs better understand the roles of privacy and security using electronic health records.

http://www.healthit.gov

Expanding Scope of Practice for Nurses

As the physician shortages widens, the healthcare industry is hearing more calls to increase the role of advanced practice nurses (APRN). An article printed in the Atlantic, states that some physicians are concerned about losing income, as well as their rank as "captain of the ship." Thirty-four states have scope of practice limitations in place.

Source: Atlantic article

Billing for E/M Services Susceptible to Medicare Fraud

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported that billing for evaluation and management services are vulnerable to fraud and abuse. The agency is looking at coding trends from 2001 to 2010, using Part B Medicare claims data, to identify physicians who consistently billed for more complex or more expensive E/M codes.

Source: OIG Summary Report

Primary-care Doctors to See Increase in Medicaid Rates

States will receive an $11 billion boost for primary-care physicians in their Medicaid programs over the next two years under a new proposed rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Source: Modern Healthcare

News for the week of April 30, 2012

Recommended 90-demo Period for Stage 2

A group of chief information officers and health IT professionals are urging the federal government to implement a 90-day demonstration period for the first year of implementation for Stage 2 electronic health-record system meaningful-use requirements. Stage 2 rules are schedule to take effect on October 1, 2013 for hospitals and January 1, 2014 for physicians.

Source: Modern Healthcare

AHA and CHIME React to Stage 2 Requirements

The American Hospital Association (AHA) and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIMA) have formally expressed doubts about the timing and content of the proposed rule implementing Stage 2 of electronic health record incentive program.

Source: AHA and CHIME comment letter to CMS

Many Hospital CIOs Skeptical

A recent survey reveals that the majority of hospital chief information officers (CIO) are skeptical about regional information exchange efforts. Many see the health information exchanges as a "Band-Air approach" until interoperability allows for more seamless information sharing between providers.

Source: HealthsystemCIO.com

Heart Devices Linked to Higher Mortality and Infection

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed an increase in heart-device infections. In addition, the researchers report that patients with heart-device-related infections had higher mortality rates. The study focused on permanent pacemaker or defibrillator implanted between 1993 and 2008.

Source: HealthDay article

Smaller Hospitals and Solo Physicians Struggling with EHR Adoption

A recent study published in Health Affairs, stated that small, non-teaching and rural hospitals have been slow to adopt EHRs. In addition, non-primary care doctors and small physician practices are also reporting a slow pace to adoption.

Source: Fierce EMR

News for the week of April 23, 2012

Universal Device Identifier

Legislation requiring the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue a final rule on universal device identifiers. The mandate requires tracking of malfunctioning devices by the end of the year.

Source: InformationWeek Healthcare

Hospital Loses Records

Emory Healthcare in Atlanta reported that they are missing approximately 315,000 surgical records. Ten backup discs have been missing from three of its facilities since February. The data file contains patient names, dates of surgery, diagnoses, procedure codes or the name of surgical procedures.

Source: Journal-Constitution article

News for the week of April 16, 2012

Online Health Jobs Tool

The U.S. Labor Department has launched an online tool designed to help individuals find jobs in a variety of healthcare fields, including health information technology.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Voice Recognition and Health Records

Voice recognition technology developers are introducing new products aimed as getting doctors to document patient information more immediately and thoroughly.

Source: USA Today

Hospital-Acquired Infections

A analysis of a U.S. hospital database found that in-hospital mortality is four times higher in patients with a hospital-acquired infection than in those without. The list of infections included pneumonia (16.9%), bloodstream infection (14.5%), ventilator-acquired pneumonia (3.7%) and surgical-site infection with 1.5%.

Source: Medscape article

iPads at Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic now offers iPads loaded with Mayo content and apps as automated tour guides to cardiac patients. The patients use the iPad to help them understand the surgical procedure, learn about their care plan, and get a detailed look at how their recovery might go.

Source: HealthLeaders Media story

Review of Stents- Necessary or Not

The Maryland General Assembly passed legislation that mandates independent review of coronary stent placement and whether it is medically necessary.

Source: MedPage Today

Curbing Healthcare Costs

According to an article posted in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), hospitals should target the following areas of waste to curb healthcare costs:

1. Overtreatment

2. Inferior care coordination

3. Poor execution of care processes

4. Administrative complexity

5. Pricing failures

6. Fraud and abuse

Source: JAMA press release

News for the week of April 9, 2012

EHRs Cause of Patient Information Breaches

According to a report, commissioned by Kroll Advisory Solutions, the aggressive adoption of electronic health records is one of the biggest reasons for the rise in security breaches of patient records. Unlike patient records, electronic records are subject not only to breaches caused by employees, but also my outside cybercrinimals.

Source: Salt Lake Tribune article

ICD-10 Proposed Delay----from 2013 to 2014

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced that a proposed rule will change the ICD-10 implementation date from October 1, 2013 to October 1, 2014. The delay is due in part to EHRs, as providers are stretched to the limit attempting to implement both at the same time.

Source: HHS Announcement

CMS Releases Proposed Quality Measures for 2014

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services posted its full set of proposed clinical quality measures (CQMs) for Stage 2 of Meaningful Use. The proposed rules require eligible professionals to report 12 CQMs in Stage 2, up from six in Stage 1.

Source: CMS website

News for the week of April 2, 2012

Fewer Lab Tests with HIE

A new study confirmed that physicians which had access to a health information exchange (HIE) ordered fewer lab tests for patients with prior test results after the HIE was formed than they did previously. The study was based on a review of medical records from more than 17,000 patients.

Source: Archives of Internal Medicine (study)

Quality Reporting Incentives

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported a 65% increase in participation with quality reporting between 2009 and 2010. The average payment to individual healthcare professionals was $2,157 and $20,364 to a group practice.

Source: Modern Healthcare

EHR Sales up 14% in 2011

The sales of electronic health records reached $17.9 billion in 2011, up 14.2% from the previous year. The increase was due to government incentives, increase in physician/hospital acceptance and the drive to improve patient outcomes

Source: Healthcare IT News

AMA Concerned about Regulations

The American Medical Association urged the CMS to consider the "Imminent storm" of overlapping regulations going into effect next year. The group expressed concern that the timeline for transitioning to ICD-10 overlaps with other program deadlines such as e-prescribing, electronic health records and physician quality reporting system. AMA has asked CMS to re-evaluate the penalty timelines associated with these programs.

Source: Modern Healthcare (March 29)

Blackboard Buys Competitors

Blackboard (course-management software) announced that the company had purchased two leading open-source alternatives: Moodle and NetSpot

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education (Wired Campus)

News for the week of March 26, 2012

Justices Hear Arguments on Healthcare Reform

U.S. Supreme Court justices are reviewing the health-reform law this week.

Source: ModernPhysician

HIPAA Mega Rule

The omnibus final rule implementing many changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was accepted for review by the Office of Management and Budget March 24, finally moving to tis final clearance hurdle. The rule combines four separate rulemakings: changes to privacy/security rules; new enforcement requirements and higher penalty requirements; breach notification rule and incorporate the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

Source: HIPAA Summit

News for the week of March 19, 2012

CMS Delays 5010 Again

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has postponed enforcement of its regulations requiring the use of 5010 standards in all electronic healthcare transactions. The new enforcement date will be June 30, 2012.

Source: CMS

Radiologist Lead with EHRs Use

A recent study by the IMV Medical Information Division (marketing research company) revealed that radiology is one of the the top five specialties embracing EHRs with a 62.8% adoption rate.

Source: Health Imaging article

Meaningful Use Pushes EHR Sales

A study published by Kalorama Information stated that sales of electronic health record systems reached $17.9 billion in 2011, up 14.2% from the previous year.

Source: Kalorama Report

Study Reveals Unnecessary Anesthesia

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (AMA), patients are undergoing unnecessary general anesthesia during gastroenterological procedures. This cost is predicted to be over $1 billion in extra spending. The study declared that about 14% of colonoscopies and endoscopies involved general anesthesia in 2003, whereas 30% of the same procedures were accompanied by anesthesia in 2009.

Source: JAMA study

Monitoring Unnecessary Meds

The University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore saved $3 million from its annual budget after monitoring unnecessary use of antibiotics. The study found that the cost savings did not hurt care quality.

Source: Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology Journal (April 2011)

News for the week of March 12, 2012

Hospital Jobs Climb

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare gained 49,000 jobs in February. Ambulatory care services added 28,200 positions, including 9,500 in physician offices, 4,300 in outpatient care centers and 5,000 in home healthcare services. Nursing and residential care facilities saw a gain of 5,400 jobs.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics press release

Study: Incentive Payments Driving EHR Adoption

A study published in the March issue of Health Affairs, revealed that most hospitals that don't qualify for electronic health record (EHR) Meaningful Use incentive program have not bothered to implement EHRs. The student concluded that incentive payments, not factors such as improved patient care, are the real drivers behind implementation of EHRs.

Source: DecisionHealth Daily article

Oregon Physicians Adopt EHRs

According to a recent report, 41% of Oregon's physicians have adopted electronic health records. Despite their compliance with meaningful use, some of those doctors said EHRs provide little benefit to their practice or patients, with related bureaucracy increasing costs and reducing time spent building the doctor-patient relationship.

Source: Healthcare IT News

News for the week of March 5, 2012

Cleveland Clinic Adds Images to EHR

The physicians at Cleveland Clinic are now able to view images, such as X-rays and laboratory samples, within the patient's electronic health record.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Use of Medical Homes

In an attempt to keep chronically ill patients from using expensive hospital services, hospitals in the Bay Area of California are using "patient-centered medical homes" to prevent chronically ill patients from being admitted. The program is targeting high-risk patients who regularly visit the hospital for its medical home program. In North Carolina, the use of medical homes shaved healthcare expenses by nearly $1 billion between 2007 and 2010.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Kaiser Expands to Mid-Atlantic Region

Kaiser Permanente will open a new medical facility in Lansdowne, Maryland as part of a strategy to expand its services in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country.

Source: Baltimore Sun

News for the week of February 27, 2012

CHIME Says: Minimal Delay on ICD-10

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) issued a statement that warned against a long delay in the deadline for healthcare organizations to switch over to ICD-10. In a letter to the HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebellius, the CEO of CHIME stated that the delay will create more problems than it would solve.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Stage 2-Meaningful Use Released

The federal government released the proposal for Stage 2 of qualifying for the meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR) incentives. The anticipated date of implementation will be in 2014. Meaningful use criteria builds on the first stage with increasing thresholds for performance. Examples of criteria include:

More than 60% of medication, lab and radiology orders created using computerized physician order entry (CPOE)
More than 55% of clinical lab test results incorporated into the EHR as structured data

Source: Modern Healthcare

ONC: Permanent EHR certification Coming

The Office of the National Coordinator announced plans to move toward a permanent certification program for EHRs.

Source: Healthcare IT News

Crackdown on Healthcare Fraud

The government's crackdown on healthcare fraud has revealed the nearly $4.1 billion was recovered in judgments for fiscal year 2011.

Source: HHS Statement

News for the week of February 20, 2012

CMS Will Delay ICD-10

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced its intent to delay the ICD-10 compliance deadline. The press release stated that HHS will initiate a process to postpone the date by which certain health care entities have to comply with ICD-10. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius expressed concerns about the administrative burdens to the physician practices. There is no update on the timeline and whether the delay is for just physicians or all health care entitites.

Source: HHS Press Release

Congress Halts Physician Pay Cut

The House and Senate approved a payroll tax package that includes a provision to stave off a 27.4% cut in Medicare physician payment rates schedule for March 1 and freezes rates at their current level until December 31, 2012.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Organizations Plea: Do Not Delay ICD-10

Several organizations, including the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) have issued statements requesting HHS NOT to delay implementation of ICD-10. The use of ICD-10, which is more robust than ICD-9, has the capacity to include current medical knowledge and 21st century patient outcomes, which will improve healthcare.

Source: Modern Healthcare

News for the week of February 13, 2012

CMS Will "Reexamine" ICD-10 Timeline

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they would "reexamine" the timeline for ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation. The announcement was made at the American Medical Association's (AMA) advocacy conference. The AMA has expressed concern about the burdening physician practices with implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS at the same time as several other initiations (meaningful use and 5010 conversion).

Source: Modern Healthcare

President Seeking Funding for Community Colleges

President Obama has requested over $10 billion for job training. Some of the funding would be used for on-the-job training and internships.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

News for the week of February 6, 2012

Hospital Compare Websites Adds Infection Data

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated their website to include facility-specific data on central line-associated bloodstream infections. In January 2011, hospitals were required to begin reporting central line infections to the government in order to receive their full payment update for 2013.

Source: Modern Healthcare

CMS Delays RAC Prepayment Audits

CMS will move forward with prepayment audits on or after June 1. Originally slated for January 1, the anti-fraud program will allow recovery audit contractors (RAC) to review historically improper claims before payment so that providers comply with Medicare rules.

Source: CMS Announcement

Google Launches Redesigned Education Site

Google has revamped its site for educators, creating a redesigned repository for all its educational tools and resources for teachers, schools, and students.

Source: Mindshift KQED

News for the week of January 30, 2012

Hospitals Employ 1 FTE to Handle RACs

According to a recent survey conducted by the Health Care Compliance Association, one full-time employee usually handles all inquires from the RAC (Recovery Audit Contractor) audits. The poll was conducted of 418 healthcare organizations.

Source: Fierce HealthFinance

Robots More Expensive---But Are They Effective?

According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the use of surgical robots isn't necessarily any more effective than regular surgery. The study reviewed cases of 2,500 patients who had hysterectomies. The study revealed that there was no difference in the complication rates. The use of robotic surgery increases the price of the procedure by approximately $1,300.

Source: Reuter's article

GE Discontinues Centricity Advance EHR System

GE Healthcare is pulling the plug on its Web-based Centricity Advanced electronic health-record system for office-based physicians. The announcement explained that the company was consolidating their EMR to focus on the flagship EMR and PM, Centricity Practice Solution. Centricity Practice Solution is an EHR and practice-mangement system combination.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Obama Calling for Affordable Higher Education

President Obama has kicked off a campaign for college affordability, calling higher education "an economic imperative that every family in American should be able to afford."

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Kaiser Goes Mobile

A total of 9 million Kaiser Permanente patients are now accessing their own medical information anywhere in the world.

Source: Healthcare IT News

News for the week of January 23, 2012

Providers and ICD-10 Transition

According to researchers from Georgetown University and the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, providers need to put more of an emphasis on planning and organization for implementation of ICD-10. The results show that most providers were still in the planning stages of implementation. Interviews were conducted from seven healthcare organizations in March and April of 2010.

Source: Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society

Obama Focus on Colleges, Research and Training

The president strongly linked his national policy goals with higher education, calling for more support for community colleges and steps to make college more affordable. Mr. Obama called for an expansion of job-training programs at community colleges, an extension of tuition tax credit, and a doubling of Federal Work Study jobs.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Kaiser Permanente Launches EHR Mobile App

Kaiser Permanente launched a mobile app giving more than 9 million patients access to their online medical records. Members will be able to view information from past visits, access lab results and pharmacy orders and see other data from their records.

Source: Kaiser News Release

Hospitals Vie for the Affluent

Hospitals in New York are competing for wealthy patients by providing amenities such as chef prepared meals and flat screen TVs. A portion of the hospital beds are identified as deluxe accommodations. This trend is spreading throughout the country as hospitals seek paying patients.

Source: The New York Times

News for the week of January 16, 2012

AMA Releases IT Tutorials

The American Medical Association has release online tutorials for physicians on electronic prescribing, pre-visit planning and point of care documentation. The AMA president stated that physicians may need to redesign and reorganize their office routines so that they can successfully and efficiently adopt health IT.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Healthcare Spending

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 1% of Americans accounted for 22% of healthcare costs in 2009. In addition, the report stated that five percent accounted for 50% of health care costs, about $36,000 each.

Source: USA Today

U.S. to Force Drug Firms to Report Money Paid to Doctors

The Obama administration is going to require drug companies to disclose the payments they make to doctors for research, consulting, speaking, travel and entertaining. Consume advocates and members of Congress say patients may benefit from the new standards. Officials say that disclosures increased the likelihood that doctors would make decisions in the best interests of patients, without regard to the doctors' financial interests.

Source: The New York Times

Healthcare Trends in 2012

Experts predict an upswing in mobile usage, more data breaches and new risks for social media in the year ahead.

Source: Healthcare IT News

News for the week of January 9, 2012

EHR Benefits Hit $2.5 Billion

Federal incentives for use of electronic health records has soared to just over $2.5 billion according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Source: Modern Healthcare

Look for Retail Health Clinics to Soar in 2012

According to a report from a research and consulting firm (Merchant Medicine), the number of retail clinics rose 11.2% in 2011. In comparison, retail clinics rose only 3% in 2010. Cleveland Clinic and Henry Ford Health System partnered with CVS, which plans on adding 500 more clinics during the next 5 years.

Source: The New York TImes

Physician Staffing Increasing in 2012

Hospitals and Health Care Systems report increased physician staff hiring that will continue into 2012. Analysts report that hospitals employ almost 20% of all physicians.

Source: Press Release from Sullivan, Cotter and Associates

Healthcare Spending Grows at Slower Rate

U.S. health care spending in 2010 grew at the second-slowest rate in 51 years, as patients continued to postpone hospitalizations, fill fewer drug prescriptions and avoid doctor visits.

Source: McClatchy Newspapers-January 10, 2012

Higher Ed Tech Trends in 2012

Washington-based Gilfus Education Group has released its annual list of the trends in education innovation for 2012, which include:

Prestigious institutions will launch online experiences designed to be as unique as those available to students on campus.
Dynamic and flexible learning experience engines will emerge to replace learning management systems (LMS)
Tablets will surge as a means of delivering courses and e-learning media

Source: Campus Technology

News for the week of January 2, 2012

Medicaid Quality Measures

HHS has issued a final notice containing an initial set of 26 quality measure for Medicaid patients. The measures cover areas, such as: prevention, care coordination and chronic disease management. Law mandates that HHS develop a standardized quality reporting format by January 1, 2013.

Source: Modern Healthcare

CMS Delays Medicare RAC Prepayment Reviews

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have decided to delay prepayment reviews until further notice. The agency said it will provide at least 30 days notice before implementing prepayment audits throughout 11 high-fraud states: Florida, California, Michigan, Texas, New York, Louisiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina and Montana.

Source: CMS Notice

News for the week of December 26, 2011

Providers and Social Media

Many health-care providers are reluctant to join the social media world because of concerns about patient privacy. Experts say there are ways to ensure confidentiality while using websites

Source: The Columbus Dispatch- December 26, 2011

AHRQ Launches Online EHR Troubleshooting Guide

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is offering a free online guide to help providers with the unintended consequences of EHRs. The tool provides step-by-step guidance to help future and current users avoid these unintended consequences, to understand and identify them, and to remediate as needed. It also provides an appendix of helpful case examples, such as how to reduce medication errors and responding to alert fatigue.

Source: AHRQ Announcement

News for the week of December 19, 2011

CMS Launches In-Home Primary Care Project

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revealed a new at-home primary-care demonstration project that will involve as many as 10,000 Medicare patients. CMS plans to work with medical practices to test the effectiveness of primary care in-home for patients who have multiple chronic conditions.

Source: Modern Physician

End to Surge in Community-College Enrollment

National enrollment in community colleges has declined slightly in the past year, following 3 years of significant increases driven by economic downturn, according to a report released by the American Association of Community Colleges.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Patients Want Access to Medical Records

According to a recent study, patients want easy access to any notes their doctor has recorded and want the right to let others view their medical information. Advocates say that open-access medical records will help to boost the quality of care.

Source: Reuters Health

CMS Selects 32 Final Pioneer ACOs

CMS announced the final list of 32 Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) to start in the new year. CMS estimates that the care coordination between hospitals, physicians and other care givers under this model will save Medicare up to $1.1 billion.

Source: CMS Press Release

Demand for Health IT Professionals Rise

A report from MedZilla.com (job site) states that there is a significant demand for health IT professionals with medical experience. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that health IT jobs would increase by 20% annually through 2018.

Source: Healthcare IT

News for week of December 12, 2011

Bill to Require Medicaid to Pay Promptly

Two representatives from California have introduced legislation that would require the Medicaid program to reimburse practitioners in a more timely manner.

Source: Modern Physician

Fourteen Hospitals Pay Fines

Fourteen hospitals face thousands of dollars in penalties for not complying with requirements that prevent patient safety risks, including a sponge left inside a patient after surgery and a medication overdose.

Source: Los Angeles Times

News for the week of December 4, 2011

CMS Opens Medicare Claims Data

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced they they will allow consumers, insurers, and employers to buy access to an extensive Medicare claims database. The goal is to make our healthcare system more transparent. Under the new rule, data will be released to qualified organizations that can extract Medicare claims data to measure performance of providers, as well as suppliers.

Source: CMS press release

CMS Develops EHR Tool for Physicians

CMS has developed a comprehensive tool to help guide physicians and other eligibile professionals through all phases of the Medicare electronic health record incentive payment program.

Source: Modern Healthcare IT News

Stage 2 of Meaningful Use Requirement Delayed

The Department of Health & Human Services announced its intent to delay the start of Stage 2 of the Meaningful Use requirements for electronic health records from 2013 to 2014.

Source: FierceHealthcare

Hospitals Appeal RAC Denials with 77% Success

According to a recent survey from the American Hospital Association, hospitals appealed nearly one-third of those Medicare Recovery Auditor Contractors (RAC) denials and saw 77% overturned. The majority of the denials centered around medical necessity involving 1-day hospital stays during which care was delivered in the wrong setting.

Source: American Hospital Association

New Course-Management Software Resembles Facebook

A new software program, called Coursekit, has designed an online course platform that emphasizes social networking and an easy-to-use interface.

Source: Wired Campus- The Chronicle of Higher Education

Drugs that Cause Hospitalizations

According to a new study, blood thinners and diabetes drugs cause the most emergency hospital visits for drug reactions among people over 65 years of age in the United States.

Source: The New York Times

News for the week of November 28, 2011

Medicare Prepayment Audits

Starting in January 2012, Medicare will conduct prepayment reviews of certain claims with a new pilot program. CMS has selected states which have historically high populations of fraud and those with a high volume of short hospital stays. In the first group, the following states are targeted: Florida, California, Michigan, Texas, New York, Louisiana and Illinois. The short stay reviews will be conducted in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina and Montana.

Source: CMS announcement

Hospitals Searching for Cost Savings

Health care systems are setting goals to limit unnecessary care and save money. An East Coast hospital reported that giving fewer blood transfusions during heart surgeries had some counterintuitive results: not only did the costs fall, but care improved. Some physicians are against the new transfusion criteria, and cautioned against using data to drive treatment decisions. Another targeted area was C-section rates.

Source: USA Today article November 21

Hospitals use more Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants

Due to physician shortages in some parts of the U.S., hospitals have elected to hire nurse practitioners (NP), and physician assistants (PA) to bridge the gap. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that use of PAs and NPs are most common in rural locations, small hospitals, and nonteaching hospitals.

Source: CDC report

AHIMA Responds to AMA Vote

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) responded to AMA (American Medical Association) House of Delegates resolution to stop implementation of ICD-10 by saying they are "disappointed." AHIMA CEO, Lynne Thomas Gordon said that we need to move forward to a detailed coding system that will support quality care, public health and research both nationally and internationally.

Source: Modern Healthcare

News for the week of November 21, 1011

CMS Delays 5010 Conversion

CMS announced that it was giving a 90 days grace period before enforcing its rule tat hospitals, office-based physicians, health insurance plans and claims clearinghouses upgrade from Version 4010 to the 5010 standards. The deadline was January 1, 2012--before the extension.

Source: Modern Healthcare

AMA Opposes ICD-10

Last week, the American Medical Association's House of Delegates voted to "work vigorously to stop implementation" of ICD-10, citing the healthcare industry's full plate for changes.

Source: Modern Physician

Rural Hospitals Get Tech Grants

Five hospitals serving the most impoverished counties in rural Mississippi have received a $700,000 federal grant to set up a secure interlinked network to connect their intensive-care units with critical-care experts at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

Source: Modern Healthcare

News for the week of November 14, 2011

NCQA Launches ACO Accreditation

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) will start accountable care organization (ACO) accreditation this month. NCQA is a nonprofit organization that accredits and certifies healthcare organizations. NCQA will review seven domains for accreditation criteria: structures/operations, access to needed providers, patient-centered primary care, care management, care coordination and transitions, patient rights and responsibilities and performance and quality improvement.

Source: NCQA website

Cleveland Clinic Overpaid: Billing Problems

The Cleveland Clinic was overpaid $254,000 for inappropriate Medicare claims according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General. The overpayment centered around procedures for medical device replacements. Device manufactures give providers full or partial credit for those replaced during the warranty period or because of recalls. It was determined that the Cleveland Clinic did not always comply and request credits from manufactures. To offset these credits, Medicare reduces the payment for the device replacement procedures.

Source: OIG Executive Summary

Ruling Knocks Down Medicaid Limits on ER Visits

A court ruling is forcing the state of Washington to temporarily repeal rules that seek to limit Medicaid coverage of emergency room visits for nonemergency care.

Source: Associated Press

Online Course Enrollments Grow---but at a Slower Pace

Enrollment in online courses grew by more than 10% between fall 2009 and fall 2010. More than 6.1 million students took at least one online class during the fall 2010 semester according to a Sloan Survey of Online Learning. An online course is now part of the college experience for 31% of all students.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Learning-Wired Campus

News for the week of November 7, 2011

Mixed Results in Quality Incentives

According to a 4 year study of three New York City hospitals, quality-oriented programs can cut cost but won't affect patient outcomes. Researchers examined 8 types of major operations and found "no significant difference" in complications and death rates after pay-for-performance models were implemented.

Source: Pittsburg Post-Gazette

HIMSS and ASHHRA Partner on Jobs

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration will collaborate to support job eskers and employers in the health information technology workforce.

Source: Health IT Strategist

Midcourse Student Feedback

A growing number of faculty are asking students to evaluate teaching midcourse rather than waiting for the end of the course evaluation

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

News for the week of October 31, 2011

Physician Sentenced in Fraud Case

A Texas physician received an 11-year prison sentence and a demand for $15.6 million in restitution for allowing a Nigerian fraudster to use her Medicare provider number to submit fraudulent bills for millions.

Source: Modern Physician

Report States ICD-10 an Issue for Physicians

In a report from the healthcare research firm (KLAS) states that less than 10% of providers have crossed the halfway point for the switch to ICD-10. The author of the report declared that there is a lack of understanding by providers about the financial repercussions of not being prepared for the change.

Source: FierceHealthIT

Medicare Report: Improve Tracking of Serious Hospital Errors

Medicare inspectors must do a better job of tracking reports of serious mistakes in care at the nation's hospitals, as well as of informing rating agencies of the error, according to a report released by the agency's inspector general. Hundreds of serious errors go unrecorded, according to the report.

Source: USA Today November 1, 2011

$6.8 Billion Spent Yearly on 12 Unnecessary Tests and Treatment

A recent study, led by physicians from the Mount Siniai Medical Center and the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York examined the cost of common primary care practices that were identified as being overused (e.g. urinalysis). The working group, for example, had noted that blood test and other diagnostic tests were often ordered even for patients who had no related symptoms or risk factors and said they should be discontinued in this cases. Included in the list was imaging studies (CT Scans or MRIs) for low back pain and Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer in teenagers.

Source: Kaiser Health News

News for the week of October 24, 2011

MGMA and ACMPE Merge

The Medical Group Group Management Association and the American College of Medical Practice Executives agreed to merge into one organization effective January 1, 2012.

Source: Modern Physician

Medical School Applications Hit Record Highs

The number of first-time applicants to medical school reached an all-time high this year as new and existing schools continued an expansion aimed at preventing a projected shortage of physicians.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Community College Enrollments Slow

After 10 years of record growth, enrollments appear to be slowing down at many of the nation's community colleges.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Restricting Hospital Stays for Medicaid Patients

Several states are restricting hospital stays as a method to cut Medicaid costs. For example, Arizona will pay for only 25 hospital stays a year for adult Medicaid recipients.

Source: Kaiser Health News

U.S. Healthcare Performance Score Declines

The U.S. healthcare system scored 64 of a possible 100 on key measures of performance, according to the third national scorecard report from the Commonwealth Fund Commission on High Performance Health System. The report also reveals a poor score on measures of efficiency, showing relatively low use of electronic information systems and high administrative costs.

Source: Healthcare IT NewsWeek

News for the week of October 17, 2011

Latest iPhone News

The Apple iPhone 4S is the first consumer smartphone to offer Bluetooth 4.0, paving the way for mobile health devices that offer body-area network technologies to American consumers.

Source: article on iMedicalApps.com

Medicare Releases Patient Safety Ratings for Hospitals

Medicare has begun publishing patient safety ratings as the first step toward paying less to institutions with high rates of surgical complications, infections mishaps and potentially avoidable deaths.

Source: Kaiser Health News

CMS Pays Meaningful Use Incentives

In September, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services payout out nearly $90M to providers and hospitals under the meaningful use EHR incentive program

Source: Healthcare IT News

News for the week of October 10, 2011

HHS Wants to Give Patient Lab Results

The Department of Health and Human Services stated that they want to give patients test results straight from the lab. This proposal, released in September, could enable a wider deployment of the personal health record system and give patients more control over their health care information. In 13 states, labs are forbidden from sending test results directly to patients.

Source: American Medical News

Dallas Hospitals Pays $1.4M for Upcoding

Several Dallas hospitals agreed to a $1.4 million settlement, ending a four-year Medicare billing fraud investigation. Although not admitting any wrongdoing or liability, the organizations were under investigation for upcoding.

Source: Dallas News

Physicians Favor Hospital Employment

A recent survey revealed that 32% of first-year residents said they prefer to be employed by a hospital, up from 22% in 2008.

Source: Merritt Hawkins & Associates Press Release

Office of Inspector General's Work Plan 2012

The next fiscal year's work plan for the Office of Audit Services includes the following:

Review of inpatient and outpatient payment to acute-care hospitals--(goal of recovering overpayments)
Review of present-on-admission indicators- (-distinguishing hospital-acquired conditions from patient conditions at the time of admission)
Acute-care hospital inpatient transfers to inpatient hospice care-- (look at claims for inpatient stays in which the patients were transferred to hospice care facilities)
Critical access hospitals (CAH)--(determine the appropriateness of CAH designation)

Source: OIG Work Plan

Hospitals Offering More Alternative Medicine

Forty-two percent of hospitals reported that they provide complementary and alternative medical services, according to a recent report by the American Hospital Association. That number has tripled since 2000. According to the survey, the primary rationale is because of patient demand.

Source: U.S. News & World Report

News for the week of October 3, 2011

ICD-11 in Progress

Dr. Uston, team coordinator of classification, terminologies and standards with the World Health Organization's health statistics and informatics announced that ICD-11 is coming. A release of ICD-11 should be ready in 2015.

Source: American Health Information Management Association (convention speaker)

Records Breach in Texas

A massive data breach, in which the personal and medical records of millions of military patients and their families were compromised when the records were stolen out of a data contractor's car in San Antonio.

Source: Health Management Technology

RACs Correct $92.3M in Improper Payments

The government corrected $75 million in Medicare over payments and $16.9 million in underpayments in fiscal year 2010, according to the first report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Source: CMS

Metallic Hips Failing

A growing number of patients seek to have faulty metal-on-metal artificial hips removed and replaced due to shedding of tiny pieces of metallic debris.

Source: The New York Times

News for the week of September 26, 2011

Community Colleges Receive $500-Million for Job-Training Programs

Community Colleges across the country will receive about $500-Million in federal grants beginning next week. This is the first of four payments in a $2-Billion plan that is intended to improve career-development programs and train ailing work force.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Doctors and Tablet Computers

In some physician offices the patient is no longer handed a clipboard upon arrival. Instead, they are handed an iPad where they can tick off symptoms and allergies with the touch of the finger. Lured by new technologies and financial incentives from the government, doctors are throwing out stacks of paper and replacing them with handheld computers.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Progress seen on ICD-10

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) polled its members in August about ICD-10 conversion plans. Among the 639 survey respondents, 85% said that they have begun work on the conversion plan. The conclusion was that "much work remains to be done, " as only 49% reported that their organization had begun to act on their assessments.

Source: Modern Healthcare

McKesson Releases EHR for Physician Practices

McKesson is offering a fully integrated electronic health record and practice management solution that puts advanced yet easy-to-use technology within reach of small independent primary care physicians.

Source: Healthcare IT News

News for the week of September 19, 2011

Insurers Merge Data

Four national health insurers announced plans to pool more than 5 billion claims into single database for researchers to identify trends in cost, utilization and intensity of care. The insurers include Aetna, Humana, Kaiser Permanent and UnitedHealthcare. The group will release public "score cards" twice a year summarizing national trends in the data.

Source: Modern Healthcare

CMS Introduces Widgets for ICD-10 and 5010

CMS has introduced a series of "widgets" to help the industry make the transition to ICD-10. The widgets are a series of project management timelines for large providers, small providers, payers and vendors. The widgets can be printed as PDFs or downloaded to a desktop.

Source: Government Health IT

Bill for Higher Education and Research

A U.S. Senate panel voted to approve a bill that would cut spending on the National Institutes of Health by $190-million in the 2012 fiscal year while maintaining a maximum Pell Grant award of $5,550. The full Appropriate Committee will consider the bill.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

News for the week of September 12, 2011

CMS Plans to Expand Access to Lab Reports

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced plans to make it easier for patients to see, use and add information to their personal electronic health records. In addition, a new regulation is going to allow people the right to get their own lab results.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Long-term Facilities Must Report Quality Data

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has put hospices and long-term care hospitals on notice that they will have to start reporting quality data over the next few years or risk losing part of their Medicare reimbursement.

Source: Health Data Management

Hospital Executives Concerned about ICD-10

According to a Health Informatics article, CIOs are concerned about the cost associated with training with the increased complexity of ICD-10. A hospital IT consultant told Computerworld that the ICD-10 transition could cost large hospitals as much as $2-$5 million.

Patient Data Posted Online--Major Breach of Privacy

A medical privacy break led to the public posting on a commercial Web site of data for 20,000 emergency room patinets at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California, including names and diagnosis codes. The information stayed online for over a year.

Source: The New York TImes

States Would Distribute $5 Billion to Community Colleges Under Obama's Jobs Plan

The new Obama job package includes money for community colleges that are in desperate need of renovation and upgrades to make use of new technology and become more energy-efficient.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

News for the week of September 5, 2011

Adverse Drug Reactions Preventable

A study from the Nordic School of Public Health in Sweden revealed that 45% of adverse drug reactions were preventable.

Source: Irish Health

Physicians Frustrated with Quality Reporting System

According to a recent report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) only 210,000 clinicians (out of 1 million) were eligible for the voluntary incentive program that involved reporting data. The average payout was about $2,000 per year for those who successfully reported the quality data elements. Physicians have voice concern about the difficulty of participating in the program which now includes 194 measures.

Source: article from American Medical News

Breach Reports Surpass 30,000

The medical records of about 7.9 million people have been exposed in more than 30,750 healthcare-related security breaches since breach notification requirements took effect two years ago.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Using Social Media in Research

A new Mayo Clinic study shows that social media can help researchers find patients with rare diseases who are candidates for clinical trials.

Source: Mayo Clinic Press Release

News for the week of August 29, 2011

Value of Online Learning: A Survey

The Pew Research Center conducted a survey of two groups including a random sample of the adults (public) and college presidents (2 and 4 year colleges). Key findings include:

29% of public says online courses offer an equal value compared to courses taken in classroom. 51% of college presidents say online offers the same value
77% of college presidents report that their institutions offer online courses
College presidents predict substantial growth in online learning. 50% predict that in 10 years, most of the students will take online courses

Source: Pew Research Center

HHS Awards $137 for Health IT

The Department of Health and Human Services awarded $137 million to nearly every state to strengthen prevention efforts and to improve public health. Many of the awards include a health IT component, such as immunization information technologies and registries.

Source: Healthcare IT NewsWeek

Women Value Higher Education More Than Men

A recent survey of more than 2,100 Americans was conducted by the Pew Research Center. Slightly more than a third of the respondents to the survey held a bachelor's degree or higher.

A majority of respondents were not satisfied with the advantages higher education offers, in light of the heft financial investment it requires. College-educated women were more enthusiastic.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

News for the week of August 22, 2011

Natural Language Processing Has Promise

Research published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that computerized natural language processing of free-text portions of patient medical records was more effective in identifying quality lapses in post-operative surgical patients than a computerized review of discrete data elements.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Many Readmissions Not Preventable

A new Canadian study finds that readmission rates are not an accurate measure of quality and may not be prevented as patient safety advocates have argued. Researchers looked at more than 4,800 patient records and found that only 1 in 5 readmissions were actually preventable.

Source: Ottawa Citizen article

Medicare Targets Readmission Rates

Effective October 2012, hospitals with the highest readmission rates could face up to 3% cuts in reimbursement. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will soon release a final rule aimed at cutting hospital readmissions.

Source: Kaiser-Washington Post article

Top IT Priorities for Healthcare

A recent survey conducted by HIMSS revealed the following selected IT initiatives are top priorities in healthcare:

Competitive Environment-pressure to meet funded and unfunded mandates before their competitors
Revenue Cycle Management
HIEs (health information exchanges)
Healthcare Reform Legislation
Interoperability
Business Intelligence

Source: Healthcare IT News

Patient Check-in with iPad

A software company has launched an app to replace the paper-based patient check-in. The OnPatient app can be downloaded to the iPad for free and integrated into a medical practice as a standalone application.

Source: Healthcare IT News

News for the week of August 15, 2011

Nursing Shortages

Low staffing has been linked to patient deaths according to The Patriot-News (Pennsylvania). A report declared that 233 unfilled shifts in the emergency department for RNs at a Pennsylvania hospital.

Source: The Patriot-News

Next Generation of Computer-Assisted Coding

Nuance Communications has partnered with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to further develop its "clinical language understanding" process. This process is designed to convert dictation into descrete, actionable data in the electronic health record.

Source: Information Week Healthcare

$400M in EHR Incentives

The government has paid $400 million in meaningful use incentives to physicians and hospitals so far, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Source: Health IT Newsweek

Need Study for Use of IT

A North Carolina state representative is urging the Health and Human Services Secretary to launch a thorough study about the adoption, benefits and cost-effectiveness of health information technology. In addition, the request extends to examining both human and technological error rates.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Education-Technology Merger

Two large software companies in higher education, SunGard and Datatel, announced plans to merge. Both companies make popular software systems to manage student records.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Kaplan Revenue Down 29% in Second Quarter

The Washington Post Company has reported a 29% drop in 2nd quarter revenue at its Kaplan Higher Education division.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

News for the week of August 8, 2011

iPad EHR Receives Meaningful Use Certification

A company (drchrono) which offers a free electronic health record platform on the iPad has received ONC-ACTB certification.

Source: Health IT NewsWeek

Healthcare IT Jobs Growing

The healthcare industry is creating IT jobs faster than other industries, according to the new Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Since 2009, the number of health IT jobs has increased 67%, according to an article in Computerworld.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics and Computerworld

News for the week of August 1, 2011

AMA Asking for Changes in eRx Rule

The American Medical Association has called for further modifications to CMS' physician electronic prescribing incentive program.

Source: Modern Physician

Physician Fraud Case

A Maryland cardiologist has been convicted of fraud for inserting medically unnecessary heart stents.

Source: Modern Physician

eLearning Market Set for Growth

A recent report from Ambient Insight, a market research firm, shows that revenues from self-paced e-learning products and services will reach $7.1 billion by 2015, especially in healthcare.

Source: Healthcare IT News

iPhone App for Diagnosing Strokes

The University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine revealed research that doctors can make a stroke diagnosis using an iPhone application with the same accuracy as if they were using a medical computer workstation.

Source: Healthcare IT News

News for the week of July 25, 2011

IOM: Need for Lung Disease Surveillance

The institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report that creates a framework for building a national chronic disease surveillance systems focused on cardiovascular and lung diseases.

Source: Modern Physician

Going to Hospital Riskier Than Flying

The World Health Organization stated that millions of people die each year from medical errors and infections linked to health care and going into the hospital is far riskier than flying.

Source: The New York Times

The Most Connected Hospitals

U.S. News & World Report released its list of 118 hospitals that are leaders when it comes to using electronic health records and providing quality care. Leading the list are Mayo Clinic, University of Wisconsin Hospitals, Stanford and Children's Hospital in Boston.

Source: Healthcare IT News

News for the week of July 18, 2011

Community College Students and Online Learning--Recent Study

Columbia University recently conducted a study and concluded that community-college students enrolled in online courses fail and drop out more often than those who had classroom-based coursework. The study followed the enrollment history of 51,000 community-college students in Washington State between 2004 and 2009. The study revealed that those with Web-based credits were least likely to graduate or transfer to a four-year institution.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education (July 19, 2011)

Microsoft's New Project for Data Analysis

Microsoft is releasing a free tool that connects your data to giant data centers and allows scholars to run ready-made analytic programs. This tool, called Daytona, grew out of an idea for open-source computing project.

Source: Wired Campus

Hospitals Spend up to $100 Million to Scan Paper

According to a survey of 200 facilities, 1/4 of the hospitals are spending $100 million or more to scan paper documents. The survey also revealed the following:

36% plan to hold onto their paper records after they are digitized
28% scan all documents in paper charts, even though only a portion may be relevant to patient care
40% measured the effectiveness of their scanning
48% indicated that they planned to continue using paper records alongside EHRs

Source: Iron Mountain

News for the week of July 11, 2011

Healthcare Employment Up, Hospital Employment Down

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare employment trended up in the month of June. The growth was in the ambulatory care arena, not in hospital employment.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Tuition Hikes Hit Students

Almost 20 states have cut funding for colleges, raising costs for students. Some states, including Georgia and Illinois, are also slashing grants awarded to students. The cuts to public college funding have started to trickle down to parents and students.

Source: Smart Money

UCLA Hospitals Pay $865,500 for Breaches

UCLA Health System has agreed to pay part of a settlement with federal regulators after two celebrity patients alleged that hospital employees broke the law and reviewed their medical records without authorization. The complaints revealed that employees were caught and fired for peeping at the medical records of dozens of celebrities.

Source: Los Angeles Times

News for the week of July 4, 2011

Private Firm Buys Blackboard

Providence Equity Partners has agreed to buy Blackboard for $1.64 million.

Source: Wired Campus

Social Media and Clinical Trials

A new survey shows promise for the use of social media to increase enrollment and reduce clinical trial delays.

Source: Wired Campus

MGMA Survey: Focus on Health IT

In a recent survey, the members of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) stated that four of the five top issues revolve around technology. The primary concerns of practice managers include:

reimbursement models
Meaningful use
Risking operating costs
Implementing EHRs
Accountable care organizations

Source: FierceHealthIT

Pre-Screening ER Patients

Halifax Health, a Florida hospital, started a pre-screening policy to direct ER patients to make sure they have real medical emergencies. ER visits for non-urgent care are redirected to an onsite health clinic. In addition to cost savings, the hospital hopes to free up needed medical staff and ease ER overcrowding.

Source: Daytona Beach New-Journal

News for the week of June 25, 2011

Health IT Teaching Materials Released

The teaching materials developed for training for the Health IT initiative funded by the Office of the National Coordinator have been released to the public. The goal of the program was to graduate 50,000 employees to fill the shortage in the health IT workforce. The teaching materials, developed by (5) 4-year universities that make-up the Curriculum Development Center Program. The materials are available online at http://www.onc-ntdc.org

Source: Modern Healthcare

Medicare Study- Too Many Scans Performed

According to federal records, there is an overuse of CT Scans in the United States. According to radiologists, performing two scans in succession is rarely necessary. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to release figures for 2009 next month. The overuse of scans has been a subject of growing concern in recent years.

Source: The New York Times

Wrong Site Surgery Not Improved

Some researchers and patient safety experts say the problem of wrong-site surgery has not improved and may be getting worse. Joint Commission officials estimate that wrong-site surgery occurs 40 times a week in U.S. hospitals and clinics. Last year 93 cases were reported to the accrediting organization, compared with 49 in 2004.

Source: The Washington Post

One in Five Medical Claims Processed Inaccurately

According to the American Medical Association, health insurance companies are inaccurately processing nearly one in five medical claims, slowing payments to doctors and adding bureaucratic headaches to patients. According to the AMA, commercial health insurance companies have an error rate of 19.3%, up 2% points from last year's report

Source: Los Angeles Times

News for the week of June 18, 2011

Johnson & Johnson Stops Manufacturing Drug-Coated Heart Stents

J&J announced that it would stop manufacturing drug-coated heart stents by the end of the year due to a series of setbacks and rising concerns about the use of stents in some patients.

Source: The New York Times

Leading Candidate for Buying Blackboard: Providence Equity

Bloomberg reported that Providence Equity is the leading candidate to buy Blackboard, Inc. Providence is the part owner of a company that runs Argosy University and Edline (course-management software for K-12 schools).

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Tuition-free Higher Education

A nonprofit university in Pasadena, California offers college coursework for about 1,000 students worldwide for essentially free. The only charge is a one0time application fee of $10-$50, which varies according to the comparative wealth of the student's home nation. The University of the People has just tow paid academic employees and professors and deans donate their time.

Source: The Washington Post

News for the week of June 11, 2011

Meaningful Use Stage 2 Delayed?

A work group is calling for a one-year delay in the scheduled implementation of Stage 2 meaningful use criteria for organizations.

Source: Modern Physician

CMS Making Hospital Performance Data Public

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they will make hospital and doctor performance data available for the public.

Source: Fierce Healthcare

Analytics in Education

Officials at colleges and universities are migrating to more data-driven marketing. There is a movement to rely on data analytics to make marking decisions rather than basing it on opinions, guesses and hunches. A university in Michigan is able to analyze web traffic patterns to design a website that allows users to complete their intended tasks easier.

Source: University Business

Bacteria and Mobile Devices

A recent study published in the American Journal of Infection Control revealed that patient and visitors' cell phones were 50% more likely to carry bacteria than healthcare workers' devices.

Source: FierceMobileHealthcare

CMS Publishes Final Rule for Medicaid

As of July 1, the federal government will not make payments to states for any amounts expended for providing medical assistance for health care-acquired conditions.

Source: CMS

News for the week of June 6, 2011

Push to Protect Medical Data

A government Web page lists nearly 300 hospitals, doctors and insurance companies that have reported significant breaches of medical privacy over the past couple of years. Breaches are considered a major barrier to moving forward with using electronic health records. In the last two years, personal medical records of at least 7.8 million people have been improperly exposed, according to the government data. Obama administration is making efforts to enforce the rules about privacy and security.

Source: The New York Times

Medicaid To Stop Paying for Hospital Mistakes

Medicaid will stop paying for about two dozen "never events" in hospitals, such as operations on the wrong body part and certain surgical-site infections. A similar program has been in place for Medicare since 2008. The new policy is set to be implemented in July 2012.

Source: Kaiser Health News

Doctors At Risk for E-Prescribing Penalties

As many as 209,000 physicians and other healthcare providers may see a 1% reduction in Medicare payments in 2012 for not writing prescriptions electronically. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) instituted a Medicare e-prescribing program that pays small incentives to doctors who write at least 10% of their prescriptions electronically (with some exceptions). Deductions for noncompliance will start at 1% in 2012 and then climb to 1.5% in 2013 and 2% in 2014.

Source: InformationWeek Healthcare

News for the week of May 30, 2011

Missed Meds Cost $250B a Year

According to several recent studies, it is estimated that Americans may waste as much as $258 billion a year by not taking prescribed medications. Missed doses lead to emergency room visits, doctors' visits and inpatient hospital stays.

Source: USA Today

Johns Hopkins Receives $10 Million for Safety Initiative

A gift of $10 million will launch an institute for patient safety, focusing on reducing medical mistakes. The new program will research and develop methods for preventing infections, misdiagnoses, improper treatments and other errors.

Source: The Baltimore Sun

Proposed Changes to HIPAA

A new proposed rule (May 31 issue) published in the Federal Register will highlight changes regarding the disclosure of patients' health information that could give patients more insight into how their information is shared.

Source: Modern Healthcare

News for the week of May 23, 2011

Health IT Competency Exams Released

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has released a set of competency exams created to identify expert-level IT professionals. The exams became available May 20 and cover six primary roles: clinician/practitioner consultant, implementation manager, implementation support specialist, practice workflow and information management redesign specialist, technical/software support staff and trainer.

Source: ONC Website

Electronic Medical Records are Vulnerable

Two new reports released by the inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department revealed that the drive to connect hospitals and doctors has created privacy problems. Connecting health records could open new pathways for hackers.

Source: Associated Press

Focus on Accountable Care Organizations (ACO)

The new health care law includes the latest model for delivering services. The plan includes offering doctors and hospitals financial incentives to provide good quality care to Medicare beneficiaries while keeping down costs. More details are being developed but the new ACO would manage all the health care needs of a minimum of 5,000 Medicare beneficiaries for at least three years. The ACO would bring together the different components of care, such as home health, specialists, hospitals ---and ensure that all of the "parts work well together."

Source: National Public Radio

Readmission Rates and Use of Mobile Apps

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) goes into effect next year. This Act will establish benchmarks for hospital readmission rates. The government will track those conditions with high readmission rates such as congestive heart failure and pneumonia. According to a study published by the Journal of Medical Internet Research, patients that use mobile apps to manage their conditions, have a lower readmission rate.

Source: Hospital Impact

News for the week of May 16, 2011

CMS Issuing EHR Incentive Checks

The first payments for providers that have met Stage 1 meaningful-use requirements will be sent this week by CMS.

Source: Modern Physician

Hospital ER Closings

A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that almost 1/3 of the emergency departments have closed over the past two decades. Reasons for the closure include a poor profit margin.

Source: USA Today

Health Insurers Making Record Profits

The nation's major health insurers stated they had record profits for the third straight year. Many revealed double-digit increases in rates they charge, citing a need for protection against the rising price of care.

Source: The New York Times

Microsoft Launches First iPad App

Microsoft released "Bing for iPad" as its first application in the App market. Bing is an ever-growing search engine--beautifully designed.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education- Wired Campus

Interprofessional Health Education

Two new studies promote interprofessional health education that would enable collaborative, high-quality and cost-effective care for patients. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, this approach goes against the current siloed approach.

Source: Association of American Medical Colleges

News for the week of May 9, 2011

Adult-Education Leaders Push for More Federal Dollars

Adult-educators presented a policy paper to Capitol Hill to call attention to the vital role that adult-education and career-training programs play in the nation's economic recovery.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Employees Fired for EHR Snooping

Allina Hospitals & Clinics in Minneapolis terminated 22 employees for accessing patient records without a legitimate reason.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Asthma Rates Continue to Rise

According to a recent report, prevalence of asthma increased among all demographic groups studies. The student released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, showed a 8.2% increase in 2009. Researchers are investigate potential causes for the increase, including exposure to various allergens, traffic exhaust fumes and pesticides.

Source: The New York Times

Mystery Shoppers

The Department of Health and Human Services is proposing the use of "mystery shoppers" to gauge primary care physicians' timeliness to accepting new patients.

Source: Modern Physician

HIE Toolkit

The eHealth Initiative launched its HIE Toolkit, a online resource to empower healthcare lades managing the challenges associated with developing adopting, operating and sustaining health information exchange. The development was made possible through the support of Axoloti (now a part of Ingenix).

Source: Health Management Technology

News for the week of May 1, 2011

Hospitals Rewarded for Quality Care

The Obama administration plans to transform the way the federal government pays for hospital care. The new system will pay more to institutions scoring well on a series of quality measures. An example of a quality measure includes how quickly heart-attach victims are given anti-clotting medicines.

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

Social Media and Medicine

The Children's Hospital in Boston is researching the the power of social-networking tools with the use of personal health records to improve monitoring of patients with chronic diseases.

Source: Modern Healthcare

MetroChicago Health Exchange: Nation's Largest

The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC) has announced plans to develop the largest health information exchange in the U.S. MCHC has developed partnerships with several technology companies including Microsoft.

Source: MCHC News Release

Software Directory

The American Medical Association and the Medical Group Management Association have teamed up to develop an online directory of electronic physician-office practice management systems.

Source: Modern Physician

News for the week of April 25, 2011

Washington State Online University

The governor of the state of Washington signed a bill to create an online university. The new school will offer state-recognized bachelor's and master's degrees in a partnership with Western Governors University.

Source: Puget Sound Business Journal

AMA Offers EHR Products

The American Medical Association is offering providers the choice of three electronic health-record products for monthly subscription prices of $20-$300.

Source: AMA

Million Dollar Reward for Two-Year Institutions

The Aspen Institute announced the 120 community colleges eligible to compete for its first $1-million prize to reward excellence at two-year institutions. The purpose of the prize is to recognize community colleges with outstanding academic and workforce outcomes.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

News for the week of April 18, 2011

Blackboard is Considering Takeover Proposals

Blackboard Inc., announced that it was considering proposals to acquire the company.

Source: Wired Campus, The Chronicle of Higher Education

Study Reveals: Drop in Hospital Infections at V.A.

A study of 153 VA hospitals revealed a 62% drop in the rate of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in intensive care units. VA officials describe many changes that contributed to the success, which include: screening all patients with nasal swabs, isolating those tested positive for MRSA, staff wearing gloves and rigorous hand washing.

Source: The New York Times

White House Targets Medical Errors

The Obama administration announced a new initiative to reduce medical errors. The government is partnering with private insurers, business leaders, hospitals and patient advocates to reduce the preventable conditions by 40%. A recent study estimated that 1 in 3 hospital patient experienced an "adverse event" such as being given the wrong medications, acquiring an infection or receiving the wrong surgical procedure.

Source: Los Angeles Times

News for the week of April 11, 2011

Studies May Alter Methods to Repair Heart/Arteries.

Two new students have the potential to change methods to repair hearts and arteries. One study finds that cardiac bypass procedures are overrated for those patients with very weak hearts. The other study challenges the way artery-opening procedures have been done for decades. The study suggests that performing a balloon angioplasty through the arm (instead of the leg) results in less problems. The study was funded by the Canadian government.

Source: Associated Press

No-Surgery Heart Vale Procedure

A recent study suggests that many people with bad aortic values can avoid open-heart surgery and have a new one placed through a tube in an artery instead. The downside is a higher risk of stroke and uncertainty about the how long the valves will last.

Source: Associated Press

Gates Foundation Gives $10.6 Million to Improve College Completion Rates With Technology

The winning proposals for the funded projects focused on four areas: blended learning, interactive games and social media for class engagements, open course resources for introductory math and English classes and analytical software to measure what works best. Grant winners serve more than 117,000 students through more than 200 institutions including 78 community colleges.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Medical Errors--Higher Than We Realize

A recent study conducted by the University of Utah and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement revealed that medical errors may be 10 times more common than previous estimates.

Source: Health Affairs

News for the week of April 4, 2011

New Head of ONC

Dr. Farzad Mostashari has been named the head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. Dr. Mostashari previously held the position of deputy national coordinator. Before joining the ONC, he worked for the New York City Health and Mental Hygiene Department

Source: Modern Healthcare

Big Increase in CT Scans

A recent study revealed that the number of CT scans performed on children in ERs has increased fivefold between 2008 and 2005. It was reported that the advances in technology resulted in improved image quality that can help in diagnosing childhood ailments.

Source: New York Times

Data Driving Changes in Care at VA

Last November, VA started posting comparison data of the 152 VA hospitals based on patient outcomes. Included was the hospitals' infection rates from use of ventilators and intravenous lines. VA officials say that the data pushes hospitals to constantly improve.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Draft Health IT Plan

The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology has drafted a five-year plan to "chart new ground for the national health IT agenda." Goals include expanding the ability of providers to exchange information via electronic health systems.

Source: ONC

News for the week of March 28, 2011

AMA Launches Mobile Coding App

The American Medical Association release a new coding application for use on Apple iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. This free application provides a quick reference to CPT E&M codes.

Source: AMA

Fear of Superbug

Cases of antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae has skyrocketed in hospitals and nursing homes in many states including California, New York and North Carolina. The bug can cause severe urinary tract and respiratory infections and is resistant to most antibiotics.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Medicare EHR Incentive Attestation Starts April 18

Hospitals and physicians who are eligible for participating in Medicare's electronic health record (EHR) incentive program can start attesting April 18 that they meet the meaningful use requirements established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Source: CMS

Are Doctors Ready for 5010 Compliance?

According to a survey by the MGMA (Medical Group Management Association), most office-based physician practices have yet to receive updates to their financial systems software to convert to a 5010 data-transmission standards. According the results of the survey, only 8% of the practices have done internal 5010 testing. The federal compliance data is January 1, 2012.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Mobile Devices in Healthcare

Healthcare providers are incorporating the use of smartphones, wireless sensors and other innovative tools that have the potential to change the practice of medicine. Mobile tools allow physicians to monitor vital signs, note changes in activity levels and verify that medications have been taken, without seeing the patient's face.

Source: Wall Street Journal

News for the week of March 21, 2011

Medicaid RACs Coming April 1

The Medicaid recovery auditor contractor (RAC) program is set to kick off on April 1, 2011. According to the proposed rule (from November 2010), the Medicaid RAC program will yield approximately $80 million in fiscal year 2011. The rules for the Medicaid audits will be primarily developed by the individual states.

Source: CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

Incentives to Raise College Graduation Rates

Obama administration is offering competitive grants to help states increase their college completion rates. The new program will include $20 million for states to carry out plans intended to increase their graduation rates.

Source: The New York Times, March 22, 2011

Many Claim Denials Are Reversed

According to a new study by the Government Accountability Office, half of all denied claims that are appealed are reversed.

Source: Government Accountability Office

Extending IT Incentives

New proposed legislation would pave the way for licensed psychologists, clinical social workers and mental-health facilities to qualify for federal incentive plans to adopt and use qualifying electronic health-record systems.

Source: Health IT Strategist

News for the week of March 14, 2011

Grants to Combat Hospital-Acquired Infections

Five medical centers will receive $10 million to develop new ways to reduce hospital-acquired infections. Recipients include the following: Duke University, Cook County Health & Hospital System and Rush University Medical Center; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; University of Pennsylvania; and Washington University.

Source: CDC Press Release

Survey Results: Who is prepared with EHRs?

A study published in Health Affairs reveal that 90.6% of general or family medicine physicians could qualify for federal incentives. The group stated that less than 2/3 of pediatricians, OB/GYN and psychiatrists may be eligible.

Source: Healthcare IT News

Cost of EHRs

A federally funded research project estimated that the total costs of planning, buying, implementing and operating an electronic health record system for the first year in a five-physician primary-care practice averaged $46,659 per physician. The study involved 26 family and internal medicine practices that were part of the Health Texas Provider Network.

Source: Modern Healthcare

News for the week of March 7, 2011

Cengage Announces 'App" Approach to Learning Materials

Cengage is rolling out new e-textbook publishing platform that incorporates customizable apps that encourage students to interact with course content. The new system, called MindTap, was revealed at the TED conference in Long Beach, CA.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Obama Administration's Plan for Educational Changes

The proposed 2012 budget includes money to support development of cutting-edge educational technologies.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

From the HIMSS Conference

The Healthcare Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference revealed the following trends:

Meaningful Use Stage 2 (more difficult to meet)
Cloud Computing- efficient way to share data
Surge in IT vendors - prospect of $27 billion in federal funds

Source: InformationWeek, Health Data Management

News for the week of February 28, 2011

TED Pushed into Education

TED, know for featuring short, carefully prepared talks on big ideas about technology and society is now moving into education. This week, they launched TED-Ed, with free online educational talks. An online forum will be up shortly. TED is short for "Technology, Entertainment, Design."

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Launch of ONC's Direct Project Pilots

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT announced that two pilot programs, one in Minnesota and another in Rhode Island, have begun using Direct Project-based information exchange. This project was to create a secure, scalable and standards-based way for participants to easily send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to know, trusted recipients over the Internet.

Source: ONC

Medicaid Grants to Encourage Healthy Living

CMS will distribute $100 million in new Medicaid grants to states to help run preventive medicine programs. The new program will offer Medicaid enrollees incentives to adopt health habits.

Source: HHS Press Release

HealthGrades Rank Top 50 Hospitals for 2011

HealthGrades, an online healthcare quality company, has published its top 50 best hospitals in the United States. In addition to criteria such as mortality and complication rates, one of the key factors is including computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems.

Source: Healthcare IT News

News for the week of February 21, 2011

Health IT Chief Leaving Position

Dr. David Blumenthal the head of ONC is stepping down this spring and returning to his teaching post at Harvard University. As the national coordinator of health IT, Dr. Blumenthal lead the efforts to adopt electronic health record systems.

Source: Health Management Technology

"Test Optional"

DePaul University will no longer require applicants to submit standardized-test scores for admission. Beginning in 2012, students who choose not to submit ACT or SAT scores will write short responses to essay questions designed to measure "noncognitive" traits, such as leadership, commitment to service and abiity to meet long-term goals.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

News for the week of February 14, 2011

Cuts in Federal Budget

Proposed federal budget calls for cuts in payments to physicians. The plan is to save $62 billion from Medicare/Medicaid payments to hospitals and doctors for 2012.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Advanced Education Technology Center

President Obama's administration makes plans for enhancing educational technology. Karen Cator (Office of Educational Technology at U.S. Department of Education) recently announced plans for a new National Center for Advanced Research and Information in Digital Technologies that will finance research on teaching and learning.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Most Wired Campuses

U.S. News & World Report released the list of the nation's 15 "most-wired campuses" that compares each college's student population to the number of computers on campus. The average computer-to-student ratio on campuses nationwide is 0.14 (approximately 7 students to one computer). The top of the list was Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida, which reported two computers per student.

Some professors state that "wired" is moving away from desktop computing and into distributed computing, such as smartphones and iPads.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Study: Use of Personal Health Records (PHR)

A study by a doctoral student at the University of Chicago, revealed that out of 700 physicians surveyed 64% have never used a PHR in their practice, 42% said they would be willing to use PHRs and 24% expressed unwillingness to use the tool.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Will Electronic Health Records (EHR) Improve Patient Care?

In last month's edition of Archives of Internal Medicine, a report from researchers from Stanford University stated that they questioned the current thought that adoption of EHRs leads to improved patient care.

Source: Modern Healthcare

University of North Carolina Helps MDs Adopt EHR

A program headquartered at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill is helping more over 1,500 healthcare centers in the state adopt EHR systems.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Launching of Clinical Messaging Service

The American Academy of Family Physicians is going to launch a secure clinical messaging service that supports physician adoption of the patient-centered medical-home model. The cost is $15.00 per month and would help physicians to meet the meaningful-use criteria for federal information technology subsidies.

Source: Modern Healthcare

News for the week of February 7, 2011

Trends in Higher Education

According to the 2011 Horizon Report, trends in higher education include:

mobile devices
game-based learning and learning analytics
online social interactions
electronic books

Source: Wired Campus, The Chronicle

New Grants for Health IT

The Office of the National Coordinator to Health IT announced $12 million in new grants for the Regional Extension Centers who are working on promoting adoption of EHR and meaningful use. The grants were awarded to 48 of the 62 extension centers.

Source: Modern Healthcare

Doctors View Images on Apple Devices

A Cleveland-based software company received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to allow doctors using iPhones and iPads to view CT, MRI and PET images on their Apple devices

Source: FDA/ article on Diagnostic Imaging

File: Gary Williams: Facilitating Successful Outcomes Using the College Success Factors Index 2.0

Nicole Pavlu — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:38:00 GMT

Facilitating Successful Student Outcomes with The CSFI 2.0

Gary Williams, Crafton Hills College

Audience: Instructors or administrators of college success and/or study skills courses.

Recorded: 10/19/2010

The College Success Factors Index 2.0 assesses ten student characteristics that are critical for success in college. These include Responsibility vs. Control, Competition, Task Planning, Expectations, College Involvement, Family Involvement, Wellness, Time Management, Precision and Persistence. In this workshop, you will learn how to integrate the CSFI 2.0 into your course, learning community, orientation or student success program, and get results. The focus will be on techniques that facilitate student learning as well as the adoption of new behaviors and habits that will increase success among your students.

File: Williams

Nicole Pavlu — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT

williams

Page: Gale Gateways - Health & Wellness

Anonymous — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:26:00 GMT

A comprehensive health resource providing accurate, authoritative information on a full range of health-related issues
Research health diseases and disorders on alternative and complementary medical practices

The Health and Wellness Resource Center

need text

Rosen Teen Health and Wellness

Need text

Gale Virtual Reference Library

A collection of eBooks from renowned publishers including titles specially selected for their coverage of Home, Hobbies & Entertainment themes. Topics cover antiquing, gardening, cooking and more. Titles include:

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Page: Gale Gateways - Jobs & Career

Anonymous — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:26:00 GMT

Easily create your own Jobs & Career website that links to ALL of your career resources
Help patrons learn essential skills to compete in the job market, assess strengths, and uncover a career that’s a perfect fit
Take part in Training workshops

	Testing & Education Reference Center (TERC) TERC is loaded with information on colleges, technical schools, practice entrance exams, and certification and professional license exams that show library users what to expect and how to prepare for the next level. It also includes a resume builder and a virtual career library.
	Career Transitions Career Transitions offers a practical, personalized and guided experience that integrates all the tools needed in the job-search process, including comprehensive job search and tracking, guided resume and cover letter builders, job interview practice, career assessment, matching experience to new careers, hundreds of career and advice videos, and detailed reporting on user accomplishments.
	Powerspeak Languages (includes French, German, Mandarin Chinese and ESL for Spanish speakers) Gale's online interactive language learning tool offers a breakthrough for learning foreign languages, essential for career development.
	Gale Virtual Reference Library A collection of eBooks from renowned publishers, Facts On File, Ferguson and Gale, specially selected for their relevance in supporting jobs and career inquiries.

74.5% of libraries help people create resumes

91.8% of libraries report that providing employment services is important to their communities

90.9% of libraries help people access online job resources

71.9% of libraries help people apply for jobs online*

* 2010-2011 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study; Information Policy & Access Center, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland.

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Page: Gale Gateways - Home, Hobbies & Entertainment

Anonymous — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:26:00 GMT

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Help your patrons have FUN! Whether they are cooking, gardening or traveling, let your Home, Hobbies & Entertainment portal be the go-to hub for hobby help!

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	Gale Virtual Reference Library A collection of eBooks from renowned publishers including titles specially selected for their coverage of Home, Hobbies & Entertainment themes. Topics cover antiquing, gardening, cooking and more. Titles include: · Antiques Investigator, 1st Paperback ed. · Backyard Harvest, 1st American ed. · Cook It Together · Digital Photography Essentials, 1st American ed. · Everyday Easy 30-Minute Dinners: quick assembly, fresh and light, from the pantry · Everyday Easy Cheap Eats: casseroles, stir-fries, savory tarts, sweet treats · Everyday Easy One-pot: hearty soups, quick stir-fries, simple casseroles · Fresh Flower Arranging, 1st American ed. · Garden Design · Garden Friends · Gardening Step by Step, 1st American ed. · Great Fruit & Vegetable Guide · Grow Fruit, 1st American ed. · Grow Herbs · Grow It, Cook It: Simple gardening projects and delicious recipes · Grow Plants in Pots, 1st American ed. · Home Herbal: cook, brew & blend your own herbs, 1st American ed. · How to Cook · How to Grow Practically Everything · Cook Up A Feast, 1st American ed. · Organic Gardening · Plants for Places · Total Sports · The Book of Weeds
	Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Collection Includes periodicals from InfoTrac and reference titles from Delmar, part of Cengage Learning. These resources will inspire and educate those seeking more information on gardening, landscaping or horticulture.
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	PriceIt! Antiques & Collectibles A comprehensive resource for identifying, researching and pricing art, antiques, and collectibles

6 times more often. Each year, Americas visit the library more often than we go to the movies and six times more often that we attend live professional and college sporting events (football, baseball, basketball, and hockey) ^1,2

2.1 Million. Every day Americans borrow 2.1 million DVDs from libraries ³

¹ IMLS, 2007, Public Libraries in the United States: Fiscal Year 2007; Statistical Abstracts of the United States, 2010.

² www.mpaa.org/researchStatistics.asp

³ OCLC, 2010, primary research; www.netflix.com/HowItWorks; Stross, Randall, “When the Price Is Right, the Future Can Wait,“ New York Times, July 12, 2009; McBride, Sarah, “Cinema Surpassed DVD Sales in 2009,“ Wall street Journal online, January 4, 2010

Page: Gale Gateways - Business

Anonymous — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:25:00 GMT

Encourage and support entrepreneurs and local small business
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	InfoTrac Small Business Collection Perfect for business schools and entrepreneurs, this compilation provides insights, tips, strategies and success stories. Users will find more than 180 subject-appropriate full-text periodicals.
	Legal Forms Gale LegalForms is comprehensive in the various types of legal documents made available. Our forms are "attorney forms," officially approved forms actually used at a typical law firm and very different from those documents found in "form books" -- generic, do-it-yourself documents that may not have been drafted by an attorney. Completed sample forms are also included.
	Gale Virtual Reference Library A collection of eBooks from renowned publishers including titles specially selected for their coverage of business themes. Topics cover finance, industry and more. Titles include: Everyday Finance, Economics, Personal Money, Management, and Entrepreneurs Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries Encyclopedia of Global Industries Gale Encyclopedia of E-Commerce Encyclopedia of American Industries

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Page: Gale Gateways - Homework Help

Anonymous — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:25:00 GMT

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	Gale Virtual Reference Library Digital books with anytime, anywhere access to help students whenever and wherever they're doing homework.
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Blog Post: How to Build More Solar Installation Business

christine.hertzog — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:38:00 GMT

Do you know what NIMBY, BANANA, and NOPE mean? NIMBY means Not In My Back Yard. BANANA means Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything. NOPE means Not On Planet Earth. And these are forces that may block or delay construction of high-voltage transmission lines. Power generators and utilities are counting on more transmission lines as part of the grid modernization known as the Smart Grid. But these plans may not become reality for the reasons above as well as issues about how costs of these lines are allocated.

So why should we waste investments of time, money, and people on unsatisfactory “business as usual” answers when we can place generation within our local electrical distribution grids? Distributed generation (DG) and energy storage, also known as Distributed Energy Resources (DER) can avoid the time and expense involved in buildout of high-voltage transmission lines while delivering increased reliability.

A good DG strategy stimulates business in rooftop solar installation—residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural. But that depends on important policy changes to make DG a reality. National standards for safe and efficient design, installation and operation need to be documented. Building codes, zoning restrictions and other local ordinances must be modified to allow for a safe proliferation of distributed generation equipment using solar and wind sources. But most importantly, state legislatures and Public Utility Commissions that regulate investor-owned utilities (IOUs) need to implement policies that encourage property owners to either invest in DG (solar and wind mini-turbines) or contract with companies that lease their rooftops for localized generation.

Transmission lines aren’t required, because the electricity from localized generation is used close to the source. Since transmission lines already lose between 7% -9% of the energy they transmit, a DG strategy automatically improves the efficiency of the grid and reduces costs incurred to cover these transmission losses.

Foresight is required from regulators of investor-owned utilities (IOUs), leaders of IOUs, municipal power companies and rural cooperatives, and citizens to support these necessary policy changes and investments. We need to recognize the economic and national security values of creating DG strategies that hold down costs and improve grid reliability. We need to ask our regulators what they are doing to encourage net metering, Feed in Tariffs, EVs, energy storage and other policies that reward any reverse flow of electricity BACK to the grid.

Updating our current electrical grid is a long-term and costly proposition, but what is the alternative? We need a 21^st century Smart Grid, because our 20^th century setup has outlived its inventor—Thomas Edison’s—expectations.

Page: Featured Author

Anonymous — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:36:00 GMT

Meet Christine Hertzog

	Christine Hertzog, Managing Director of the Smart Grid Library, is a consultant, author, and professional explainer with over 20 years of experience managing successful introductions of disruptive innovations in new technologies, services, and business models and processes for partners and clients. A veteran of the telecommunications industry, she is well versed in the influences of market trends, regulations and standards, and corporate cultures on the success or failure of emerging technologies and services. She serves as a consultant and advisor to Smart Grid startups, private equity firms, investor groups, and utilities. Christine is a frequent presenter on Smart Grid topics and writes a weekly blog about the challenges and opportunities that Smart Grid solutions bring to the evolving electricity supply chain and their impacts. She is the author of the Smart Grid Dictionary Plus and co-author of The Smart Grid Consumer Focus Strategy. She is the first Smart Grid Executive in Residence at Plug and Play Tech Center, a premier technology incubator in Silicon Valley and serves on the Advisory Boards of ElectricityPolicy.com, the Energy Collective, Agrion, and several startups. She is also active in the NIST Cyber Security subgroup focused on energy data privacy recommendations. The Smart Grid Library delivers transformational consulting services and information services that help clients achieve success in the Smart Grid ecosystem. The firm provides strategic insights, business development guidance, project roadmaps, and customized information through consulting services, benchmarking, reports, and publications. Clients include Smart Grid technology and service startups, established industry vendors, utilities, and investment firms.
See Christine's Title
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Page: Author 6

Anonymous — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:35:00 GMT

Meet Christine Hertzog

	Christine Hertzog, Managing Director of the Smart Grid Library, is a consultant, author, and professional explainer with over 20 years of experience managing successful introductions of disruptive innovations in new technologies, services, and business models and processes for partners and clients. A veteran of the telecommunications industry, she is well versed in the influences of market trends, regulations and standards, and corporate cultures on the success or failure of emerging technologies and services. She serves as a consultant and advisor to Smart Grid startups, private equity firms, investor groups, and utilities. Christine is a frequent presenter on Smart Grid topics and writes a weekly blog about the challenges and opportunities that Smart Grid solutions bring to the evolving electricity supply chain and their impacts. She is the author of the Smart Grid Dictionary Plus and co-author of The Smart Grid Consumer Focus Strategy. She is the first Smart Grid Executive in Residence at Plug and Play Tech Center, a premier technology incubator in Silicon Valley and serves on the Advisory Boards of ElectricityPolicy.com, the Energy Collective, Agrion, and several startups. She is also active in the NIST Cyber Security subgroup focused on energy data privacy recommendations. The Smart Grid Library delivers transformational consulting services and information services that help clients achieve success in the Smart Grid ecosystem. The firm provides strategic insights, business development guidance, project roadmaps, and customized information through consulting services, benchmarking, reports, and publications. Clients include Smart Grid technology and service startups, established industry vendors, utilities, and investment firms.
See Christine's Title
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Blog Post: Stats Test Blog Article Post

Wendy Wilms — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:38:00 GMT

This is a test blog post.

File: Test Word Doc File

Wendy Wilms — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:37:00 GMT

This is a test word doc file.

Site Root

File: Spring 2012_AIR_TOC

File: Spring 2012_Trends_Teaching Judgment in Beginning Accounting

File: Spring 2012_Optimizing Course Management System Resources in the Introductory Accounting Course

File: Spring 2012_A Study of Student Performance in an Online Introductory Financial Accounting Course Compared to a Traditional Classroom Setting

File: Spring 2012_Homework Policy: Computerized Versus Computerized and Hand-Written Homework in Introductory Financial Accounting

File: Spring 2012_Using Outkast On Tour: An Instructional Mini-Case for Learning Accrual Accounting Concepts

File: Spring 2012_Presentations with Maximum Impact: Helping Students Succeed

Page: Staying Connected

File: Gary Williams: Facilitating Successful Outcomes Using the College Success Factors Index 2.0

File: Williams

Page: Gale Gateways - Health & Wellness

The Health and Wellness Resource Center

Rosen Teen Health and Wellness

Page: Gale Gateways - Jobs & Career

Page: Gale Gateways - Home, Hobbies & Entertainment

Page: Gale Gateways - Business

Small Business Resource Center

Business Insights: Global

DemographicsNow: Basic

InfoTrac Small Business Collection

Legal Forms

Page: Gale Gateways - Homework Help

Blog Post: How to Build More Solar Installation Business

Page: Featured Author

Page: Author 6

Blog Post: Stats Test Blog Article Post

File: Test Word Doc File