After another judicious attempt by stakeholders, the American Medical Association’s coding committee rejected a proposal to change remote monitoring codes. The American Medical Association’s (AMA's) CPT Editorial Panel, which is responsible for creating medical billing codes, again forfeited an opportunity to move forward with remote patient monitoring billing code reform.
The bipartisan legislative package includes new oversight metrics for VA’s Oracle Cerner electronic health record system but would end the modernization effort if facilities using the software don’t show improvement. VA’s effort to deploy a modernized EHR system at its medical facilities has been beset by technical challenges, patient safety concerns, and cost overruns since the agency signed a five-year contract with Cerner in 2018 to modernize its legacy software. Oracle acquired Cerner in 2022, but issues with the system’s rollout have continued since then.
The many complexities of health care today continue to challenge hospital and health system governing boards to ensure that high-quality patient care is provided to the communities they serve. The past few years have wrought profound changes, expanding the board’s role in hospital and health system oversight as never before. For one thing, the accountability of boards has substantially increased. Today, board members find themselves confronted with multi-faceted challenges such as workforce shortages, a rise in behavioral and mental health issues that impact their communities and workforce, not to mention the ever-present threat of cyberattacks and the expanding role of artificial intelligence.
One in 4 adults in the U.S. has a temporary or permanent disability, including visual, auditory, cognitive and mobility impairments—a number that will climb as the population ages. Nearly half (46%) of Americans aged 75 and older report having a disability compared to just 24% of those 65 to 74 and 12% of those 35 to 46. The prevalence of disability is why the health IT developer community must prioritize electronic health record (EHR) designs that advance disability inclusion across healthcare, allowing patients, providers and other healthcare workers requiring accommodation to fully and effectively participate in both the provision and receipt of healthcare.
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