Report issued on payment for resident training
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General issued a report last week, "Alternative Medicare Payment Methodologies for the Costs of Training Medical Residents in Nonhospital Settings." Currently, teaching hospitals receive Medicare payments for residents trained in those settings if the hospital incurs "all or substantially all" of their training costs. The IG report provides information about residents trained in non-hospital settings, as well as possible alternative methodologies for Medicare payments associated with that training. The report recommends further analysis. In the interim, the IG suggests that CMS work with Congress to extend a current moratorium that allows teaching hospitals to count, for purposes of determining federal Medicare payments, family practice residents training in non-hospital settings. The moratorium is set to expire Dec. 31. For a copy of the report, please visit http://www.oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region2/20401012.pdf.
New study measures adoption if HIT
The use of health information technology is more widespread in large physician practices (more than 50 physicians) than in small practices, according to a new report issued by The Commonwealth Fund. The report, "Information Technologies: When Will They Make it Into Physicians' Black Bags," is based on a survey of over 3,500 practicing physicians. The survey also found that operational systems, such as those used for billing, are the "predominant focus" of HIT use by physicians. About one-half of large physician groups use an electronic health record or an electronic system to order tests, procedures and drugs. Only 27 percent of the large practices surveyed have implemented a system to avert potential prescribing errors. Among all practices, start-up costs, a lack of uniform system standards and lack of time are the most frequently reported barriers to implementing HIT systems. For more information, please visit
http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=251984.
AAMC offers technology in med education listserve
The AAMC supports the integration of technology in medical education for delivery of the educational program, as well as for management and evaluation of curricula. Among other resources, the AAMC maintains an electronic medical education listserve to host discussions for developers and users of medical education software in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. "Med-Ed Listserve" focuses particularly on courseware, authoring tools, and evaluation criteria and methods, along with other infrastructure and technical issues. Med-Ed Listserve has more than 1,000 participating members and is open to the public. For more information please visit http://www.aamc.org/meded/technology.