Earlier this week, Vermont legislature became the first legislative body in the nation to approve death-with-dignity legislation, with Gov. Peter Shumlin vowing to sign the bill into law.

In a press release issued by end-of-life choice advocacy group

(This sponsored blog was written by Lee Ann Bryant, associate product manager, HealthStream.)

According to a recent survey conducted by the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), an industry leader on the use of healthcare IT to improve the exchange of healthcare information, healthcare facilities as a whole are not on track for a smooth transition to ICD-10 Oct. 1, 2014. Close to 1,000 industry ...

(Editor's note: This guest blog was written by Julie A. Dooling, RHIA, AHIMA Director, HIM Practice Excellence.)

When an unexpected event occurs in healthcare, instincts kick in, and professionals execute what they have learned through training.

(This sponsored blog was written by Lee Ann Bryant, associate product manager, HealthStream.)

Many think ICD-10 is only a coding problem, but the true challenge of ICD-10 is the need for increasing specificity and granularity in documentation in order to receive optimal reimbursement, meet all reporting requirements, and most accurately reflect the level of care provided.

The term "clinical ...

(Editor's Note: This guest blog was written by Michael LaMagna.)

With all of the talk regarding the sequester and budget cuts, I decided to focus on what the fiscal 2014 budget would mean to the 54 million+ Medicare beneficiaries, if the budget was passed in its current state. Currently, the 2014 proposed fiscal budget contains $4 trillion in cost savings, with almost $400 billion in Medicare spending ...

(Editor's Note: This guest blog was written by Jill Hoffman, managing editor of Executive Insight.) 

At the third annual PharmEHR Summit April 17, leaders in the electronic health record (EHR) and pharmaceutical industries gathered to discuss the status of EHR adoption and potential collaboration between EHR and pharmaceutical companies.

(This guest blog was written by Bill Sinn, marketing director, healthcare practice, Pitney Bowes Software.)

It's only three years since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law by President Obama, and the industry is already seeing huge changes. For instance, the U.S. has expanded the number of citizens receiving preventative care, increased Medicaid payments for primary care ...

(This sponsored blog was written by Lee Ann Bryant, associate product manager, HealthStream.)

With small and medium practices in mind, CMS has put together the following checklist of ICD-10 tasks, including estimated timeframes for each task. Depending on your organization, many of these tasks can be performed on a compressed timeline or performed ...

The long-awaited Final Rule implementing HITECH Act amendments to HIPAA simplifies outsourcing in health IT by requiring business associates to safeguard protected health information in the same manner ...

In a competitive job market you need an edge. ADVANCE has launched a new job board with tools and features that can help you stay a step ahead of those using standard search tools. ADVANCE has been in the healthcare employment business for almost 30 years giving us a loyal client base. When top healthcare employers have a tough position to fill, they turn to ADVANCE. ...

If you were to walk into almost any healthcare organization's business office, you would probably find that staff and Accounts Receivables (A/R) follow the traditional payer-centric model. There is typically the "Government Team" (Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare), the "Commercial Team" (Blues, UHC and Aetna), the "Self Pay Team," and other ...

(This guest blog was written by Kayla M. Zirbes of The College of Saint Scholastica. Zirbes is an AHIMA student advisory council member and AHIMA Hill Day 2013 participant.)

As a member of the American Health Information Management Association's Student Advisory Council (SAC), I have benefited from many unique opportunities to become active within the health information management profession.

On ...

By Stephen McClure, marketing manager-content, HealthStream

As the healthcare industry draws closer to the go-live date, ICD-10 remains a polarizing topic among healthcare professionals. While some healthcare organizations are actively preparing for a strategic rollout, others are, more or less, bracing for impact.

In April 2012, CMS extended the ICD-10 implementation deadline to Oct. ...

Additionally, an estimated 34 million Americans in traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage ...

Cloud computing and storage is an undeniable migration path and IT strategy.

Overall spending on cloud technology is expected to reach an estimated $150 billion annually by 2014, according to a recent Gartner Group ...

Healthcare reform in the U.S. is rapidly moving in the direction of making providers more accountable for both cost and quality performance. The term "accountable care" is used to describe the new environment. Groups of providers assume responsibility for care across ...

(Editor's note: This guest blog was written by Russ Reese, AS, a development manager for M*Modal.)

By Lee Ann Bryant, associate product manager, HealthStream

(This guest blog was written from HIMSS 2013 by Adrianne O'Brien of Executive Insight.)

As hospitals strive for increased patient engagement to improve outcomes and reduce readmissions, that engagement means more IT solutions, which means more opportunity for data breaches.

At the HIMSS conference on March 5, David Kennedy ...

(This guest blog was written from HIMSS 2013 by Adrianne O'Brien of Executive Insight.)

We're blogging from the annual HIMSS conference in New Orleans! A group of healthcare/hospital CIOs navigated the miles of exhibit space at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the 32,718 registered attendees to present a panel discussion on the findings of the 24th annual leadership survey. An interesting ...

By Lee Ann Bryant, associate product manager, HealthStream

Although nearly all healthcare providers are aware of the Oct. 1, 2014, deadline, studies show that most are unprepared for this transition. Recognizing that these changes require widespread education and planning initiatives beyond just the coding population, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ...

(Editor's Note: The guest blog was written by Michael LaMagna.)

In somewhat unexpected news, there appears to be a serious crack in the healthcare law, one which may "price out" millions of families from healthcare coverage altogether. The issue recently came to light when confusing language in the new law appears to carve out lower income families who do not qualify for Medicaid, requiring ...

In anticipation of the HIMSS 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibition to be held March 3 to 7 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, ADVANCE interviewed Bonnie Cassidy, MPA, RHIA, FAHIMA, FHIMSS, senior director of HIM Innovation at Nuance and AHIMA approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer. Cassidy spent the majority of her career on the ...