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Truven Health Analytics has introduced new functionality in reporting for its Pharmacy Intervention and Infection Prevention products, which allow physicians to demonstrate improved care quality and better patient outcomes

Medical Economics readers comment on the challenges of remaining in independent practice, the advantages of the Patient-Centered Medical Home for primary care, and the shortcomings of the Maintenance of Certification program.

When it comes to securing and protecting patient health information, physician practices with fewer than 50 providers fared the worst in a recent audit by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has 700 full-time staffers devoted to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and some pundits believe that number may grow to a minimum of 5,000 employees, according to a recent report in Forbes.

Out-of-pocket expenditures for patients increased while benefits of employer healthcare coverage became “less generous” from 2007 to 2011.

Mental health problems and suicide risks have lawmakers questioning whether new rules surrounding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) ultimately “interfere with patient care and public safety.”

Although the Congressional Budget Office recently downgraded the 10-year cost of repealing the sustainable growth rate (SGR) to $138 billion, the American College of Physicians (ACP) took to the Hill advocating a phased approach to repealing it and moving to value-based models.

Two out of three patients do not adhere to their care plans. In fact, adherence problems related to prescription medications is so widespread, they are costing the United States $100 billion a year in medication-related hospital admissions.

Although the American Academy of Family Physicians threw support to President Obama’s initiative for Medicaid expansion and Medicare payment reform, across-the-board cuts to graduate medical education (GME) threaten family medicine residency programs.

Republicans sharply criticized U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in trying to jump start fundraising efforts to non-profits to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The action follows repeated congressional budget denials for the healthcare law, now estimated at $1.3 trillion over 10 years, according a recent report in the Washington Post. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) called the effort “absurd” and demanded an inquiry.

Nearly three-fourths of eligible professionals have registered for the government’s electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs, according to a recent report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The National Society of Certified Healthcare Business Consultants has released information on medical practice overhead percentages, average monthly charges in accounts receivable, full time equivalent staff ratios, and more in its 2012 Joint Statistics Report of Medical and Dental Statistics on Income and Expenses.