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Amid all the hubbub of initiatives such as meaningful use, ICD-10, and new HIPAA audits, the effort to create accountable care organizations has been lost in the shuffle. Nevertheless, more providers are joining the parade of participants hoping to improve care and lower costs. This month’s E-News Exclusive explores four essential ingredients these ambitious organizations must possess in order to achieve success. — Lee DeOrio, editor Four Factors That Drive ACO Success By Richard A. Royer Participation in accountable care organizations (ACOs) has increased since Medicare introduced its new accountable care programs in 2012. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), 100 new ACOs will join the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) this year. Additionally, many new private ACOs will be formed in 2016. The goal, of course, of all these ACOs is to bring together providers and offer coordinated, high-quality health care and cost savings. It’s clear from looking at the number of Medicare ACO program dropouts that not every ACO is successful. However, successful ACOs—particularly those that have graduated to a higher level of risk sharing—have found a formula for success that recognizes modern systems, capital, data, and leadership as contributing factors. Government-backed accountable care programs take into consideration the learning curve that goes along with ACO participation. They provide opportunities to get started while still giving participants a chance to absorb lessons along the way. The MSSP is designed to be basically a training ground for fledgling ACOs. It consists of phases and allows ACOs to begin with limited liability so they can work to put in place the processes and systems they need while learning and progressing toward higher risk acceptance. Full Story » WEDI Announces Sessions for Its 25th Annual National Conference The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), a nonprofit authority on the use of HIT to create efficiencies in health care information exchange, recently announced the keynotes and detailed sessions for its 25th Annual National Conference, which will take place May 23-26 in Salt Lake City. The four-day event will feature an opening keynote from Geeta Nayyar, MD, chief medical information officer at Femwell Group Health and a leader in health care and IT. The session will focus on “Social Media & Patient Engagement — How to Reach the ‘Digital Consumer’ of Today.” Full Story »   E-News Exclusive How to Build a Better HIM Department Words Matter Legal Concerns in Information Governance Disclosure Management in a Risky World Rush Uses AI to Predict Who’s Got Zika or Ebola IBM Trains Watson to Hunt Hackers Ask the Expert WEDI Preview ACDIS Preview Industry Insight Tech & Tools The nation's top employers and recruiters of HIM talent advertise in For The Record magazine and post their job openings on AlliedHealthCareers.com. Check out the most recent opportunities that have been submitted by employers across the country! Clincial Documentation Improvement Specialist—Eastern New Mexico Medical Inpatient Coder—Eastern New Mexico Medical Certified Coder—Oak Valley Hospital District Remote Inpatient Coders—M*Modal Rush Uses AI to Predict Who’s Got Zika or Ebola Rush University Medical Center’s predictive software runs an artificial intelligence platform that learns from EMRs and alerts doctors to possible diagnoses, according to the Chicago Tribune. IBM Trains Watson to Hunt Hackers “Watson for Cybersecurity” will help identify potential attacks to stop them sooner, The Washington Post reports.

Update CDI Knowledge at Annual Conference By Heather Hogstrom The Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS) Ninth Annual Conference, set for May 24-26 in Atlanta, will enable clinical documentation improvement (CDI) professionals to network, keep their skills current, earn CE credits, and even take the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist exam. This year’s ACDIS conference features five concurrent education tracks, up from last year’s four. A track on CDI expansion has been added, along with the clinical and coding, management and leadership, quality and regulatory, and innovative CDI tracks. According to the ACDIS, CDI is well established in adult hospitals but is still an emerging field in pediatric hospitals, so a focus of the conference will be on expanding CDI into pediatrics. Sessions include “It’s a Grown-Up World in Pediatric CDI” and “Myth vs Fact: Misconceptions About Pediatric CDI Programs.” Full Story » Texas Hospital Association Implements Patient Matching EMPI Solution NextGate, a health care technology company for patient and provider identification, recently announced that the Texas Hospital Association (THA) has launched NextGate’s MatchMetrix technology platform as its enterprise master patient index (EMPI) solution. The patient-matching solution correlates patient identifiers across a pilot of THA’s 250 hospitals with the intention of expanding to its entire 452 member hospitals in the future. Driven by its vision of a unified health care delivery system for Texas, THA is leveraging NextGate’s EMPI technology to assess and analyze data from its member hospitals to help them fulfill their mission of providing the best possible care. One of the largest hospital associations in the United States, THA regularly provides data and analytics services, as well as advocacy, for its members. Read more » Stanford Health Care Launches Android MyHealth Mobile App Stanford Health Care’s new Android app allows patients to easily access their medical information and manage their care. The Android version and the iOS 8 MyHealth mobile app make it quick and simple for patients to review test results, pay medical bills, manage prescriptions, schedule appointments, and conduct video visits with Stanford physicians. New features include TouchID for faster and more secure entry, and in-app and Apple Watch alerts when new lab results and messages from the patient’s care team are received. The free MyHealth app is available for current Stanford Health Care patients with a MyHealth account. Learn more » Dude Solutions Unveils IT Asset Management Suite Dude Solutions’ TechnologyEssentials, a cloud-based IT asset and workflow management suite, enables IT professionals to automatically discover all IT assets connected to a network, as well as maintain access, oversight, and control across their entire organizational technology infrastructure. TechnologyEssentials comprises Incident, Insight, and Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions. Incident allows IT professionals to streamline the entire help desk process, from support request through resolution. Insight offers comprehensive dashboard views, including discovering all IP-addressable devices on the network and capturing critical status updates for software, operating systems, and warranties. The MDM tool gives administrators the power to remotely manage device policy, supervise device usage, and control application distribution across the network. Learn more » A Secure, Anonymous Résumé Bank Job Alerts Sent to Your E-mail CHBase Provides 360° View of Patients’ Health Get Real Health’s CHBase, a data aggregation and application development platform, combines clinical data and personal health data to create a comprehensive view of a patient’s health. The platform allows patients to contribute data from their favorite apps and home health devices while retrieving clinical data from health care providers, and gives providers more complete information at the point of care. These data can be pulled into patient-oriented health applications or population health management and customer analytics systems. Learn more »   How to Build a Better HIM Department A serious attitude adjustment can do wonders for efficiency rates and create a synergy with long-lasting effects. Read more » Words Matter By taking a few key steps, health care organizations can be more confident that their clinicians will dictate properly in an EMR environment. Read more » Legal Concerns in Information Governance To build an effective program, health care organizations must lean on the expertise of general counsel. Read more » Disclosure Management in a Risky World Now more than ever, health care organizations must be prepared in the event of a data breach. Read more » Have a coding or transcription question? Get an expert answer by sending an e-mail to edit@gvpub.com. This month’s selection: I have a coding question from a Professional Coding perspective. Is it appropriate to use modifier XE with a modifier 76 or 77? Are there any official guidelines around the use of the X modifiers and when it is and is not appropriate to use them? Dusty Poole, RHIA, CPC Texas Children’s Hospital Read response » For The Record's online gift shop features a wide variety of items for HIM professionals for any occasion. Whether you are searching for products to give friends or colleagues, hand out to clients, or wear yourself, finding the right gifts is easy and affordable at For The Record's online gift shop. Choose from t-shirts, journals, clocks, buttons, mouse pads, and much more! Check out our secure online shop today or call toll-free 877-809-1659 for easy and fast ordering. For The Record offers many flexible advertising programs designed to maximize your results. From print advertising to e-newsletter sponsorships, website advertising to custom e-mail marketing, For The Record helps maximize your investment. E-mail our experienced account executives today for more information or call 800-278-4400! Coming up in our July issue is our EHR Showcase. Contact sales for more information. AlliedHealthCareers.com is the premier online resource to recruit HIM professionals. Post your open positions, view résumés and showcase your facility's offerings all at AlliedHealthCareers.com!