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EMR bonus eligibility could be widened

New legislation seeks to expand the types of medical professionals eligible for Medicare and Medicaid electronic medical records incentives to include licensed psychologists and clinical social workers.

The Health Information Technology Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act also would expand the Medicare hospital incentive to include inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and extend Medicaid hospital bonuses to community health centers, mental health treatment facilities, psychiatric hospitals, and substance abuse treatment facilities. The bill was introduced on Aug. 5 by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D, R.I.), and a companion bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D, R.I.).

Whitehouse said his legislation "will give mental health professionals access to comprehensive and up-to-date medical histories, enhancing the precision of diagnoses and reducing medication errors."

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Medicaid spending not adequately monitored by CMS, GAO says

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been inconsistent in verifying if states are paying Medicaid managed care plans on a sound actuarial basis, according to a Government Accountability Office report released in August.

The GAO found that CMS had not reviewed Tennessee's Medicaid rate setting for multiple years when it determined that the state received about $5 billion a year in funds that had not been certified by an actuary, a requirement of states. The agency also had not reviewed Nebraska's rates since the actuarial soundness requirements took effect.

The GAO reviewed CMS oversight for 26 of the 34 states with comprehensive managed care programs, accounting for about 85% of managed care enrollment. The Dept. of Health and Human Services agreed with the recommendations of the GAO report, which is available online (www.gao.gov/products/gao-10-810).

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Cost a barrier to seeing physicians

Nearly 15% of people reported in 2009 that they had not seen a physician in the last 12 months because of the cost, according to a statistical snapshot released in August by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The percentage of Americans reporting that they delayed seeking care due to costs ranged from a low of 6.2% in North Dakota to a high of 51.7% in Texas. The report, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is available online (www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=747&cat=8).

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Geriatrics, nursing programs receive HHS grants

The Dept. of Health and Human Services has announced that it is releasing nearly $160 million in grants to assist in geriatric training and nursing work force development.

"We cannot build a healthier America if our country continues to face a growing health professions shortage," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "A well-trained, educated and diverse work force is critical to meeting future health care demands, and to reforming the nation's health care system."

In addition to helping bolster training programs and recruit underrepresented minority students, the grants will support efforts to prepare doctors and nurses for taking care of an aging patient population, HHS said Aug. 5.

The print version of this content appeared in the Aug. 23 issue of American Medical News.

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