News in brief - Nov. 14, 2011

AMA to host free ACO webinar

The American Medical Association is presenting a free webinar about accountable care organizations on Nov. 21.

AMA President-elect Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD, and Harold Miller, a consultant and expert on ACOs, will lead a 60-minute online session that outlines the major provisions of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' final rule on ACOs, including changes from the proposed rule that are designed to encourage physician-led organizations. They also will discuss timelines and application information for various ACO programs and answer any questions from physicians.

Registration for the webinar, which is open to anyone, is available online (eo2.commpartners.com/users/ama/session.php?id=7864).

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Debut of permanent EMR accrediting program postponed

The launch of a permanent program that will accredit organizations that certify electronic medical records for their ability to meet meaningful use is being delayed by six months.

A temporary certification program was launched on June 24, 2010, that gave testing organizations temporary accreditation to certify EMR systems for meaningful use. The temporary program was scheduled to sunset on Dec. 31 and be replaced by a permanent program.

The Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology published a notice in the Federal Register on Nov. 3 saying there won't be a sufficient number of testing organizations until the summer of 2012 to meet the demand of EMR systems waiting to be certified. Without an extension, the existing testing organizations would be unable to accept new requests to test and certify EMR systems.

To qualify for Medicare or Medicaid incentive programs for the meaningful use of EMRs, health care organizations must use a system certified by an ONC-accredited body. The agency said the new launch date for the permanent certification program will coincide with the release of the final rule for Stage 2 meaningful use criteria.

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California insurer drops health plan-acquired IPA

Blue Shield of California is shunning a large independent practice association over its pending acquisition by a for-profit company.

Monarch HealthCare, which has 2,300 physician members in Southern California, turned over the IPA's management to UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum during the summer. Now Blue Shield of California, one of the state's largest insurers with 3.3 million members, has said it won't contract with Monarch.

"The issue is simply that if Monarch is acquired by United, we would be contributing to United's bottom line," Blue Shield spokesman Steve Shivinsky said in an emailed statement. "Blue Shield of California is a not-for-profit dedicated to providing affordable health care to all Californians. Therefore, it is unacceptable that we would contribute to a for-profit competitor's shareholders."

Shivinsky said Blue Shield would continue working with Monarch through the end of 2011.

In response to questions about Blue Shield's move, Monarch's CEO, Bart Asner, MD, said in a statement, "Our partnership with Optum is about enabling Monarch physicians to do what they do today even better: provide exceptional, cost-effective care to the patients they serve."

Optum's acquisition is not yet finalized, but Optum spokesman Brian Kane said state regulatory approval "is proceeding on a timely basis."

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