Columbia, MO—Health data aggregation is one of the greatest benefits of electronic health records.  These data provide new insight on health to fuel innovation. On February 24, you are invited to discuss ways to improve the use of health data at the Missouri Health Data Summit in St. Louis.  The event will be held at the Danforth Plant Science Center located at 975 North Warson Road.

Attendees will get an update on the Health Data Initiative and will discuss ways to improve the use of health data in Missouri.  Health care providers, technology companies, researchers, health and consumer advocates, employers, and media are all invited to talk about ways to improve health care delivery, improve community health, and lower health costs.  The focus will be on innovative use of data in public, private, and academic settings, such as:
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Columbia, MO—Several quality measures for meaningful use, including six preventative measures, are the same for the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS-formerly known as PQRI.) Some EHRs are even capable of submitting data for both programs.

At 11:30 am, on Wednesday, November 9, Missouri Health Information Technology Assistance Center will present “Meaningful Use and PQRS” a Webinar and audio conference to help providers learn how they can use the meaningful use quality measures data to take advantage of the PQRS Incentive Program that offers payments of 1.0 percent of allowable Medicare Part B Professional Fee Schedule charges in 2011 and 0.5 percent during 2012-2014. Sandy Pogones, program manager for Primaris, will give the presentation which will describe how providers get more out their data collection effort by participating in the PQRS Incentive Program and how Primaris, a collaborative partner of the MO HIT Assistance Center, is able to help providers do just that. Primaris is offering onsite, individualized assistance with PQRS reporting at no charge to 74 Missouri providers, as part of an initiative funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs. The FAQs provide some detail on the allowable costs that CAHs can report, how costs incurred by home offices and collaborative networks should be handled, as well as the process for submitting cost data after they successfully attest to meeting EHR meaningful use requirements. The full list of CMS EHR FAQs can be found at questions.cms.hhs.gov/app/answers/list/p/21,26,1139,1147.