New reports have raised concerns about the Department of Veteran’s Affairs electronic health modernization program. What are they? I’m Jeff Lagasse with Healthcare Finance News, and we’ll answer that and more in this week’s Top Stories.
Two back-to-back reports from the VA’s Office of the Inspector General have flagged unreliable IT infrastructure cost estimates for the EHR modernization program as a whole, along with training deficiencies for business and clinical workflows at the first go-live site at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Washington. According to HealthcareITNews (https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/va-ehr-update-watchdog-flags-unreliable-cost-estimates-training-deficiencies), complete documentation for the cost estimates was lacking, and there were significant gaps in staff training on how to use the new EHR – particularly in regard to context and workflow. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the OIG observed low employee morale and concerns regarding patient complaints and provider productivity.
Aducanumab, a recently approved Alzheiemer's drug with a price tag of about $56,000, could strain Medicaid budgets, costing the program more than $2 billion a year if most beneficiaries switch over to it. Healthcare Finance News reports (https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/new-alzheimers-drug-could-cost-medicaid-more-2-billion) that Medicaid will see increased costs through direct payment of the drug for those who receive their drug coverage through Medicaid, as well as through potentially higher Medicare premium payments and cost-sharing for dual eligible beneficiaries. Recent policy proposals, as well as states' actions to address coverage issues for high-cost drugs in Medicaid, may mitigate the cost impact. But challenges remain.
Finally this week, Amazon has received go-ahead from the Federal Communications Commission to develop devices with radar sensors that could enable touchless control and remote sleep monitoring. As we see in MobiHealthNews (https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/fcc-gives-amazon-greenlight-use-radar-monitoring-sleep), the retailer has filed for a waiver that would allow it to develop radar sensors that operate at higher power levels than are currently allowed. Amazon described two possible use-cases for heightened radar capabilities, including touchless device-control through basic gestures and movements and, contactless sleep-tracking. Amazon has been gradually moving into the health monitoring space ever since it released the Amazon Halo last August.
I’m Jeff Lagasse with Healthcare Finance News, and this has been Top Stories.