NY Surgeon Charged with $10m Telehealth Fraud, $226M for Worker Training
The Indian Health Service is abandoning its internal EHR system to adopt a private solution, and HHS partnered with HRSA to announce $226.5 million for healthcare worker training.
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By - The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced two different funding initiatives to improve healthcare nationwide. The first, $90 million, will support data analysis at community health centers, and the second, $226.5 million, will expand a worker training program for patient navigators.
Meanwhile, the Indian Health Service (IHS) revealed that it would be abandoning its internally operated EHR in exchange for a vendor solution.
Indian Health Service Shift to Private EHR
The IHS has announced that it will transition from its internal EHR system to one developed by a private vendor. The IHS provides healthcare to 2.6 million members across 574 different tribes. Since 1984, the IHS has relied on a homegrown health IT solution, but administrators say it is now time to adopt a more advanced EHR. "Even though (our current) EHR is a certified system and has remained a certified system since the beginning of the meaningful use era, the continuously evolving technology, and regulatory environment are increasingly challenging," said Howard Hayes, chief medical information officer for IHS. "The IHS is a healthcare organization. We're not by nature a development shop." Administrators expect to deploy the new EHR system in 2024 or 2025. READ MORE.
NY-based Surgeon Charged in $10M Telemedicine Fraud
A New York orthopedic surgeon has been charged with fraud by the Department of Justice for allegedly taking part in a scheme that generated $10 million in false claims to Medicare. Dr. Elemar Raffai is accused of using telemedicine services to authorize and prescribe unnecessary medical equipment in exchange for kickbacks. Per the indictment, Dr. Raffai used telehealth services to meet with patients briefly before submitting fraudulent claims and pocketing bribes. The FBI and HHS Inspector General used data analytics to identify the fraudulent claims. READ MORE.
HHS Dedicates $90 million to Combat Disparities
HHS will use $90 million from the American Rescue Plan to support data-driven systems for identifying and reducing health disparities. Funds will be used by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to enable local health centers to conduct their own analyses and identify weak points in their communities. The Uniform Data System Patient-Level Submission (UDS+) used by HRSA enables precise targeting across the board and improved visibility into communities that were once difficult to analyze. READ MORE.
HHS and HRSA Earmark $226.5M for Health Worker Training
HHS and HRSA have partnered to issue $226.5 million to improve community health worker training and support access to care. Money will go to the Community Health Worker Training Program, a multi-year program that supports on-the-job training and apprenticeships for a growing group of patient navigators. These navigators and health workers engage directly with patients to guide them through each step of their care journey, whether attending appointments, understanding diagnoses, or helping to pay bills. HRSA and HHS plan to train 13,000 community workers with the funding; applications are due June 14, 2022. READ MORE.
Kansas Nurse Practitioners Gain Full Authority
In April, Kansas became the 26th state to grant nurse practitioners (NPs) full practice authority. The designation allows NPs to run tests, manage treatments, and order prescriptions without a physician’s oversight. Lawmakers in Kansas were motivated to sign the act to deal with the state's severe shortage of primary care physicians. With the advent of the law, the need has been reduced by 70 percent. READ MORE.
