June 10, 2009

CMS tells Idaho, "All is forgiven; you can post nursing home surveys online without submitting a FOIA." Quality transparency advocates can breathe a sigh of relief now that CMS has told the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare that it made a mistake when it told the agency to stop posting on its Web site for public review the actual surveys the agency was conducting for CMS on nursing homes and hospitals. Many state health agencies post results from or link to Medicare's Nursing Home Compare Web site. But Idaho was posting the actual surveys it conducted and that CMS uses for that site. The department received a letter from CMS in late April saying that the actual surveys could be posted only after submitting a written request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Idaho immediately removed the surveys. A department spokesperson told ICDC that when the state asked CMS for a clarification, the agency reversed course and said that Idaho could resume posting the surveys. According to a CMS spokesperson, the letter was poorly worded and created "a misunderstanding." The surveys themselves can be obtained from individual nursing homes, and the results are all very public, the spokesperson told ICDC. "It was a terrible misunderstanding. We encourage states to make [the surveys] as accessible as possible."

StreetWise HSA, a platform for use by employers in providing education about health savings accounts (HSAs) to their employees, has been launched on a national basis by Manning & Napier Information Services. The customized platform is a tool employers can use to transition their employees to high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) with HSAs. The platform includes an online HSA savings calculator that is customized to specific health plan designs, premium costs and HSA contributions for each employer group, StreetWise says. Using the tool, employees can calculate actual savings that could be realized by switching to an HSA-qualified plan. The platform also centralizes and integrates in one place decision-making information obtained from the employer's health plan, HSA trustee and the employer itself. A special feature is a tailored multimedia HSA presentation for employees as well as information and education resources for spouses that can be accessed on a 24/7 basis. For more information, contact Gary Henderson at ghenderson@streetwiseHSA.com.

Availity, LLC has integrated Thomson Reuters' Treatment Cost Calculator into its CostCare Estimator solution so that providers can calculate the amount owed by patients at the time of service. Availity notes that health plans supporting the CostCare Estimator calculate treatment estimates using their internal system and then deliver the estimates to Availity to display to providers in real time. Integrating Thomson Reuters' Treatment Cost Calculator will enable Availity to respond to the needs of health plans that want to generate treatment estimates for their providers. Availity provides electronic data interchange services. Thomson Reuters is an information and benchmarking company. Contact David Johnson at david.johnson@availity.com.

Walgreen Co. has partnered with Microsoft Corp. to allow its pharmacy customers to access their personal prescription histories through HealthVault. In addition to using HealthVault to store personal health information, registered Walgreens customers can connect with their online Walgreens prescription histories to add information to their HealthVault accounts. At the same time, Walgreens will automatically upload prescription information to these accounts on a daily basis. Customers also will be able to upload information from their health and fitness devices into their HealthVault accounts, and can track the medical histories of their children as well as for older relatives for whom they may be caring. In announcing the partnership, Walgreens said that the new capability will begin later this year, although it did not provide a specific date.

A.D.A.M. launched the Medzio Mobile Health Network, a new software application for iPhone users that enables them to instantly access health care content, including reference information on medical conditions and treatment options. Users also can access a list of local medical providers, including information about the fees they charge for services and procedures. The application was developed in partnership with LIVESTRONG.COM, Healthcare Blue Book, HelloHealth, Health 2.0, Organized Wisdom, DrGreen.com, HealthNation and Norton Healthcare. The partners teamed up with A.D.A.M. to provide the information, tools, resources and services needed to drive the application. The service offers 24/7 access to first-aid information; a search function for researching illnesses, symptoms and medical conditions; and the local care access feature for finding local providers and their fees. Included in the provider feature are listings for retail health clinics, urgent care facilities and pharmacies. Other features include access to specialized medical advice and online health communities. The application can be downloaded free from the iPhone App store. More information on the Medzio Mobile Health Network is available at www.medzio.com.

My HSA Rewards, a new Web-based incentive program just launched by Healthy Rebates, Inc., allows individuals to earn cash rewards for their HSA accounts for purchases they make through participating merchants. Rewards range between 0.5% and 25% of the purchase price of the merchandise, ranging from clothing to vacation packages. Once a program member accumulates $50 in rewards in a My HSA rewards account, the money can be transferred to the individual's HSA. According to Healthy Rebates, there is no fee to join, and the program is independent of insurance carriers and banks and totally portable should a member change jobs, insurance carrier or HSA custodian. Among the extensive list of merchant members in the network are Office Depot, PETCO, Home Depot, Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and Barnes & Noble. Visit www.myHSArewards.com or call (404) 551-5543 for more information.

OptumHealth joined with American Well Corp. to offer a nationwide service that will allow consumers to instantly access a physician by way of two-way video, secure chat, telephone or health care portals. OptumHealth is the health and wellness subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group. The service combines OptumHealth's eSync platform, which synchronizes health information to deliver personalized, clinically appropriate and personalized health care information, with AmericanWell's Online Care platform, which enables real-time conversations between individuals and physicians. Using the new service, consumers can, on a state-by-state basis, talk with local physicians in a secure environment on an anytime, anywhere basis. Because it uses the eSync platform, the service helps ensure continuity of care whenever a consumer uses the service, according to OptumHealth. The platform also enables physicians to expand their practice markets and care for patients beyond the traditional office setting. OptumHealth says the service will be made available to employers and their employees as well as to individual consumers. For more information, contact Molly McMillen at (763) 797-4559.