24 Feb Health Data News Roundup: GAO and Medicaid Eligibility Inaccuracies; SDOH Data Challenges; and HIE Integration Cuts ED Visits

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Roundup from IMAT Solutions. As the power of data continues to grow in the healthcare arena, today’s care organizations need to be on the forefront of all news and trends to help ensure that their data analytics efforts deliver accountable and informed care. Each week, we will provide you with the actionable news you need to meet these goals.

GAO Reveals Medicaid Eligibility Inaccuracies, Recoup Strategies
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has conducted the first review of state Medicaid eligibility determinations since the ACA’s implementation in 2014 and found that there were several accuracy issues.

Top 3 Data Challenges to Addressing the Social Determinants of Health
Here are the top three data-related challenges to addressing patients’ SDOH, and how can organizations across the industry overcome these issues to deliver more integrated care, according to a recent Health IT Analytics article.

HIE Integration Cuts ED Visits, Hospital Readmissions by Over 10 Percent
Medical practices that integrate and utilize health information exchange (HIE) can decrease the number of emergency department (ED) visits and unplanned 30-day hospital readmission, according to a study conducted by HEALTHeLINK.

Integrated Care Reduces Hospital Stays for Medicaid Children
Integrated care management programs targeted toward children enrolled in Medicaid is associated with a decrease in hospital admission, according to a new study.

Medicare Payments Unfair to Providers Treating Vulnerable Patients
Providers, hospitals, and Medicare Advantage plans treating the most vulnerable populations are at risk for inequitable Medicare payments given the program’s current payment system, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

VA Medicaid Program Reduces ED Admissions for Opioid Use Disorder
After the implementation of Virginia’s Medicaid program, Addiction and Recovery Treatment Services (ARTS), emergency department (ED) visit declined by 21.1 percent among beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD), according to a recent Health Affairs analysis.

How EHR Scribe Tools Lessen Clinician Burnout, Cognitive Workload
A well-designed EHR scribe tool can decrease the number of sleepless nights that clinicians spend documenting patient visits, thus lessening the cognitive workload and ultimately clinician burnout.