02 Dec Health Data News Roundup: Urgency of Healthcare Reform; Four Interoperability Pillars in 2020; and Life Expectancy Down

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.

Rising Premiums, Deductibles Boost Urgency of Healthcare Reform
Heightening premiums and deductibles contribute to employees’ healthcare burden and force policymakers to take bold stances on healthcare reform.

Congress: HealthCare.gov Technical Problems May Impact Enrollment
Democrats from both the House of Representatives and the Senate sent a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema about reported technical problems that may have prevented 100,000 Americans from accessing health insurance through HealthCare.gov on the first day of Open Enrollment this year.

4 Interoperability Pillars Driving Data Access, Outcomes in 2020
As the calendar flips to 2020, patient-directed, patient data access, shared records, and most commonly, EHR-to-EHR are the four pillars of interoperability to examine.

VA Assures Lawmakers of March EHR Modernization Rollout Date
Lawmakers pressure the Department of Veteran Affairs for extensive training on new EHR system at recent hearing.

Why the Future of Value-Based Care Begins with Children’s Health
Transforming the way children’s health is delivered and paid for will fundamentally shift healthcare towards value, according to this recent Health Payer Intelligence article.

Value-Based Care Models Gain Steam, Cut 20 Percent of MA Spending
Humana’s value-based care models lowered spending and raised savings through bundled payments, payer-provider partnerships, and outcomes-oriented strategies.

VA Looking Forward to Automatic Opt-Out HIE in Early 2020
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is preparing for the Veteran’s Health Information Exchange, VHIE, to become an opt-in health information exchange, the agency explained in a recent blog post.

U.S. Life Expectancy Down in Recent Years After Increasing for Decades
Life expectancy in the United States has fallen since 2014 after six decades of increasing – pointing to the need for more social determinants of health efforts such as access to transportation, stable housing and safe neighborhoods.