24 Aug Health Data News Roundup: Payers and the Interoperability Rule; AHIP Study on Whole Person Care; and Data Standardization and COVID-19

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Round Up 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.

What the Interoperability Rule Will Mean for Payers in 2021
Although the interoperability rule will not be implemented until mid-2021, payers can be aware of what to expect regarding how this rule will change their processes, as outlined in a recent AHIP brief.

How Payers Use Whole Person, Palliative Care to Address Serious Illness
Payers can play a significant role in decreasing the expense and complexity of serious illness care for patients through whole person care and palliative care, a study from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) found.

Data Standardization Tool Normalizes COVID-19 Test Terms in EHR
A well-developed data standard tool that automatically normalizes and characterizes COVID-19 testing names to LOINC dataset can support secondary use of EHRs for COVID-19 research and enhance interoperability, according to a recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA).

Aetna, Cleveland Clinic Form Low Cost, Narrow Network Health Plan
CVS Health’s Aetna has formed a new partnership with Cleveland Clinic, which involves a new narrow network health plan and new provider programs, the payer and provider announced.

How a NY HIE Transformed Healthcare for its Homeless Population
As a result of an increase in the homeless population, Healthix, a public health information exchange (HIE) that covers New York City and Long Island, used a coordinated approach to improve the health outcomes of individuals without stable housing

How Employers Are Accelerating Virtual Care, Telehealth Adoption
Employers are emphasizing virtual care and telehealth in their healthcare benefit and care delivery strategies during the coronavirus pandemic, a recent survey by the Business Group on Health revealed.

Payer Value-Based Care Program Ups Savings, Provider Participation
A value-based care program from Blue Cross and Blue Shield North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) saw cost savings and quality improvement and increased provider participation in its first year, the payer reported.