25 Apr Health Data News Roundup: CMS Health Equity Strategy; EHNAC Health IT Accreditation; and Top Performing Medicare, Medicaid Health Plans

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.

CMS Releases Health Equity Strategy Centering on Outreach, Data Collection
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its strategy to improve health equity across the agency, detailing actions on how providers can identify and close gaps in care.

EHNAC Releases Updates to Health IT Accreditation Programs for Public Review
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit health IT data standards development organization, announced that it has posted new versions of program criteria for three of its accreditation programs for public review.

Tripathi: 2022 Pivotal for Digital Health Transformation, Health IT
At the recent virtual ONC annual meeting, Micky Tripathi, national coordinator for health IT, noted that over the last decade, the agency has established an electronic overlay of the healthcare system to move away from the constraints of paper, brick, and mortar.

Key Advantages of Medicare Advantage Plans Versus FFS Medicare
Medicare Advantage plans may provide better access to care and lower healthcare spending for enrollees, compared to fee-for-service Medicare, according to a new study.

CDC Unveils Forecasting, Outbreak Analytics Center
The CDC has launched the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA), which aims to improve outbreak and public health threat response by using infectious disease modeling and analytics to enable timely, effective decision making by leaders at federal, state, and local levels.

5 Major Payers Recognized for Employer Sponsored Wellness Benefits
The Business Group on Health has announced the winners of the Business Group on Health Best Employers Award for Excellence in Health & Well-being for providing strong employer-sponsored wellness benefits to their own employees.

Top 10 Highest Performing Medicare, Medicaid Health Plans
The top-performing Medicare and Medicaid health plans for the 2020-21 plan year earned exceptional quality scores based on the plans’ customer satisfaction, preventive care, and treatment outcomes of beneficiaries, according to the most recent National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) rankings.