Electronic Health Record Usability and Safety Challenges
February 2019 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which sparked the near universal...
Updated Star Ratings and List of HAC-penalized Hospitals Coming this Month
As part of the February refresh of Hospital Compare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to update its...
Funding Opportunities
The South Dakota Department of Health, Tobacco Control Program is pleased to announce the Tobacco Disparities Grant which is intended to promote long-term change...
CMS releases update on therapy caps and functional reporting
Updates to Reflect Removal of Functional Reporting Requirements and Therapy Provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.Therapists must continue to track their patients’...
MedPAC Releases Recommendations to Congress
At the January meeting, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended that Congress increase the rate for hospital inpatient and outpatient prospective...
CDC Opioids Training Modules
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain provides recommendations for safer and more effective prescribing of...
New Part D Opioid Overutilization Policies
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented new opioid policies for Medicare drug plans effective January 1, 2019. The new policies include:
Improved safety...
Influenza Activity and Education
Influenza activity in the United States is increasing and is expected to continue at elevated levels for several more weeks. Influenza A (H1N1) viruses...
New version of HQRP quality measure user’s manual now available
CMS announced Version 3.00 of the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) Quality Measure (QM) User’s Manual is now available for download in PDF format....
South Dakota Compass HIIN Hospitals Making a Difference
The 42 South Dakota Compass HIIN Hospitals have been dedicated to improving quality, patient safety and value for their organizations. With the support and...
