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The model will use risk stratification to help identify Medicare patients most at risk of a first heart attack or stroke in the next year.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator announced Monday that CMS would extend the deadline for commenting on quality reporting and certification of EHR products. CMS posted the extension notice on the Federal Register. As first outlined in the request for information, which was posted on the Federal Register on Dec. 31, 2015, CMS and ONC seek public comment on several items related to the certification of health information technology. [Also: CMS, ONC seek feedback on quality measures reporting] These include EHR products used for reporting to the EHR incentive programs and certain CMS quality reporting programs such as – but not limited to – the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program and the Physician Quality Reporting System. CMS and ONC want industry perspective how often to require recertification, the number of clinical quality measures a certified health IT module should be required to certify and ways to improve testing of certified health IT modules.  [Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook] That feedback will help inform CMS and ONC about what factors may need to be considered for future rules relating to the reporting of quality measures under CMS programs. The two agencies note the request for information is part of the effort of CMS to streamline and reduce the burden around government requirements for eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, critical access hospitals and health IT developers. Twitter: @HealthITNews

While the Republican candidates mostly spar over how they will repeal Obamacare, Democrats say they would build on the existing reform.

(SPONSORED) Health may be priceless, but healthcare is not. With medical costs on the rise, insurance companies and government payers are increasingly asking pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers to prove--and quantify--the value of their therapies.

As the Zika virus spreads from South America to the United States, epidemiologist and public health expert Christine Hockett says disease surveillance technology is key to protecting against it. Keeping open lines of electronic communication between hospitals and their state and local health agencies is critical as those departments "collect and analyze disease counts and monitor how disease spreads throughout a community or geographic location," said Hockett, who works for Xerox-owned Consilience. [Also: Experts warn of Zika epidemic as hospitals, health departments prepare] Zika, spread to people through mosquito bites, is currently most prevalent in South America. In response, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel alert for U.S. citizens traveling to regions where virus transmission is ongoing. But Hockett says she expects the virus to increasingly move into the United States. She points to a recent article in The Lancet, which argued that, "with an estimated 440,000 – 1.3 million cases currently in Brazil alone, Zika virus could be following in the footsteps of dengue and chikungunya, which are also transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. "Given that an outbreak anywhere is potentially a threat everywhere," the authors argued, "now is the time to step up all efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to Zika virus." "I don't think 'scared' is the right word," said Hockett. "But we need to be aware of what's happening. And definitely, I think there are certain areas of the U.S. that are more vulnerable than others." Robust electronic surveillance – data collection and reporting – is essential to keeping that spread as limited as possible. Syndromic surveillance has been a key part of meaningful use since the very beginning, of course, with the government requiring providers to prove their ability to use "timely pre-diagnostic data and statistical tools to detect and characterize unusual activity for further public health investigation." The Maven Outbreak Management Software offers Web-based case management tools that can help local and state health systems do disease surveillance, enabling them to analyze the health data from specific diseases. Rather than a siloed database, the Maven tool is accessible across jurisdictions to local and state public health departments, and can integrate electronic reporting. Outbreaks can be assessed and triaged as confirmed cases emerge or patients at risk present themselves, with updates shared electronically or via its secure Web portal, according to the company. It can also be updated as new disease threats emerge. That happened in 2014 during the Ebola crisis, and it did again earlier this month as Zika started to spread. "With the configurability of Maven, you're able to adapt to these new emerging diseases," she said. "The CDC on Jan. 15 said, 'You need to be able to do this in your disease surveillance systems.' A couple weeks later, all of our deployments have this Zika-enabled data module." Here’s how it would work from hospital's perspective. "Say I recently just traveled to Brazil," she said. "And I come back to the U.S. I go and see my primary care provider and say, 'Please test me for the Zika virus, just to make sure I don't have it.'" (Zika symptoms are very mild, and could be easy to miss.) "So I get tested, that then gets entered into the EHR system. That lab report, once the lab processes that, not only does the doctor report it to the state health department, but the lab does too. That reporting is done through the connections into Maven, which is hosted within the local and state health departments – a case is created, the epidemiologist can see that I am a potential case of Zika. They would call me and do the necessary follow up and data collection needed, specific to the virus. Once that case is confirmed, the system is able to report it to CDC." If technology is critical in the fight against Zika, however, people and process are even more so. [Also: Questions raised about EHR workflow in Ebola case] As seen in the 2014 Ebola outbreak – when a patient at Dallas-based Texas Health Resources first appeared with Ebola symptoms, but the fact that he had recently traveled from Africa, while logged in his EHR, was still missed by subsequent members of his care team – the balance between IT and clinical workflow can be a challenge. "It's definitely a collaborative effort," said Hockett. She pointed to the One Health concept, which holds that the health of humans is inextricably connected to the health of animals and the environment. [Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook] That holistic approach means there's a deep need for collaboration, she said. "Use of effective surveillance systems is essential: knowing the symptoms of the diseases that are going on, talking with your provider community and epidemiologists and local and state health departments. The communications between hospitals and local and state health departments are critical." Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN

Jeff Brown has been appointed senior vice president and chief information officer of Seattle Children's, the hospital announced today. He has filled the interim CIO position since April 2015. Brown joined Seattle Children's from Lawrence General Hospital in Massachusetts in April 2015. [Also: CIOs target population health, patient engagement in 2016] "We are thrilled Jeff has assumed the permanent role of CIO," said Lisa Brandenburg, president, Seattle Children's. "Jeff brings tremendous experience, and during his time as interim CIO, he has made key improvements within our Information Services Department and will be integral in supporting our next strategic plan with the technical elements necessary to excel in an increasingly competitive healthcare market," she added. While at Lawrence General, Brown served as CIO, focusing on mobile health IT within the integrated health system and accountable care organization. Population health and digital healthcare strategies were also his focus. He previously served in senior management positions in organizations that include Partners HealthCare and Steward Health Care Network. Twitter: @JessiefDavis

ACO quality measures were enhanced by pay-for-performance programs, according to the JAMA network, but providers also need advanced technologies, interventions, and close contact with patients. 

New rules are anticipated to allow organizations -- those approved as qualified entities -- to confidentially share or sell analyses of the data.

ESET researcher Stephen Cobb will explain at HIMSS16 why CIOs and CISOs should think of their organization like a patient and address the most urgent problems first.

New offering on Welltok platform aimed at some of largest employers, including IBM.