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The vendor said that the latest changes are driven by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services new Oncology Care Model.

Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing have shown that computers can screen pathology reports, saving time and money.

The new group consists of tech vendors and device manufacturers working to create sets of security best practices for both providers and manufacturers.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT said it can harness data it already has to help providers make better electronic health record purchasing decisions.

Centra Health announced on Thursday that it will deploy Cerner Millennium on both the clinical and business sides, including revenue cycle and patient health management. Centra will also implement HealtheIntent, Cerner’s population health management platform. In addition, Cerner will support Centra’s growing health plan, which covers more than 45,000 individuals. With five hospitals and 50 ambulatory and long-term facilities, the Centra is one of the largest healthcare systems in central Virginia.   [Also: How satisfied are you with your EHR? Satisfaction Survey results] “As one of the leading care providers in our area of the country, it is essential that Centra continues to influence the health of not only our patients, but also our community as a whole,” CEO E.W. Tibbs Jr., said in a statement. Financial terms of the deal were not revealed. Twitter: @Bernie_HITN Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook and LinkedIn

Everseat also aligned with Lyft to help patients get to appointments. 

Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic of North Carolina will pay $750,000 to settle charges that it violated the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Privacy Rule. The group allegedly handed over protected health information for approximately 17,300 patients to a potential business partner without first executing a business associate agreement. HIPAA-covered entities cannot disclose protected health information without authorization, and the lack of a business associate agreement left this information without safeguards, rendering it potentially vulnerable to misuse or improper disclosure.  [See them all: 10 stubborn cybersecurity myths, busted] Raleigh Orthopaedic is a provider group practice that operates clinics and an orthopedic surgery center in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area. The Office of Civil Rights, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, launched its investigation of Raleigh Orthopaedic following receipt of a breach report on April 30, 2013. The investigation found that Raleigh Orthopaedic released X-ray films and related protected health information of 17,300 patients to a group that promised to transfer the images to electronic media in exchange for harvesting the silver from the X-ray films. Raleigh Orthopedic allegedly failed to execute a business associate agreement with this company prior to turning over the X-rays and health information. [Also: OCR unleashes second wave of HIPAA audits, but will it diminish patients' privacy and security expectations?] In addition to the $750,000 payment, Raleigh Orthopaedic is required to revise its policies and procedures to establish a process for assessing whether entities are business associates. It is also required to designate a "responsible individual" to ensure business associate agreements are in place prior to disclosing public health information to a business associate; create a standard template business associate agreement; and establish a standard process for maintaining documentation of business associate agreements for at least six years beyond the date of termination of such a relationship. The group also must limit disclosures of personal health information to any business associate to the minimum necessary to accomplish the purpose for which it was hired. [Also: Tips for detecting ransomware and other malware before it cripples your network] "HIPAA's obligation on covered entities to obtain business associate agreements is more than a mere check-the-box paperwork exercise," OCR Director Jocelyn Samuels said in a statement. "It is critical for entities to know to whom they are handing personal health information and to obtain assurances that the information will be protected." Twitter: @JELagasse

The tool will help create a more accurate profile of behavioral health patients and identify any gaps in care.

Greenway Health CEO Tee Green revealed on Wednesday that he is handing the chief executive role at the EHR company he co-founded over to Scott Zimmerman. Green will continue full-time as executive chairman, according to the company, including a focus on innovation as the company is working to transform itself from an electronic health record and practice management vendor into a population health and revenue cycle specialist. Before taking the helm of Greenway, Zimmerman was president of Televox, which provides patient engagement communications tools. Zimmerman also has worked at Boston Scientific, GE Healthcare and Merck during his career. “It’s a privilege to be working alongside the Greenway Health team to support caregivers in this time of change,” Zimmerman said in a statement. “It’s exciting to be a part of an organization working to deliver the technology, people and processes that can impact the clinical excellence and financial success of our customers. I am looking forward to doing everything I can to help further that mission.” Zimmerman’s appointment marks the second C-level announcement in recent months. In December 2015, Greenway named Robert Ellis as its new chief financial officer. Ellis came from Vista Equity Partners, where he was a managing director. Twitter: @SullyHIT Email the writer: tom.sullivan@himssmedia.com Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook and LinkedIn

U.S. Senators and Representatives introduced a bill on Wednesday that would reduce the meaningful use reporting period from a full year to 90 days – and do so in 2016, a move pressed by healthcare organizations across the country. Sens. Rob Portman and Michael Bennet and Reps. Renee Ellmers, Tom Price, Bobby Rush and Ron Kind introduced bipartisan legislation. CHIME, the Medical Group Management Association, the National Rural Health Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and physician groups, not only support the bill, but have also pressed lawmakers for it. Many of the organizations wrote CMS on March 15, asking for a 90-day reporting period for 2016. [Also: Healthcare providers press CMS for 90-day meaningful use reporting] “A preliminary yet critical step to facilitate increased provider success, we respectfully request CMS adopt for the 2016 reporting year the same 90-day reporting period policy for participants in the Meaningful Use program that was offered in 2015,” they wrote to CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt. CMS required a full year reporting period last year, but later reduced the requirement to 90 days in a rule that also reduced the number of meaningful use, Stage 2 requirements. Twitter: @Bernie_HITN Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook and LinkedIn