Government & Policy

Struggling with long wait times, the Veterans Affairs Health Care System is trying something new: a partnership with the CVS Pharmacy chain to offer urgent care services to more than 65,000 veterans.

The advisory committee said that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT should accelerate the definition and standards for President Obama's PMI and Patient-Generated Health Data. 

An experimental program called Independence at Home saved an average of $13,600 per patient during its first year. 

Networks are aiding medical practices and community health centers to prepare for population health and value-based reimbursement, executive director Debra Simmons says.

The cyber-threats are increasingly hitting healthcare organizations with great effectiveness, and the OCR is preparing to assist executives seeking to better protect their data and systems.

Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health David Shulkin said it will establish the centers this summer in South Carolina, Utah, Pennsylvania and the Pacific Northwest. 

The draft document takes on topics related to interoperability, data integrity, record retention and more.

Long-term care, out-of-pocket spending, and even dental care are among the challenges that America faces in the next few years but Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are not saying nearly enough about their intentions in those areas. 

Veterans are still waiting to see a doctor.

The Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities states that women must be treated equally to men and bans discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age or disability and, for the first time, gender.