The following blog post was written by Maggy Stewart, Graphic Designer & Marketing Coordinator at RMS. Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS) announced it has received final approval from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to conduct the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (MIPS CAHPS)® for the Read more

The following blog post was written by Maggy Stewart, Graphic Designer & Marketing Coordinator at RMS. This past March, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) launched the redesigned Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition program, which includes an ongoing, sustained recognition status with an annual check-in and reporting. Redesigned program features replaced the previous program’s three-year Read more

The following blog post was written by Christine Benn, Business Development Coordinator at RMS. Warning: deadlines are closer than they appear. For those Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC’s) and Medicare-certified Hospital Outpatient Departments (HOPD’s) who will be mandated to conduct the OAS CAHPS® surveys beginning in January 2018, now is the time to get started. Become Read more

The following post was written by Samadhi Moreno, Healthcare Research Associate at RMS. I recently listened to a new AHRQ Podcast on the common concerns and misconceptions regarding the CAHPS surveys. The title of the podcast series was “CAHPS Surveys: Sorting Fact from Fiction” by Rebecca Anhang-Price. CAHPS results are used for pay per performance Read more

The following post was written by Samadhi Moreno, Healthcare Research Associate at RMS. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently announced a new exciting research project titled: “Using Patient Experience Information in Hospitals: A survey of Hospital Quality Leaders.” The project aims to answer the following questions: How do hospitals collect patient experience Read more

The following blog post was written by Al Tripodi, Quality Auditor Associate at RMS. It’s probably not surprising that there has been an increasing number of HIPAA Breaches across the country. There is no question that as you hear of these breaches, you consider how to put more rigor around prevention. Here are 12 best Read more

The following blog post was written by Al Tripodi, Quality Auditor Associate at RMS. HIPAA Privacy and Security Compliance is paramount to health care organizations, as well as any vendors or associates which have access to Protected Health Information (PHI). Violation of HIPAA can lead to termination of employment, large financial fines, and even jail Read more

The following blog post was written by Heather Banks, a Healthcare Transformation Coordinator at RMS. Care Coordination is paramount to ensuring management and delivery of quality-centered patient-care. The goal of care coordination is to make the primary care practice the hub of all patient care. Not only must care coordination be within the practice, but Read more

The following blog post was written by Karen Joncas, a Healthcare Transformation Coordinator at RMS. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has announced that it is redesigning the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition process to better engage practices in an ongoing assessment of compliance with PCMH standards. Four key goals of the newly redesigned Read more

The following blog post was written by Karen Joncas, a Healthcare Transformation Coordinator at RMS. Across the country, health care and community resource providers have joined together to transform our health care delivery systems, reducing the upward cost curve of Medicaid spending while ensuring access to appropriate, quality care. States have been given the opportunity to Read more