CMS reimbursement cuts to ophthalmology have some industry experts predicting big changes to practice patterns, from fewer residents entering the specialty to fewer surgeons entering the operating room. To survive, specialists are going to need a game plan for increasing revenue.

The Physician Quality Reporting System is gaining momentum as we move forward into 2016. With new acronyms (MIPS, MACRA, PQRS, MU, VBM, etc.) making an appearance on what feels like a monthly basis, it’s important to know where the program is headed and what your game plan will be for avoiding penalties.

Settled into ICD-10 yet? The infamous transition to the new coding system last October was met with a significant amount of controversy, but now almost six months out, it appears it wasn't as rocky as many believed, despite the 155,000 total ICD-10 codes.

In an effort to provide relief for both eligible medical professionals and eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has once again extended the deadline to file for a hardship exception for Meaningful Use. The deadline now sits at July 1, 2016. This is the second time in the last month that CMS has opted to push back the hardship exception deadline. Originally, the deadline was March 15 for eligible professionals.

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will be implementing a two-week extension period for practices attesting to Meaningful Use. The deadline originally fell on Leap Day - February 29 - but the extension period will push back the final day to March 11. The extension applies to all eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical aspect hospitals participating in Meaningful Use program.

When CMS Chief Andy Slavitt announced (via Twitter) earlier this month that Meaningful Use would be “effectively over,” I swear I could hear the collective sighs of relief and shouts of joy coming from thousands upon thousands of U.S. healthcare providers. Not to be a killjoy, but please don’t start doling out the rapid-fire high fives just yet. Slavitt’s entire tweet stated that “In 2016, MU as it has existed—with MACRA—will now be effectively over and replaced with something better.” He may have jumped the gun a little bit, because the hard truth is that Meaningful Use is not over… not by a longshot.

Andy Slavitt, the acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, sent shock waves throughout the medical industry last week. Meaningful Use - as we know it today - is likely to end in 2016. "The Meaningful Use program as it has existed, will now be effectively over and replaced with some better," Slavitt said at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference last Monday. Needless to say, many people within the healthcare IT industry responded to Slavitt's big announcement by sharing their thoughts on social media. Here's what they had to say: