Fax

"Breaking the Fax Habit: DHHS Penalties Propel Healthcare into the Digital Age"

Art Post · 6 hours ago

On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a final rule that outlines new penalties for practices that obstruct, prevent, or significantly discourage the access, exchange, or use of electronic health information (EHI). These penalties, which aim to enforce the interoperability of health information, are designed to ensure that Protected Health Information (PHI) is shared in a digital and interoperable format. The new regulations represent a significant push towards enhancing the efficiency and transparency of healthcare data exchange in the United States.

The emphasis on interoperability is not new. However, these new penalties underscore the federal government's commitment to breaking down barriers that hinder the seamless flow of health information. The ultimate goal is to improve patient care, reduce costs, and enhance the overall healthcare experience by making health data more accessible and usable across different platforms and entities.

The Nature of the Penalties

The final rule introduces a series of "disincentives" targeting different healthcare entities that fail to comply with the requirements. These disincentives are substantial and designed to encourage compliance by making non-compliance financially untenable.

Hospitals and the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program (MPIP): Hospitals that fail to meet the interoperability standards could face a reduction in their MPIP payments by 1%. The MPIP is crucial for hospitals as it rewards them for adopting and using certified electronic health record technology to improve patient care. A reduction in these payments can have a significant financial impact on hospitals, which often rely on these incentives to fund their technology and process improvements.
Clinicians and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): For clinicians and group practices, the penalties are tied to their performance scores under the MIPS. Specifically, they could receive a zero score in the interoperability category of MIPS, which would subsequently reduce their overall MIPS payments. MIPS scores affect how much clinicians are reimbursed by Medicare, and a zero score in any category can considerably decrease their revenue.
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs): ACO participants could face even more severe consequences. Those who fail to comply with the new interoperability requirements may be barred for one year from participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). The MSSP allows ACOs to share in the savings they generate for Medicare by providing high-quality, cost-efficient care. Being excluded from this program can result in a significant loss of revenue for ACOs, making compliance essential.

Implications for Fax Communications

These new penalties have direct implications for the use of fax communications in healthcare. Traditionally, fax machines have been widely used to share PHI due to their simplicity and perceived security. However, fax machines do not support the digital and interoperable exchange of information that the DHHS is now mandating.

Healthcare providers will need to transition from fax-based communication to more modern, digital methods. Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, health information exchanges (HIEs), and other digital platforms that support interoperability will become essential tools. These systems not only comply with the new regulations but also offer benefits such as improved accuracy, faster information exchange, and enhanced patient care coordination.

Surfing the Interoperability Surge

The DHHS's new rule and associated penalties mark a pivotal shift towards the digital and interoperable exchange of health information. Healthcare providers must adapt to these changes by abandoning outdated methods like fax communications and embracing modern digital solutions. While the penalties for non-compliance are steep, the potential benefits in terms of improved patient care and operational efficiency are significant. The healthcare industry is on the brink of a new era of connectivity and transparency, driven by these federal mandates.

-=Good Selling=-

Fax

This History of the Fax Machine According to Art

Art Post · 2/26/1510:42 PM

Go ahead, you can do it, no one will see you. It's okay to hug your fax, if you still have one.

Funny, just today I was on an appointment and they told me about one of their principals that was still using a computer with a 3.5 floppy drive. He brought the disk to a meeting and one of the younger employee asked him what he had on his desk. He replied that is was a floppy disk and the younger employee replied, "what is that used for"? Poor fellow had no clue.

Fax will go that route in the near future. My son's children will have the same reaction when they enter the work force if they get the chance to see a fax machine.

History of Fax (Condensed)

Facsimile "make similar", "make a copy" was invented in 1843 by Scottish mechanic and inventor Alexander Bain. He received a British patent for “improvements in producing and regulating electric currents and improvements in timepieces and in electric printing and signal telegraphs”, and the fax was born.

Alexander Bain's fax machine transmitter scanned a flat metal surface using a stylus mounted on a pendulum. The stylus picked up images from the metal surface. An amateur clock maker, Alexander Bain combined parts from clock mechanisms together with telegraph machines to invent his fax machine.

One of the main applications for fax was that of military use, when we demonstrated the technology we also spoke of how it was first used by the military. In fact the military adopted faxing in 1943 to transmit maps, orders and weather charts during World War II.

It was not until 1948 that the FCC authorized commercial use of fax technology, Western Union then manufactured 50,000 Deskfax machines for use at their offices.The first users of facsimile were newspapers to transmit and receive photos from around the world. The next user of facsimile were the weather services around the world.

Sixty years have passed since Western Union created the Deskfax. Remember these words, fax is dead, there's no need for fax when you have email. I'll admit that email has taken most of the fax machines popularity away, however there is still some type of fax in every office, whether its a stand alone product, a modem in a pc or a modem in multi-functional copy machine. Need more info, the go here.

Fax Fun

What would we have done in the eighties with out the fax? Any of you remember the Teli Vaxafax (made in Sweden). Nice looking product and we sold the value of Swedish technology.

I can remember some funny stories about faxing. Back in the Eighties, we always ran across a rude "gate keeper" when we were telemarketing for copiers. However, it was not wise to be rude or hang up the phone if we had your fax number (matter of fact, even if we didn't have it we would place another call and just ask for the fax number). We would then take a few sheets of letter paper and tape them together to make a long document, in most cases it was three sheets taped together. We would then dial the number, press the start key, once the paper started to feed (you had to remember that the early fax machines were very slow and only feed one sheet of paper at a time) we would then create a loop in the paper taping the end of the document to the beginning. We would then let the fax do its work.

What happened at the other end was that the fax would continue to receive the transmission until either the machine ran out of paper or the fax was turned off. Can you image coming in the morning and seeing 500 feet of paper lying on the floor!

Well, it was funny back in the Eighties and we were young and dumb!

-=Good Selling=-