Uncategorized Archives - HIT Leaders and News

Medicaid Modernization Is Becoming a Compliance Project

Jason Free — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:42:31 +0000

The announcement that state Medicaid technology vendors are pledging more than $600 million in no cost and discounted support for community engagement implementation is being positioned as an efficiency win. A January 29, 2026 CMS newsroom announcement framed the commitments as a way to help states meet new requirements while accelerating broader eligibility and enrollment modernization. That framing is strategically sound. It is also incomplete.

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ACA Enrollment Surges Past 22 Million, but Sustainability Questions Linger

Jason Free — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 23:53:20 +0000

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that more than 22.8 million individuals have enrolled in 2026 health insurance coverage through Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces, a record-breaking figure that surpasses all previous enrollment periods. This national snapshot captures signups from both the federal HealthCare.gov platform and state-based exchanges (SBEs), marking a clear high point in the ACA’s implementation. But behind the headline growth lies a more nuanced, and increasingly urgent, set of questions for healthcare leaders tasked with navigating cost structures, compliance shifts, and continuity of care.

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Tim O’Connell of emtelligent on Structuring Healthcare Data for Responsible AI

Jason Free — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 12:55:31 +0000

Tim O’Connell, M.Eng., M.D., co-founder and CEO of emtelligent, offers a rare blend of clinical insight and technical acumen when it comes to the challenges of responsible AI in healthcare. As the industry confronts a surge of generative AI deployments, health-system leaders must reconcile the push for rapid automation with ethical imperatives around data governance, algorithmic fairness, and patient safety.

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Underfunding Medicare Advantage Would Compound the Impact of Two Years of Cuts

Jason Free — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 13:02:10 +0000

Policies for the 2026 Medicare Advantage (MA) program were proposed by CMS in mid-January (prior to the inauguration) and will be finalized by early April.

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Virginia Man Convicted of Federal Healthcare Fraud

Jason Free — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 11:56:28 +0000

A federal judge convicted a Powhatan, VA man on two counts of healthcare fraud.

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HIMSS24 APAC: Leading Voices in Digital Health Converge in Seoul

Jason Free — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 11:48:57 +0000

International thought leaders and esteemed healthcare professionals will reunite with the healthcare technology community at the most influential digital health conference in the APAC region this October.

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Former Fresno Sleep Clinic Owner Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Submitting Over $1.5 Million in Fraudulent Claims for Sleep Studies to Medicare and Medi-Cal

Jason Free — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 04:11:30 +0000

Jeremy Gober, 43, of Hanford, was sentenced to 46 months in prison Wednesday for committing healthcare fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

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HIMSS Calls for Congress to Adopt Comprehensive Privacy Law, Framework for AI Implementation in Healthcare

Jason Free — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:44:01 +0000

HIMSS, a global advocate for digital health transformation, called for the United States Congress to adopt a robust, comprehensive health privacy law that is universally implementable and applicable to all entities that access protected health information regardless of site or platform.

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AHIMA White Paper Identifies Opportunities and Challenges with Collecting, Integrating, and Using Social Determinants of Health Data

Jason Free — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 06:49:55 +0000

An American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) survey of health information (HI) professionals found that nearly eight in 10 healthcare organizations currently collect social determinants of health (SDOH) data but still face challenges related to the collection, coding, and use of this clinically relevant data.

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DrFirst Acquires Diagnotes Secure Messaging and Care Coordination Platform

Jason Free — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 06:37:14 +0000

Healthcare technology pioneer DrFirst announced it has acquired select assets of Indianapolis-based Diagnotes. The acquisition will allow Backline by DrFirst to expand its capabilities to break through communication silos in healthcare at each stage of the patient care journey, promote positive patient outcomes, and enhance satisfaction for staff and patients.

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