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Here's The Latest in Health Care:

•  Consumers who are hunting for health insurance during the open enrollment period are either finding prices to be more expensive or are finding cheap deals, depending on subsidy eligibility for 2018. For those who are eligible for subsidies, insurance brokers and analysts are cautioning clients against the temptation to get the inexpensive plans that don't comply with the Affordable Care Act's minimum standards. Some states have extended their open enrollment period past December 15.  Read More

•  The office of the National Coordination for Health IT (ONC) recently published best practices for data management processes, enabling hospitals to more accurately and effectively match patient records.  There are 5 categories published in the Patient Demographic Data Quality Framework across which hospitals can begin to evaluate their own organizations: Data governance, data quality, data operations, platforms and standards, and supporting processes.  Read More

•  In a new study released by the Journal of the American Medical Association, intense treadmill exercise has been found to be safe for those recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and may even slow the progression of their condition in the early stages of the disease. Current methods of treatment involve various drugs, most of which lose their effectiveness over time. While more studies have yet to be done, the findings are encouraging.  Read More

•  On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted in favor to repeal net neutrality regulations. How does this impact telehealth? The new regulatory environment could break telehealth and remote monitoring functionality for providers, patients and vendors, especially those in rural areas of the country. Connectivity is an essential element of telehealth and without it, it doesn't work. Higher prices for connectivity might force providers in rural areas to abandon telehealth programs all together.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture software.

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