The Acmeware Advisor.

Your source for timely information on MEDITECH Data Repository, SQL Server and business intelligence, quality reporting, healthcare regulatory issues, and more.

Contact us

2021 QPP Proposed Rule

CMS recently published the CY 2021 Quality Payment Program (QPP) Proposed Rule which included numerous updates to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for 2020 reporting and subsequent reporting years, with a focus on 2021 reporting. For the full text of the rule, see the Federal Register.

2021 IPPS Final Rule

CMS recently published the FY 2021 final rule for the Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS) and has finalized changes to the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) program and Medicare & Medicaid Promoting Interoperability (PI) program for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals. For the full text of the rule, see the Federal Register.

SQL Server database

Using URLs in SQL Server Reporting Services - Part 2

In part 1 of this blog, we discussed how to build a URL that could navigate to various resources on the internet. We learned how to build the URL string based on a combination of the website path and the data within our results. In part 2, we’ll look at a similar example of how to navigate to another SSRS report on our local network that resides in a different project folder. Using the same technique, we can build the navigation link and pass parameters into another report instead of using the default SSRS method which only links to reports in the same folder.

SQL Server database

Using URLs in SQL Server Reporting Services

Part 1 - Navigating to an Internet site

One of the most obvious features of SQL Server Reporting Services is that the reports are presented to the user with a web browser. This means that SSRS natively has access to many of the same functional principles as most web pages and web sites. Specifically, this would include the use of hyperlinks (URLs) to easily navigate to other reports, web pages, or other web-based resources. How do we do that? With the Action property.

2021 IPPS Proposed Rule

CMS recently published the FY 2021 proposed rule for the Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS) and has proposed changes to the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) program and Medicare & Medicaid Promoting Interoperability (PI) program for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals. For the full text of the rule, see the Federal Register.

Know Your Data

It doesn’t matter which MEDITECH version you have; from MAGIC to Expanse, each reporting technology has its own strengths and weaknesses. Whether it’s good old NPR, Report Designer or Data Repository with SQL Server, you can get the most out of each of them by using them together. While Data Repository has increasingly become the “go-to” choice for many reports, DR and SQL tools can also be used as an intermediary tool to help you build better NPR and RD reports too!

SQL Server database

Why Data Repository is Different

Technically speaking, MEDITECH's Data Repository is a typical relational database, in that it stores data in tables, uses primary key columns for referential integrity, and is interacted with using off-the-shelf tools like Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. But there are several aspects that make it unique – and challenging to work with – all of which are important to understand if you’re a data analyst or report writer at a MEDITECH hospital.

2020 MIPS Final Rule

CMS recently published the CY 2020 Quality Payment Program (QPP) Final Rule which included numerous updates to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for 2019, 2020 and 2021 reporting.

SQL Server database

Multi-value Parameters in SQL Server Reporting Services

One of my favorite features of SQL Server Reporting Services is the ability to provide a parameter with multiple values. This is a great way to give your users flexibility at runtime by allowing them to select one, two, several, or all values from a given list. It even has a built-in way to easily select and de-select all the possible values. A common scenario that would benefit from this is when you are going to publish a single report that could potentially be used by multiple locations or departments.

DR SQL Server database

Data Repository System Tables

How do I find data in the MEDITECH Data Repository?

Many new DR report writers have a challenging time locating data in the DR because they're unfamiliar with the database table and column naming conventions. Luckily for those users, MEDITECH has provided tools within each application as well as system level tables for both the NPR and M-AT platforms that help to identify table and column data.

SQL Server database

Primary Keys in Data Repository

Knowing which tables to use is one of the biggest challenges when writing DR reports. Understanding those tables, and the relationships between them is part of that challenge. Primary keys are a critical part of any database, but especially so in the DR, since they are the only definition we have for how to correctly and quickly get information.

2020 IPPS Final Rule

CMS recently released the FY 2020 Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS) Final Rule which continues to focus on transforming the healthcare delivery system to provide patients with better care. To this end, CMS has finalized changes to the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) program and Medicare & Medicaid Promoting Interoperability (PI) program for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs).  (For the full text of the final rule, see the Federal Register.)