What is the measure of successful technology adoption? Is it never having to hunt for a missing chart? Is it a reduction in specific operating cost line items? Is it about access to clinical information when you need it and where you need it?
Technology implementation has a significant effect on profitability. The Medical Group Management Association Cost Survey Report beginning with 2010 data shows that total medical revenue after operating ...
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Why do you need a population health management (PHM) IT system? In our last column we discussed the fact that reimbursement tied to outcomes will demand a greater level of patient management. Greater, perhaps, than your EHR can deliver. The early focus of new pay-for-performance and bundled payment systems is on preventive care for top chronic illnesses.
The 15 most expensive health conditions account for 44% of total ...
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Office-based medical practice is changing fast. The government is providing incentives to those practices that use electronic prescribing and electronic records systems and will soon penalize those that don't. Health reform will shortly deliver many newly insured patients to your office. A host of new patient care models aimed at making healthcare more team-based are emerging. Reimbursement tied to outcomes will demand a greater level of patient management and engagement ...
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Should physicians use a consultant to help choose a practice management system or EHR for their practice? According to recent Medical Group Management Association surveys more than 50% of physicians used the services of a healthcare consultant or firm at least once in the previous 3 years.
But did they have to? Was it a smart move?
The answer: It depends
Not every practice needs a consultant's assistance when replacing and choosing ...
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You're using an EHR. You're e-prescribing. You've eliminated pulling the old paper chart (most of the time!). That's good.
But how about those orders?
Are you still writing on the bottom of your fee slip or encounter ticket that you want the patient to be scheduled for a test or with another physician? That's not good.
Get the order in your EHR.
Instead of taking the time to write on paper, keep your hand ...
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Vendors talk about partnering with medical practices all the time – especially in the information technology (IT) world of electronic health records (EHRs) and practice management systems. But, ask any physician about their IT solution and most will express dissatisfaction, unhappiness, or harsh complaints.
The reason? For the most part, medical groups are not trained effectively for integrating IT into their work flow.
Ask EHR vendors about their approach to training and ...
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The latest numbers from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics affirm that a majority of small practices do not have an EHR. Why is that?
One big reason is because small practices don't have the management or technical infrastructure available to prepare for and handle the biggest challenges facing medical practices today.
What are those challenges and what's that got to do with EHR implementation? According to the Medical ...
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Which electronic health record system should I select?
Among physicians and managers in small-group practices today, there is no more common question.
But lately, another vexing question has emerged: Whether to install EHR software on servers in your office, or subscribe to an Internet-based system maintained in "the cloud."
What Is "the cloud"?
When EHR vendors began offering their products via the cloud, many physicians were puzzled. Some think that the cloud is simply ...
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Technology adoption is iterative. Here are some suggestions that can help you adopt and morph EHR techniques and processes to fit into your own practice's workflow.
When it comes right down to it, some are basic learning techniques that can apply to any new situation in the office.
And remember, everyone has something to learn.
Don't get stuck in your own routine, if a physician finds a work-around that improves a system function ...
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Billing is way more than billing.
In a typical medical practice, more than 300 insurance cards cross the front desk every month. The variety of plans and coverage along with the complexities of coding and the difference among payers requires expertise and technology to effectively manage accounts receivable, regardless of practice size.
There are two basics required to manage your billing and accounts receivable -- a practice management system and a clearinghouse.
The ...
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"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
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