EMR – Will It Help Only Physicians?

An electronic medical record (EMR) is a computerized medical record created in a physician’s office or hospital. It is an electronic version of paper based medical records that have been serving customers till now. However, with the advancement of information technology, the industries across different verticals are making the best use of automation to improve the quality, productivity and ROI of their business. Healthcare industry being not an exception to the rule, has started realizing the importance of automation and particularly EMR.

Though EMR is a new buzz word in the healthcare industry, a question often disturbs patients – is EMR only for doctors? As far as the adoption of EMR in a physician’s clinic or hospital is concerned patients are often disturbed as regards the benefits of implementing the system. A large no. of patients have a feeling that the system would only benefit doctors, would interfere with security issues, would result into appointment and treatment delays.

According to health IT experts, it would be absolutely wrong to say that EMR is meant only for doctors. In fact, EMR has to benefit both doctors as well as patients. The implementation of the system has to benefit doctors as well as hospitals with improved work flow, increased productivity and ROI. As far as patients are concerned the whole exercise of implementing the system is based on the ultimate goal of providing better medical care to the patients. The focus of the software product is on making life easier for patients with improved work flow and quality of care.

If we carefully analyze meaningful use criteria, which being introduced by US government for availing various incentives for implementing EMR, the ultimate goal of achieving meaningful is to bring about significant improvement in the quality of patient care. So it is the patients who are ultimately going to be benefited from EMR implementation, hence it wouldn’t be right to say that “EMR is only for doctors”?

Top 10 Must Have Features in an EMR for Physicians

Just as every medical specialty has its unique requirements; all physicians have their own preferences for what is most important to them in selecting their EMR Software. Here is a universal list of the top 10 must-have features in an Electronic Medical Records Software (EMR Software). The list includes the important technology and day to day usability features. The list also takes into account the features that physicians deem important in the context of being eligible to receive a number of incentive payments available from the multitude of agencies (federal and state) for implementing EMR / EHR software, that fulfill the requirement in demonstrating meaningful use of EMR / EHR software.

1) A fully Integrated EMR Software System

2) Integration of EMR Software with ePrescription

3) An EMR system that supports PQRI Automation

4) EMR with tracking capability

5) Secure access to EMR records

6) Integrated patient portal

7) EMR with simple / easy-to-use templates

8) Document and image management

9) Voice and handwriting recognition capabilities

10) Meets all regulatory and compliance requirements

Your EMR Software must satisfy all mandatory Federal and State regulatory and compliance reporting, general reporting requirements, and appropriate coding documentation.  The other upside of requiring that these features be built-into your Electronic Medical Records Software, is that this is extremely important to qualifying each provider in your practice to receive all the incentives available for EMR from Federal and State agencies.

If all you did was to require these top 10 must-have EMR Software features from a vendor, you can rest assured that you will also get the other essential, most up-to-date, and easy to roll-out and use functions, found in the leading EMRs like Claimat EMR today!

Choosing a Right EMR and Migration of Data

EMR (or electronic medical record) is the electronic version of manual patient medical records. The world is going digital to reap the benefits of digital technology and medical industry is not an exception to the rule. EMR is the new buzz word in the medical industry for the benefits it can deliver to doctors, hospitals as well as patients. However, the success to a great extent depends on selecting a right “EMR system” for the practice.

Selecting a right EMR system for the practice or hospital is not an easy task. There are numerous vendors providing a wide range of systems, each with a different set of functionalities. In this situation the task of choosing a most suitable system becomes very difficult. In case wrong or unsuitable electronic medical records software is chosen for the practice, instead of streamlining the process it might make the task more difficult.

There are certain points that need to be taken into consideration when choosing an EMR for the practice. At first, taking note of the existing system of records management is very important. Then defining current and future practice needs is of utmost importance. Before choosing a system one should also compare a no. of available options in the market and also ensure that the vendor provides with training and long term support.

Once a right or suitable EMR is selected for the practice the next important task being data migration. The basic setup tasks need to be considered before migration can be started. The migration must be done very carefully so that the product works fine. However, certain bugs can not be eliminated at this stage. Truly speaking, it takes about 6-12 months (and sometimes longer) for a practice to become comfortable with an EMR system and get the bugs worked out.

Implementing An EMR, Is It Worth It?

 

An EMR (or electronic medical records) is a patient's medical information in an electronic format. EMRs contain information regarding the past, present, or future physical and mental health of a patient, medical test reports, medical images, financial and demographic information. In addition, the ordering of medical tests, medications, treatments, and clinical guidelines are accessible within the EMR. The data contained in HER can be captured or transmitted securely and in real-time by users at the point of care. This medical information is accessible via computers on a network, to provide health care and health-related services.

In spite of the widespread advantages associated with the EMR implementation, it is estimated that EMR use is about 20% in the hospital sector in the US (less in Canada) and about 5% in clinics (probably about the same in Canada). Some studies report the major barriers to widespread EMR implementation. They analyze different criteria, among which the major ones are: doubt as regards the achievement of the objective of implementation, the cost of EMR purchase; the adaptation time; the length of a patient encounter; the time required to record the encounter, etc.

A question often disturbs – Implementing an EMR is it worth it? Truly speaking if a right EMR is selected for the practice and used in an optimum manner, it can help to reduce overhead costs and minimize wasteful expenses. Is it really true though that you can actually increase your revenue using EMR (electronic medical records) software? Yes, because the same measures that allow you to streamline your operation also help facilitate new patients and new business, not to mention retain your patient base.

Why Web EMR?

A question often disturbs many users as to Why Web EMR? In order to decide between a desktop or web EMR a user must analyze well the differences between the two. A number of health IT consultants believe that there are huge advantages of implementing a web EMR as compared to its counterpart desktop version. A desktop version of EMR is installed on to the local machine of the user itself. The software and the user data gets stored into the local hard disk of the user. This creates great problem as regards accessing patient medical information.

There are times when a physician would like to pull the patient medical records while on the move, however, in case of a desktop version this flexibility is not available to the physician (user). The user gets tied up with a particular machine; the biggest disadvantage of a desktop version as against a web EMR can be experienced at times of emergencies when it is required to pull patient information at places other than the physician’s clinic. 

According to industry experts, a web EMR is a gift of advanced internet technology that provides with immense flexibility as regards storage of patient data and its retrieval. In case of a web based EMR, the data is stored centrally, which provides with all the flexibility. As the data is stored centrally (server), it can also be used to integrate / compile it with other applications like EMR and so on.

Security is one of the most important concerns when using web EMR software. The web based software offers more security than many small clinics can provide themselves. Provided server maintenance is also a huge benefit to web-based software. The provider of the software program takes care of server maintenance so that you can focus on what you do best; take care of your patients.

The initial investment for web EMR software is much lower compared to other systems. This is because you do not have to purchase hardware, servers, or software that can be very expensive. The initial investment is very low and the monthly fee incurred to utilize the system can be written off as a monthly operating cost. The most outstanding features of a new age web based EMR is that of “portability”.

Meaningful Use and Certified EMR

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is the new buzz word in the healthcare industrty. The implementation of the EMR software across different practices is facing numerous problems including the initial cost of the software license. In order to give relief to practioners and hospitals providing services under medicare and medicad plans, the US government has announced special incentive program. However, it can not be availed unless n until the providers meet certain meaningful use criteria.

The meaningful use criteria is nothing but a set of meanignful use objectives: Use Computer Provider Order Entry (CPOE), Implement drug/allergy checks, Maintain an up-to-date problem list of current and active diagnoses based on ICD-9-CM or SNOMED CT®, E-prescribing (EP only), Maintain active medication/allergy list and so on.

The EMR software must be capable of performing the above tasks. The software must have the provision for automated checking, reporting and management features. There are numerous vendors offering different versions of EMR softwars, however, a certified EMR guarantees the availability of above mentioned features plus other standard features as required by the practice or hospital for smooth functioning.

In order to avail meaningful use benefits (financial as well as improved patient quality), adoption of certifed EMR is a must have!

Meaningful Use

Is Meaningful Use Beneficial To Patients?

"Meaningful use" refers to practices that should be used by doctors and hospitals using electronic medical records. Physicians and hospitals have been directed as to what tasks they should be using their EHR, what constitutes certified EHR technology, and how the government measures this criteria. To qualify for specific incentives, hospitals and physicians must use "certified EHR technology" in a meaningful manner during the Stage 1 (2011) EHR adoption period.

But there is much more to it than that; 'meaningful use' of electronic medical record keeping is designed to benefit both the patient and their caregiver. Meaningful use refers to doctors, hospitals and clinics that have been able to significantly improve the quality of patient care through the use of electronic records.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), "meaningful use" is defined as using an EHR for the following objectives:

• Improving quality, safety, efficiency, care coordination, population and public health;
• Reducing health disparities;
• Engaging patients and their families; and,
• Ensuring adequate privacy and security protections for personal health information

Combining EMR and Billing Systems

Typically, EMR and billing systems have remained separate in physician clinics, each with their own collection of problems. Why not have two systems in one? By integrating physical therapy billing solutions and EMR documentation into one comprehensive software program, overall benefits can be gained in a Physician clinic.

Physical therapy billing management combined with a reputable EMR program can improve efficiency at the front desk and lessen the possibilities of coding and financial errors. Here are a few great reasons PT clinics should consider an integrated billing and EMR documentation system.

       Reduction in Errors

       Increased Efficiency

       Easy Accessibility of Resources

      Quick Reimbursement

      Better ROI For The Practice

EMR Development and Its Standardization

The trend of EMR implementation is catching up owing to the unmatched advantages it can deliver for the practice as well as patients. Implementing EMR system can help save time and money, making clerical work and physical therapy practices better for both PTs and patients. However, the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) industry has to understand that better usability yields more adoption. According to industry experts usability can be improved to a great extent with the standardization in EMR development.

There are different vendors offering different versions of EMR. Each vendor providing different layout, features and so on. With hundreds of different specialties requiring different types of tests and workflows, at times, it becomes very difficult for the practice to decide upon a right EMR for their clinic.

Certification of EMR to some extent ensures availability of standard features, however, more efforts are required as regards standardization of layout, features and other functionality in EMR.

EMR System Implementation - Best Practices

 

Electronic version of patient medical records is called EMR. It helps easy management, retrieval, processing and analysis. The success of EMR implementation depends on many factors. However, the process starts with the selection of right EMR for the practice. In order to select a right EMR one must have knowledge as regards the standard features a system must possess.

Standard EMR systems in the market are typically equipped with the following functions:

    Patient Demographics
    Visit/encounter notes
    Patient medications/prescriptions
    Presenting complaint
    Physical exam/review of symptoms
    Past medical history
    Problem lists
    Procedure/operative notes
    Laboratory results
    Drug interaction warnings
    Radiology/imaging results
    Consult/reports from specialists
    Referrals to specialists
    Drug reference information
    Immunization tracking
    Drug formularies
    Clinical guidelines and protocols
    Integration with practice billing system
    Claims Processing

At first, a physician practice... planning to implement an EMR system must evaluate the requriements of the practice, so that a right EMR can be implemented. 

EMR: For Better Health Services

EMR (electronic medical records) has become a must have for today's healthcare industry. Truly speaking, EMR software is widely recognized for providing solutions for the highest level of healthcare services and patient care.The software can reduce the actual time spent in billing, preparing reports, clearances and all other kind of paper works. Accurate record keeping and faster paper work are some of the many attributes of the software. There are many other practical applications of the software like security, which can keep your medical records protected at all times. 

Electronic medical records (EMR) software is specifically built to ease out the demanding work style of medical professionals. With the aid of EMR tools, the health professionals can utilize their time wisely in meeting the needs of patients instead of searching and updating medical records. It wouldn't be wrong to say that "EMR is for better health services".

Advantages of Web Based EMR

Digitization of patient medical records (EMR) has great advantages for both doctors as well as patients. The EMR solution has become a must have as it leverages unmatched advantages. The trend of EMR implementation is catching up, however, the success depends to a large extent in selecting a right EMR for the practice. A large no. of EMR's are available including Desktop and Web EMR's. There is often a confusion as regards Desktop Vs Web EMR.

As the data is stored centrally a web EMR offers great flexibility. The data can be accessed from any where and at any point of time. At times of emergency a web based EMR can prove to be a boon as the patient data can be shared across different medical setups for immediate diagnosis and treatment. A web based EMR provides with all the features as like a desktop EMR plus the capabilities of internet connectivity.

EMR For Doctors and Patients

EMR (Electronic Medical Record) is a new age solution for the healthcare industry. It aims at converting medical setups into a paperless office. The advantages of going digital or paperless are many - at first it helps to speed up the whole process of patient record keeping, the readily available forms can be filled up easily with detailed information. The information is stored in a digital format that helps in easy retrieval at times of emergency. 

Electronic medical records or EMR helps to bring down the cost of managing the patient records. The cost advantage ultimatley helps to build up ROI for the practice. The speedy process helps to save time, which ultimately helps to add up to the productivity and quality of patient care. This way EMR solutions are beneficial to both doctors as well as patients. It wouldn't be wrong to say that "EMR is for both doctors as well as patients". 

Instant Medicare Eligibility Verification

Medicare is a public health program administered by the US "Dept. of health and human services". The program provides for hospital care, medical and prescription insurance for Americans over the age of 65. Before a person is put on to medicare facility, it is advisable to verify the eligibility to avoid any sort of confusion or disappointment at a later stage of treatment. The manual process of verification is a time consuming and may lead into errors creating problems for both doctors as well as patients.

The new age health IT solutions like roster manager or medicare eligibility manager seems to be an answer to the problem. The solution helps to instantly verify the medicare eligibility of the patients, thus, helping to avoid all sorts of confusion at a later stage of treatment. It extends satisfaction to both doctors as well as patients. 

Role of Roster Manager in Roster Data Management

Claims management is a complex task involving a large number of formalities to be managed. A smallest error results into the rejection of the claim or sent back for correction. The process often takes days and months before the reimbursement could be received. This creates problems for both doctors as well as patients. Often the delay plays as a spoil sport.

One biggest difficulty is the management of roster data. A large amount of data needs to be updates, sent for processing and so on. This is a tedious and time consuming task; an error would result into rejection or delay in the process of reimbursement of medical claim. There seems to be an answer to this problem by way of a new age health IT solution like roster manager. The roster manager helps to manage the roster data from health plans. It takes any format from health plan and allows you to put edits on eligibility when verifying by your physicians.

Practice Management System Helps Doctor's Clinic Run Smoothly

A doctor's clinic is not only confined to patients treatment but the clinic has to take care of a number of ancillary tasks associated with patients. The tasks normally include patient appointment scheduling, patient record creation and maintenance, updating records with treatments, billing the patient, entering medical claim details and forwarding for processing. Once the claims is submitted the clinic or the hospital has to follow-up on claims and reimbursement. These tasks consume the maximum time resources of healthcare professionals and their staff. Here comes the role of new age health IT solutions like practice management system.

The main purpose of practice management software is to smoothly run medical practice transactions and increase productivity. More importantly, it serves to the satisfaction of the patients as it answers to a clinic or hospital's constant need to do billing and scheduling of appointments. For a growing medical practice, this serves as a very useful tool in organizing patient files and fostering tighter doctor-patient relations.

The Role of Online Patinet Scheduling

Clinic management is not an easy task; the process starts with the the patient calling in for fixing up the doctor appointment. The patient appointment scheduling task may look simple, however, its a tedious process wherein it involves issuing appointments, cancellations, re-fixation and much more. The manual system of managing patient appointments is time consuming and often results into confusion due to errors committed during the process of scheduling. Its a big frustration for both doctors as well as patients.

The new age IT systems like online scheduler software is giving a new lease of life to both doctors as well as patients. Online scheduler software eliminates the need of being available on the phone for appointments and eligibility checks. Patients can view the availability of their physician and schedule their own appointment online by selecting an available time slot. Online patient scheduling service helps physicians and receptionists to spend more time taking care of patients and delivering quality treatment.

Role of Certifed EMR in Meaningful Use

EMR is a wonderful software that is all set to transform the healthcare industry. It is all set to replace the age old practice of manually maintaining the patient records. The EMR software ensures the healthcare industry with more accurate and detailed patient records. As the records are stored in a digital format, there is flexibility of storing them centrally. The centrally stored data can be easily accessed from any where at times of emergency. There are huge long term advantages of EMR implementation if used in a right manner. When you talk about right manner we are talking about its meaningful use. 

Meaningful use of EMR is nothing but a responsibility on the part of healthcare professionals and hospitals as regards using the software optimally. The EMR software needs to be used in a manner that it promotes better quality of healthcare service to the patients. There are many vendors and many versions of emr applications available, hence it becomes difficult to decide up on the best EMR system for the practice. A certified EMR software would ensure that the system is in compliance with the HIPAA as well as the healthcare industry requirements. A certified EMR software would also ensure that the system can be effectively used for its meaningful use.

Claims Management System For Speedy Claims Reimbursement

Claims processing is a complex task, it involves a no. of formalities to be taken care of. It is an additional burden on healthcare professionals and hospitals but we can not deny its importance in getting claims reimbursement. It involves eligibility verification, coding, filling up diagnosis / treatment and other patient details. It usually consumes majority time of healthcare professionals and their staff. Often the manual system leads into a number of errors resulting into denial of claims or delay in reimbursement. 

The new age health IT solutions like claims management system are claiming to be of great help and support. The system provides with easy to use ready data entry form. A chart to select the medical codes, online verification, error handling and much more. 

The important features include:

    * Check for errors of coding and billing
    * Send you an EOB (explanation of benefits)
    * Pre-adjudicate the claim to make it accurate
    * File the processed claim with the insurance company
    * Provide you electronic eligibility details and claim status
    * Receive denied claims and re-adjudicate them as recommended to get them approved

A fully-functional claims management provides the users with numerous functionality that ensures speedy claims reimbursement at reduced costs.

EMR Software Implementation - A Tough Decision

 

It is said that information technology is changing the world and so is the healthcare industry. New age health IT tools like EMR software are all set to transform the healthcare industry. However, its a tough decision for any healthcare professional or hospital to think about EMR software implementation. It involves a no. of considerations on the part of healthcare professionals as well as hospitals. At first, the question is all about the cost of purchasing the hardware, software license and training. The other most difficult thing being ... switching from age old manual system to the new age hi-tech application. 

It becomes really very difficult to unlearn something and to learn newer way and means of accomplishing certain tasks. At times, the EMR software may result into consumption of more time and money as compared to older manual system as it involves training time and cost. It is always a touch decision to implement something new, however, the important thing is that we need to weigh both the sides advantages and disadvantages. As far as EMR (electronic medical records) software is considered there could be some inital cost of implementation and time spent on training but the long term benefits of implementation are huge. EMR software implementation may be a touch but a fruitful decision for the long run.