EMR reviews – What’s the catch? Newest Article CureMD 09:15

There is yin and yang, black and white. Two sides to a coin, two interpretations, two or more point of views to everything. Heck, there are batman haters out there!

When talking about reviews there are good ones and bad ones right? May it be movies, restaurants or softwares. But when it comes to EMR’s, I wonder if there is another side to the story?

Every website you go to will paint a very pretty picture of the software, as if it’s your wonder drug. It would make all the pain go away. They would talk about how the software is “absolute best and has made their lives easier”. “There are absolutely no issues” or “Surpassed my expectations”. Such reviews really make me ask myself, can I trust these EMR Reviews?

The excessively optimistic tone, choice of words with industry specific jargons and outright admiration for the software really pose a question to its validity and reliability as if they are either paid reviews or written by the vendor’s marketing team itself. There are hardly any balanced reviews. What other possible explanation there could be that every other software has such high ratings with absolutely no problems or bug issues. Something which even huge IT giants like apple aren’t deprived off.

Are customers really writing them? It’s easy For a Practice to be disillusioned by these companies, that’s how marketing and sales functions work; it’s all hunky dory until your money is gone out of the pocket.

I don’t mean to be a cynic but websites like Software advice charge money from EMR Vendors to write referrals.  I believe there should be neutral third party reviews to these softwares for us to make the right decision. I personally rely more on word of mouth and physician referrals rather than these websites. I realize it’s necessary for the vendors to establish a brand image online, but they should always know where to draw the line.

What are your thoughts?

Choosing an EMR Vendor from CureMD

Choosing a billing vendor out of numerous top medical billing companies CureMD 03:55

Medical practices are required to undergo huge changes from time to time to keep up with the new regulations and technology introduced by CMS in healthcare industry. Take the upcoming ICD-10 implementation, for example. Physicians have already begun preparing their staff (both clinical personnel and billers) for the regulations introduced by CMS for the new coding system.

The challenge

One of these regulations requires practices to upgrade their medical billing system completely. As it sounds, upgrading the entire medical billing system of a practice is a very expensive and lengthy task, which is why many small and medium practices are considering outsourcing their billing to medical billing companies.

The risks

Outsourcing medical billing to a third party is indeed a huge risk. However, this option is feasible for practices that lack the resources, space, people or finances required to keep Medical Billing in-house.

Cheaper options: Despite the need, physicians must be very careful in choosing a billing vendor for their practice. They should avoid medical billing companies that cost much lower than the industry average. Yes, discard the “free medical billing” and “1% of your collections”. Such deals are backed by numerous hidden costs, substandard service, and huge cash flow disruptions for the practice that opts to join them.

References: Some vendors avoid giving any references other than the ones on their printed list.

Limited services:  Others don’t provide physicians with daily reports and access to their software to check patient accounts.

Such billing companies may not provide good results or improve practice workflow and can drag medical practices to bankruptcy.

The evaluation criteria

Alternatively, providers must carefully evaluate Medical Billing Companies on the following criterion:

1. Level of service

All medical billing companies offer basic billing services like claim generation and submission, payment processing and patient invoicing. Providers should thus look for companies that provide additional services like tracking of submitted claims, pursing of denied claims, regular follow-ups, and timely reporting. The medical billing companies should also comply with any recent or upcoming CMS regulations or health IT changes like ICD-10.

2. Industry experience:

In addition to relevant healthcare industry experience, the medical billing vendor must also be familiar with the specific medical specialty of the physician or medical practice. Choosing a vendor that is already familiar with the practice specialty will be a plus point for the physicians as this means the new partnership will get along smoothly and there will be no decline in practice revenue.

3. Use of technology

The medical billing service provider must also make use of technology in such a way that it reduces the gap between the provider and biller. For example, the billing company must have flexible medical billing software that can be integrated with the provider’s EHR.

4. Pricing options

Medical billing companies may charge medical practices a percentage of its collections or a flat fee. Some companies have a hybrid pricing option, which includes both flat fee and percentage rates. There are other billing companies that offer all three pricing options to medical practices. Physicians must look for a reasonable pricing option that does not exceed the industry rate or is very cheap. The pricing option can be compared to the kind of services the company offers or how other providers have reviewed the company.

5. Capacity to take on new clients

Lastly, providers must observe the past  the Medical Billing Services Reviews  and determine whether it has the capacity to take on a new client or not. Sometimes a medical billing service takes in too many clients that its resources fall short to handle the outstanding bills, or in following up on the numerous claims sent to different insurance companies. This can affect the performance of the company as well as the revenue of all the clients.

The criteria mentioned above can help medical practices in finding a suitable vendor to handle its outsourced medical billing. Moreover, physicians can further narrow down their lists of billing vendors by observing their ratings and reviews on top rating websites like Top Ten Reviews, Software Advice, Technology Advice and Capterra. These sites also offer consultancy services for practices that are still unable to find a suitable billing vendor.         

Must know Secrets For Easier EHR Documentation from CureMD

What does the Meaningful Use Stage 2 Requirement for Data Exchange offer to physicians? CureMD 13:53

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced its plans to reduce the 2015 Meaningful Use (MU) reporting period requirement from 365 to just 90 days. Many healthcare experts are of the view that the federal agency is taking this step (in addition to others) to lighten the burden on care providers.

The announcement

The announcement was made towards the end of January, and gave much needed relief to eligible hospitals (EHs) and professionals (EPs) who had faced immense difficulty in meeting the MU Stage 2 transition-of-care requirements.

The options

Through this requirement, an EP would need to exchange a care summary with a minimum of one other provider or third party possessing a certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) system; moreover, the receiver’s system must be different from that of the senders. As a secondary option, the EP could instead carry out a successful care summary exchange test with an EHR selected by CMS.

The challenge

However, for the secondary test, the provider needs an EHR which can directly transmit messages to a different EHR; and that too via a DirectTrust recognized health information service provider (HISP). The challenge for the provider would be that of his EHR’s compatibility with the accredited HISPs.

The solution

A CMS FAQ file in response to this query highlights that if the provider faces such an issue, they could be given leniency to perform the required test outside of the EHR reporting bracket, provided that they perform the test before the reporting year ends.

The finalization of the 90 day reporting period for MU would be vital in providing physicians the added time to meet this challenge.

Other options

Practices will also be able to use other methods of care summary exchange between different EHRs. There is also the option of using a health information exchange organization (HIO) for this process; however, many regional RHIOs are not fully functional at the moment.

That is why federal health agencies have continued to reiterate that interoperability is an important target, and one they are committed to achieve. 

Why most behavior health physicians are excluded from Meaningful Use? CureMD 06:52

Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems have transformed medical health records from the traditional paper-based version to an electronic version which allows easy, safe and instant access, recovery and transfer of this data for prescribed users.

With the entire patient information including demographics, social history, medication, diagnosis, treatment and results in the system, doctors are able to provide results faster and with lesser chance of error.

However, one hurdle has persistently dampened the growth of EHRs. Yes I’m talking about data privacy and security. Providers and patients alike are extremely worried about the safekeeping of vulnerable patient data that ranges from patient health information to their credit card numbers.

Behavioral health is a specialty that is no stranger to privacy concerns. Ethical concerns are often associated with the use of EHRs for this specialty, with many worried about the online transfer of patient health information and the use of this information for data mining.

For behavioral health patients, confidentiality of their records is often an integral component of the effectiveness of this treatment. Take a celebrity suffering from substance abuse for example. His fans finding out about his condition prior to the completion of the recovery process could, in fact, adversely affect the process and he could relapse during treatment. 

When confidentiality is breached, stress, fatigue and tension are three of the factors that patients commonly suffer from; the factors resulting from changes in social, employment and family relationships.

And finally, there’s the issue of data mining. While using this information for R&D purposes is extremely important, and could have significant long-term benefits; there are ethical hurdles. Respecting patient rights (terms of data sharing after consent) must always be a strict condition followed by all those using this data. In reality, meeting this condition and working for the welfare of the many (who will benefit from R&D) makes the whole process extremely tricky.

This is the reason why most behavior health physicians were excluded from the Meaningful Use program. And the solution to this does lie in a comprehensive and well thought out campaign, and government intervention is key in making sure this happens. 

Selecting a Dermatology EMR in 2014 CureMD 06:56

For a new Dermatology practice seeking an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system or an existing one looking to switch their current EMR, 2014 is the ideal time to do so. This is because unlike several other specialty-specific clinical encounter documentation systems which lack behind in several specialty-specific features, there have been tremendous improvements in Dermatology-specific systems over the past several years.

A survey by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) validated this rise in Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption trend for dermatologists and found that the total acquisition rate of EHRs for Dermatologists rose from 51% to 55% between 2011 and 2012.

Now coming to the topic on hand, here’s what a dermatologist must look for in an EMR system:

Customizable Dermatology templates

There must be customizable templates for different processes such as Botox, laser surgery, liposuction and other cosmetic procedures, face lifts and fillers.

For example, a template for acne/pimples will improve the care delivery process when a patient walks in with this problem and you simply tick options from the sub-headings on the template. The sub-headings for this one in particular would include location (with options face, scalp, neck, back, chest, etc), severity (including mild, moderate, severe), timing (continuous, intermittent, seasonal), and so on.

You can subsequently assess the potential benefits of such software at your practice.

Full Body Charts

You system must have both full body charts in addition to separate ones for different areas (head, eyes, ears, neck, hands, nose, feet) and lateral charts to further specify problem areas and their respective billing codes.

Workflow Editor and Auto Notes

The process and workflow editor should be configurable so that you can organize them according to your practice’s preferences and needs so that you can maximize your operational efficiency.

The option to automatically generate notes via the templates will save you a lot of time as this feature automatically converts words entered during clinical encounters into paragraphs and sentences.

These are a few of the most important features that you must consider while selecting a Dermatology EMR in this year and on-wards. 

CureMD Electronic Health Records from CureMD

EMR A Link Between Practice And Patient Satisfaction CureMD 07:28

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are known to improve practice efficiency and provide quality care to patients, giving them a satisfying experience. The health technology gives physicians speedier access to patient data, clinical notes and lab tests that increases confidence of patients in their doctor and understand their health conditions.

No matter how efficient the technology is and how perfect it makes the practice workflow, patients will only be satisfied with it if the physicians are able to deliver better care while utilizing EMRs. Healthcare providers need to demonstrate that EMRs are for their benefit, safety and quality care. Failure to provide such a service will end it patients’ resentment towards technology and strain in Patient Physician Relationship.

This demonstration begins from the front desk of the practice. Patients should be facilitated in every manner while making an appointment. In order to save their time, practice staff can take necessary details over the phone and verify it with the help of their EMR. Patients can also be sent registration forms through emails, so that they don’t have to wait long at the practice.

However, the real interaction begins in the exam room where physicians interact and connect with patients. In order to demonstrate how EMRs facilitate physicians’ work and improve patient care, physicians should try to forge a connection between patients and the electronic system.

The first selling point would be accessibility to patient charts, history, records and lab results on a click. This creates the image of physician’s efficient services and his/her seriousness towards patient’s health. Another approach would be to maintaining eye contact with the patient. One on one communication with patients is necessary to ensure your interest and concern in your patients’ healthcare.

Last, but one of the most important points is to inform your patient clearly about their payment balance. The communication should be clear and polite, so that they don’t have to deal with any issues. 

CureMD Electronic Health Records from CureMD

Specialty EHR drives growth in Community Oncology practices CureMD 07:02

Oncologists have been trying to keep their practices afloat in face of myriad of challenges, including new government regulations, change in payment options, shift to ACOs and implementation of  Electronic Health Records (EHRs).

Therefore, community Oncologists are struggling to improve their practice efficiency and financial health by increasing reimbursement rate, while focusing on value-care of patients. This calls for innovation in healthcare technology, which is the most essential tool in enabling physicians to provide quality and cost-effective care to patients. EHRs are one of the most important components of healthcare technology that can help Oncologists meet their financial goals and operate efficiently.

While moving from paper-based system to EHR or replacing your existing electronic system, Oncologists should ensure certain facts while adopting the software:

Needs of your practice

Oncology is a specialty practice that has its unique demands and needs in terms of medical treatment of patients and practice workflow. Therefore, it will be wise and beneficial for Oncologists to adopt a specialty EHR that has been developed keeping in view the diagnosis, procedures and treatment of cancer patients; and functions of clinical and billing operations of the practice.

The Oncology specific EHR will have the accurate codes necessary for cancer diagnosis and procedures. Moreover, the charts and diagrams, provider note templates, and case history module will be customized according to the medical requirements of cancer patients.

In case of multiple physicians, Oncologists will be able to have access to patient records created by other physicians. This coordination will allow every physician to avoid medication or treatment mistakes that may prove to be fatal for the patient.

Oncology is one of the busiest specialties in medicine. The unpredictable nature of their patient’s disease and condition requires Oncologists to be available at all times. Therefore, EHRs should be compatible with various operating software and gadgets so that Oncologists have access to complete patient records outside their practices.