Increase Efficiency with EMR Software

EMR is a computer based software for entering and automating patient health information. EMR software is designed to benefit doctors, hospitals as well as patients. It is designed to increase the efficiency of a clinic by augmenting record keeping and sharing valuable health information between various medical practices.

The main goal of an EMR is to make your practice run easier, faster with more efficiency, and for this you need to select the perfect EMR. EMR software brings an instant access to office status & also eliminates the scope of wastage of time. Operations become simple as every work is possible just by a mouse click or tapping few keys. A lot of EMR software’s offer advance facility like e-mail to all staff, assignments, calendars and many more.

The EMR software is a must for healthcare professionals to adapt to the growing need of faster medical services and to improve the efficiency of the health institution.

Why a Certified EMR Solution?

President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that provided $17.2 billion in financial incentives to ensure the integration of certified EMR software among physicians and medical institutions. The initiative guaranteed high standards in software analysis thereby ensuring quality control in practice management systems within these healthcare facilities.

Certified EMR solution providers are required to meet the federal standards of product quality and also offer features such as drug interactions (recognition of unfavorable drug reactions) through databases integrated with the FDA’s.

Improving Service Efficiency through EMR

Are you still trying to decide if EMR software (speaking of Electronic Medical Records applications) is practical for your business? The facts show that electronic health record software makes you more money in the long-run. Here are considerations that are hard to ignore:

Elimination of Paper

Increased Revenues

The Safety of Patients

E-Prescription

Improved Reimbursements and

Reduced Insurance Premiums

Accuracy of certified EMR and certified EHR programs is so trusted that many malpractice insurance companies are now offering discounts to doctors who use full software systems. In addition, practice management software can also greatly improve your reimbursement rates as they will ensure your office claims are compliant with insurance company drug formularies and other policies.

These are just a few reasons why EMR electronic medical record software can save you money and improve service efficiency.

How Helpful Is EMR For Your Practice?

 An EMR, or electronic medical record, is a medical record for a patient in a digital format that is stored on a computer or in a computer server.  This medical information is accessible via computers on a network, to provide health care and health-related services.

EHRs 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 EHR. The data contained in HER can be captured or transmitted securely and in real-time by users at the point of care. The three core functions of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) are the following:

EMR may be helpful for your practice in many ways:

1. Elimination of Paper

2. Increased Revenues and Faster Accounts Receivable Cycle

3. The Safety of Patients

4. E-Prescription

5. Improved Reimbursements and Reduced Insurance Premiums

Accuracy of certified EMR and certified EHR programs is so trusted that many malpractice insurance companies are now offering discounts to doctors who use full software systems. In addition, practice management software can also greatly improve your reimbursement rates as they will ensure your office claims are compliant with insurance company drug formularies and other policies.

These are just a few reasons why EMR software can save you money-even in times of economic recession!

Tips for Best EMR Implementation

EMR can be of great help to doctors, hospitals as well as patients if implemented properly. We see following important rules that should be followed for best EMR Implementation practices.

1. Train Nursing Staff: According to experts the first and foremost offence related to EMR Implementation is to forgetting to train your nursing staff. EMR is not just only related to physicians. Although physicians are the main owner and decision maker but they are not the only users of the EMR. As far as the usage data is concerned Nurses as 75 percent of user of the chart whereas physicians only 25 percent users of chart. So a successful EMR implementation focuses on how the nurses can assist the physician in the integration of EMR into their clinical workflow.

2. Take EMR Implementation as opportunity to change and improve workflow: At this point it is important to remember that EMR should not be used as magic stick to fix holes and other issues in workflow. According to Steve E. Waldren, MD, director of AAFP Center for Health IT, "Most people think that EMR solves problems, but actually EMR will only amplify problems that already exist in practice."

3. Schedule more training: As EMR is a complicated environment with a lot of regulation, coding and documentation, so there is need of dedicated time for training. There is need of scheduling time outside of office hours for you and your staff to get on EMR and actually going through all tasks that you will perform when it will go live. And this should be scheduled after office hours because if you close office hours then it may cost you overtime or even lost productivity. You should also budget for additional training costs, so that you can get the most from your investment in EMR Implementation.

4. Expect for the stress and effort required over several months: Although EMR implementation is full of features and functions that will bring efficiency to our operations, but you should also keep in mind that adoption of technology is an iterative process so it is impossible to take full advantage of it within first two weeks of your go live. She said that groups will be in learning and adoption phase of transition for proper EMR Implementation to several months, although it looks tiresome but you should be prepared for that.

5. Round on providers and clinical support staff: Just as nurses and clinicians round on patients at hospitals, experts suggests of rounding on everyone in practice to measure their EMR comfort level. "After few months you're go-live you should visit each and every user for even few minutes to observer and identify shortcuts", says Nelson. Or otherwise you can offer tips on how they can use EMR more efficiently and properly. In that way learning is quick and non-threatening.

6. Personalization and recognition of differences among physicians: "Don't try to compel all physicians to do same thing, because incorporating technology into all personal use is not one-size-fits-all". She added more that even different people use simple technologies like email and word processing differently. And EMR implementation provides several ways to accomplish same task, and it might add complexity to training, so you should be sure to offer EMR providers the variety that will fit your practice style the best.

EMR for Maintaining Proper Patient Records

EMR (or electronic medical record) is a digital version of patient medical records. EMR has played a key role in transforming the medical history of patients into clear and easy to use digital records. At one time, each patient's record was filed in documents. Scans, X-rays, medical reports and doctor's notes formed quite a bunch of paper records that were stored in file cabinets. Electronic media record system has eliminated the use of these cabinets, economizing a lot of space.

In case of manual system, for different medical conditions, different records were created and used by different departments. Time long records were difficult to discover. Many hospitals even destroyed these paper records to give way to new entries. EMR has made it comfortable for hospitals in the country to gain information about the patient. The patients don't have to keep records with themselves. The medical condition could be studied easily and fruitfully without any difficulty.

With the application of EMRsystem, the doctors find convenient to address various medical issues of the patient. The medical information about the patient could be retrieved within few minutes, sitting in any part of the country or state. Up to date medical history is shared with the panel of doctors. The panel can implement the fastest possible use of medical science by going through the case files.

EMR not only saves a lot of time but also helps to easily track the ailment of patients on time.

EMR Electronic Medical Records Are the Future

Organizations that provide medical care or provide administrative support to health institutions are more often than not incredibly short on time. Filing the vast quantities of paperwork within this type of organization is a difficult task. If even the smallest of errors are made, retrieving vital documents when they are needed most could take far too long, which at worst could potentially endanger the health of the organizations patients by delaying treatment.

Using an EMR system (electronic medical records) can deliver a number of benefits such as:

1. EMR (Electronic medical records) can be easily stored as electronic files in secure locations. The history of the patients, the notes of the practitioner, facts, statistics and figures can be stored at the same place without occupying a large physical area.

2. The electronic medical records stores very large amount of information. This makes the process of management very easy. When the documents and records have to be searched later for some use, the electronic method is the easiest. It cuts all the hassle that was involved in looking and searching the bulky records and files for hours and hours. Thus it saves a lot of time.

3. The professionals and the practitioners associated with the health care industry reap huge benefits from the EMR transcription records when it comes to urgent situations. Unlike the earlier times, the history of the treatment and the prediction and detection of problems becomes very easy and fast and this can saves the patient from the adverse affects of prolonged medical condition.

4. When it comes to operations, where all the information if required at the tips, the electronic records or electronic medical transcription can be gained access with a few click of the mouse. This saves a lot of bother on the part of the practitioner and she/he can therefore concentrate better on the real tasks.

5. The older forms of storage of medical records saw the piling up of records in no time and therefore it was very difficult to clean the space and remove all the unnecessary records. With the EMR electronic medical records, it is easy to manage the medical documents and the unnecessary records can be easily deleted to ensure that the storage space has only the required information.

6. The EMR electronic medical records create the conditions for easy analysis of the medical records which would otherwise have been a very tedious job. All the statistics and analysis can be done with a few clicks of mouse. This also helps in the growth and betterment of the health care organization or clinic.

7. The electronic storage of the data is very cheap as compared to the large amount of paper work that was required traditionally. The storage space is very cheap and so is its maintenance, no more bulky cabinets and congested offices.

Using an EMR electronic medical record system can help any clinical establishment to run in a smooth and effective manner, which not only benefits doctors, hospitals as well as patients. EMR saves time, energy and space, whilst simultaneously minimizing the possibility of errors.

Implementing EMR – Is It Worth It?

EMR is the digital version of patient medical records and according to industry experts EMR can deliver numerous benefits for doctors, hospitals as well as patients if used in a right manner. Apart from its advantages, EMR implementation is also a statutory requirement. The US government wants to shift the health industry into the digital age and has provided incentives and an EMR implementation deadline. For those who do not meet the Electronic Medical Records deadline for implementation, the government has laid out a series of penalties.

The EMR is a software that is composed of clinical data storage area, medical decision making backing, medical terminologies, pharmacy applications, and medical documentation applications that are used by the healthcare providers and medical practitioners in monitoring, documenting, and managing and in delivering care to the patient. The integration of EMR in the healthcare delivery setting offers a wide array of advantages usually outweighing the cons. One can't deny how pricey EMRs could get; however, if quality patient care is the concern, purchasing an EMR is but the right thing to do.

With the help of EMR Doctors and nurses can now have instant access to all of the patient's medical records including his laboratory test results, x-rays, past and present medical histories including drug allergies. Once files are easily accessed the concerned healthcare provider can act right away. So why not make the decision to implement an EMR?

The Uses of Claim Form UB 04

There are various claim reimbursement forms; however, each claim form can be used for some specific purpose only including claim form UB 04. The UB04 claim form is used by facilities rather than physicians for their health insurance billing.  Hospitals, rehabilitation centers, ambulatory surgery centers, clinics, etc need to bill their services on the UB04 form in order to get paid.  There are certain exceptions as for example a person might have to admit their family member into a drug and alcohol rehab facility and then find that the facility doesn't participate with their insurance plan.  These facilities often don't file UB04 forms and can not help the family get reimbursed by the insurance company.

Many times the family might have paid upfront for the services of the facility and are may be trying to get the insurance company to reimburse them.  The insurance policy may pay out of network but the claim must be filed correctly on a UB04 form.  The UBO4 requires a few fields which are totally different than fields required on the CMS form. Some of these fields include Rev Codes, type of bill, condition codes, and value codes which can make it terribly confusing to the biller only familiar with CMS forms. In order to get UB04 claims paid, the biller must learn what these fields are and how to complete them correctly for their situation. Many of the other fields on the UBO4 form are similar to the CMS form but these few different ones must be completed correctly.

It is not unusual for many of the clinics and facilities to be out of network with most insurance carriers and therefore not billing on the UB04 forms as they are not billing the insurance carriers, they are collecting the payment from the patients. But some of these patients are finding out that they have out of network benefits which mean the insurance carrier would reimburse them for all or part of the expenses. The patients are then responsible for billing the insurance carriers. The insurance carriers may then demand that the claims be submitted on UB04 forms.

No matter who is submitting the facility claims, the claim form UB 04 must be completed correctly for the insurance carriers to reimburse the payment.

Certified EMR

A certified EMR has become a hot topic with the providers being now able to reimburse for a portion of the price of the EMR by the government. According to experts, occupational health providers can be totally assured that their certified EMR will be totally safe and appropriate and will make for great care system. But many still doubt the current certification criteria of the EMR doubting whether they will make a viable occupational health application.

A certified EMR provides a level of transparency to healthcare providers as they make EMR purchasing decisions. The actual idea is to certify its functionality and level of security. This forms the first step to getting the systems in place.

There are over 400 EMRs to choose from in the industry and those providers interested in its implementation, for the very first time can check with the current vendors to verify that the EMR software is a certified one. 

Tags: EMR Certified | EMR Certified

Advantages of Implementing a Web Based EMR

There are huge advantages of implementing a web based 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 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 based 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 benefits of web based 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 based EMR (online 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 in the new age web based EMR is that of portability.

How to Select a Best Web EMR

Whether investing in an EMR to improve care, increase revenue or office efficiency, choosing the best web EMR can be a daunting task. There are numerous vendors in the market providing a wide range of web EMRs, which makes it very difficult for the physician or hospital to make a decision. More over, each vendor provides a range of EMRs with different features. Truly speaking, not every practice or a hospital would require all the features; by and large it depends on the specialty and modus operandi of the practice or hospital. There are certain features that may be useful for the practice and others may not. In this situation it’s really very important to list out the requirements and to make a decision as regards best web EMR for the practice. 

Let's consider 10 of the most important features of web EMR software.

1. Web-Based and Secure Portability
2. Complete Integration with Other Medical Systems
3. E-Prescription Compatibility
4. PQRI Automation
5. Adaptive Learning (System Memorizes Data)
6. Patient Portal Accessible From Anywhere
7. Flexible, Non-Template Based Systems
8. Electronic Document Management and Imaging
9. Voice Recognition and Handwriting Recognition
10. In Compliance with Federal and State Regulations

As you can see, EMR software should be, and for the most part is, highly flexible and customizable to your needs. These are just some of the features that may help your business. A careful analysis of the existing system and listing out the features of various EMRs available in the market can help to make a decision as regards best web EMR for the practice (or hospital).

Medical IT Solutions – Multiple Advantages

 

The huge advantages of information technology are known to the world. This is the reason IT has found its deep root practically into each and every industry, however, as far as the healthcare industry is concerned till date the penetration is not as encouraging as it should be. The core reason being this situation is the belief among the healthcare professionals that technology has nothing to do with the healthcare industry. However, the scenario is changing, the healthcare industry has realized the importance of medical IT. The industry has understood that technology can not take care of primary functions like diagnosis and treatment but for sure medical IT to a great extent can aide in the overall process of diagnosis and treatment.

Medical IT solutions like claims processing systems, practice management, billing management, electronic medical records (EMR), electronic health records (EHR) and more have been introduced to the healthcare industry. These solutions are helping physicians and hospitals to streamline their overall processes, thus making their life easier. A lot of time is saved with the help of the system as readily available forms can be used and also redundancy can be avoided. An EMR system helps to store patient information in detail, thus making diagnosis much easier. A no. of reports and charts can be prepared with the help of EMR that can be of great help in the overall process of treatment.

Medical IT solutions are not only helpful to doctors and hospitals but to the patients as well. Truly speaking, the ultimate benefit of using the technology goes to the patients by way of added productivity, better quality of patient care, costs and overall satisfaction. The healthcare I.T reforms in the US have brought hope in improving healthcare service delivery and hence ensuring the safety and security of a patient. The latest medical legislation passed by the US government has come in handy in making the country's healthcare system a lot better by making the best use of medical IT solutions.

It wouldn't be wrong to say that the specialized field of medical it solutions is all set to transform the healthcare industry and has become a must have!

EMR – Choosing the Best EMR for the Practice

EMR can deliver unmatched advantages for both doctors as well as patients and this is the reason why they have been frequently in news. Most people agree that EMR's can bring out significant and positive changes in the field of health care. Before stepping forward how to know that which EMR would be the right for the practice?

The process of EMR selection should start with making a list of functions that you would expect from EMR depending on your practice requirements. Based on this, few numbers of vendors could be shortlisted for the demo.

Taking guidance from any qualified consultants also helps you to have a broad understanding about the industry. These consultants are knowledgeable and familiar about various EMR vendors and are able to provide credible and unbiased information on the same. One needs to clarify aspects like pricing per physician license, client referrals, post sales support, client /server based and web based distinctions, details of EMR configuration, any negotiations etc.

In fact, it is not the fancy frills that are attached to the EMR but the requirements of the practice are of prime importance. If the basic requirements of the practice are met along with the flexibility as regards the provision of tweaking the configuration when the practice size grows, would be the best or right EMR for the practice.

Benefits of Healthcare Management Solutions

With the ever growing pressure on the healthcare industry, the need for healthcare management solutions is also on the rise. It is believed by industry experts that all the healthcare industry facets tend to benefit from healthcare management solutions.

It is not only important to bring about improvement in the quality of patient service but also to make reasonable profits. This is the only way that you can ensure that your medical facility remains competitive in the medicine industry. This requires you to come up with cost cutting strategies that will help you realize maximum profits at the end of the day. Using healthcare management solutions to manage your facility provides you with a simple way of reducing the cost of operation.

With the implementation of healthcare management solutions, you will be able to reduce the number of staff in your organization, and that will be directly translated into your total expenditure. You will also be able to reduce the number of staff that attends to one patient at the same time. These extra workers can be re-deployed at other locations within the facility that have less labor supply. That way, you will be able to improve the performance of the staff in your organization.

Certified EMR in a Meaningful Way

Certifed EMR ensures the end users that they are not investing their money on something that may not be helpful to them. Also, physicians shopping for an EMR don’t want to risk purchasing something that won’t meet the stimulus criteria.

The incentives can not be just claimed by using a certified emr, however, the certified EMR needs to be used in a "meaningful way".  According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), "meaningful use" is defined as using an EMR 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

What is a certified EMR?

A certified EMR is a software that has acquired certification from ONC ATCB (Approved Testing and Certification Body). It is a process of getting the software tested on various parameters as stated by ONC (Office of the National Coordinator). The software is called ONC-ATCB Certified EMR Software

The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), established and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) HITECH Act, is in place to set initial standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria for EHR technology under the CMS EHR Incentive Program.

With the ONC standards in place, providers can be assured that the ONC certified  EMR technology they adopt is capable of performing the required functions to comply with CMS’ meaningful use objectives.

Improve Productivity and Quality of Service With EMR

The healthcare practice has to face endless amount of paperwork from past as well as present patients. Handling a huge file of charts is a very daunting job that usually consumes a major portion of the productive time of healthcare professionals.

Today, thanks to the modern technology, there is no need for you to worry about filing huge numbers of paperwork into your patient's charts. With the use of EMR (electronic medical records), you can easily update the patient data and all other information regarding their health within your computer and save this important information at the same time.

EMR (electronic medical record) helps to save time, which ultimately helps to serve more number of patients there by adding to the productivity of the practice. The time saved also helps to concentrate more on the patient service - thereby reducing chances of medical errors and bringing about improvement in the quality of patient service.

Important considerations when researching for EMR

EMR software ensures to make life easier for both doctors as well as patients, however, achievement of this ultimate goal to a large extent depends on selection of a right EMR for the practice.

Choosing from the wide variety of EMR applications available today on the market is no easy task. Cutting down the list of EMR software providers to a manageable level is the first thing you should do in order to make choosing the right EMR system vendor. Here are some considerations when researching your purchase of an EMR software system:

Certified EMR - A certified EMR has to pass through rigorous testing and quality standards process, ensuring a solid EMR software choice. Using a certified EMR is also important to receiving Federal Stimulus incentives.

Meaningful Use Knowledge - Ensuring that your EMR software vendor is incredibly well-versed in the concept of "Meaningful Use" is absolutely critical to any system purchase. The Federal Government stipulates that you must demonstrate "meaningful use" of your electronic medical record system.

Ease Of Use - The overall expense of adopting an EMR has so much to do with the ease of its use that it is frightening. Simple to use products cost far less to train your staff on, as well as slash future support costs in half or more.

ONC Certified EMR

ONC stands for Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act directs Office of National Coordinator to promote the meaningful use of EHR technology nationwide. Under the program, firstly to be an ONC-ATCB, the applicants need to pass through certain criteria.

Currently, the six organizations recognized by ONC as ATCBs are:

    * CCHIT
    * Drummond Group
    * InfoGard Laboratories Inc.
    * SLI Global Solutions
    * ICSA Labs
    * Surescripts LLC

And why should the healthcare provider choose ONC certified EMR tested product? It is beneficial for any provider under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive program to claim their incentives of adopting the healthcare technology. It would provide confidence to the physicians in the capabilities of the product that they plan to adopt.

ONC with its "ONC certified EMR" of meaningful use is tremendously supporting the nation's move towards secured and functional exchange of healthcare information, benefiting both the technology provider and the healthcare provider.

Benefits of Online Patient Scheduling

 

The traditional method of patient scheduling is a time consuming and hectic activity. A doctor / staff has to look for the available time slot for the patient, schedule it and inform the patient. The process may require a no. of corrections, rescheduling and so on. All this puts a lot of burden on the doctors and their staff, which ultimately affects productivity and patient service. More over, with the traditional system a patient is able to fix up an appointment with the doctor only during practice hours. 

 Compared to paper-based scheduling system, an effective online patient scheduling system is quicker and easier to manage. Doctors benefit from new technology on the market that allows their practices to be more cost-efficient and productive. Whereas, patients are benefited from online patient scheduling system as regards the flexibility in getting their appointments fixed up at any point of time irrespective of practice hours.

Certified EMR and Meaningful Use

Implementation of health IT products like EMR is not only helpful to the healthcare professionals but also to the patients as well as the entire healthcare industry. However, the implementation cost has been a big hurdle in the path of smooth implementation. Recent Federal legislation has charted a new path forward. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, authorized expenditures of at least $20 billion to promote the adoption and use of EMR solutions / EHR technologies that would ideally be connected through a national health information network.

The Medicare program enables you to qualify for $44,000 if you are meeting CMS criteria for Meaningful Use with your electronic medical records software. The Medicaid program incentives reach $63,750. The Medicaid program is easier to qualify for in the first year, but it is in the hands of the individual states to conduct this program. Also, as a provider, you will need to see at least 30% Medicaid patients to qualify for this program.

To qualify for these incentive dollars, providers must be using a Meaningful Use certified EMR product. Vendors are quickly pursuing Meaningful Use certification for 3rd parties.

Electronic Medical Records - Benefits and Concerns

 

In this digital age, every thing seems to be digitized - the library catalogs, the telephone diary and so on. Healthcare industry is not an exception to the rule, the industry is under rapid transformation with the introduction of health IT solutions like electronic medical records system, pactice management system, claims processing system and more.

Benefits:

1) Digitization of patient medical records helps to drastically reduce the work load.

2) The use of EMRs supposedly reduces errors in medical records.

3) Digital records provide more safety to the patient medical records as compared to manual (paper based) records.

4) Digital records (EMRs) brings about increase in ROI for the practice.

5) Electronic medical records ultimately help to bring about the improvement in quaity of patient service.

Concerns:

1) Cost of implementation, training and operations.

2) Patient data security issues.

3) EMRs can lead to loss of the human touch in health care.

Certain concerns as regards the implementation of electronic medical records can not be denied, however, looking into the unmatched advantages it can deliver for both doctors as well as practice, more and more doctors and hospitals are turning to electronic medical records.