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).