Archive for category EMR
Evaluating an EMR? Use the opportunity to assess your overarching technology solution
Posted by Jim Denny in EMR, Infrastructure, Practice Management System on November 20th, 2009
The prospect of obtaining stimulus funding has, not surprisingly, created an environment of intense focus on EMRs. While that’s OK, I see a distinct limitation in looking at EMRs, practice management systems (PMS) and other applications as isolated pieces of hardware/software. Instead, I think the current atmosphere provides many practices the opportunity to step into completely new systems, with a completely new way of viewing the components.
Rather than contemplating an EMR purchase or PMS evaluation in the context of “what’s available,” consider how well these technologies will serve as your platform from which to custom-build, taking into account future needs as well as current.
It is similar to when, as a teenager, I went to buy my first stereo system. I saved up, went to the store, and there they helped me design my own system to suit my listening style. Two speakers or four? Turntable or tape player? Headphones? The stereo store catered to my taste, my music, my needs – and I ended up with a system that was perfect for me. Read the rest of this entry »
Use technology to aid – not substitute for – self-audits
Posted by Ken Bradley in Audits, EMR, Health Information Technology on October 30th, 2009
In this age of automation, it is tempting to rely on technology solutions to ease the burden of coding operations. And that’s OK; that’s the purpose behind the many extremely valuable coding and documentation tools available from many EMR applications.
However, I’d like to offer one caveat: Please don’t allow confidence in technology to detract from the value of self-audits. Technological aids don’t render coding and billing audits obsolete. As advantageous as some coding tools are, ongoing self-evaluation remains the single best way to ensure optimal coding practices – those that garner appropriate reimbursement while also protecting against payer investigations.
Take, for instance, evaluation and management visits (otherwise known as E/M services). They are the lifeblood of many practices, yet they still account for a significant portion of the errors found in Medicare’s Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) audits. Perhaps that accounts for certain E/M services remaining on the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan for 2010. Read the rest of this entry »
ICD-10-CM: Have you mapped out your transition plan?
Posted by Ken Bradley in Clearinghouses, EMR, ICD-10, Practice Management System on September 10th, 2009
Even if you’ve worked in healthcare only a short time, you’ve probably noticed that many providers are overwhelmed by the idea of ICD-10-CM and may not know quite where to start. In addition, transition to these new diagnosis code sets has been pending for so long that healthcare professionals aren’t convinced these deadlines are “really real.” The common quip for years now: “I’ll be retired before it happens!”
But the truth is that you already lag behind suggested timelines if you haven’t begun mapping out your transition plan.
The Oct. 1, 2013, implementation date seems a long way off. But you can expect the compliance deadline to hold firm; many of the current administration’s new value-based purchasing initiatives depend on the level of detail available in ICD-10 codes. Read the rest of this entry »
SwipeIT: Standardized insurance ID cards considered for reliable data capture
Posted by Bryan Koch in ARRA/Stimulus, EMR, Healthcare Reform, Insurance, Practice Management System on September 2nd, 2009
When it comes to the healthcare reform debate, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and its push toward electronic medical records (EMRs) captures the lion’s share of the media spotlight. Somewhat lost in all the talk about EMR incentives, however, is a completely separate effort that’s underway to improve data capture and cut costs.
A project spearheaded by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) called SwipeIT brings the concept of machine-readable standardized patient insurance ID cards to healthcare. Think of your debit card. If this concept works for the banking industry, why not healthcare?
Non-standardized paper health insurance ID cards currently cost the industry as much as $2.2 billion annually, MGMA estimates. The association calculates that the labor-intensive, error-riddled process of manually obtaining patient demographic and insurance information from inconsistent paper ID cards may cause as many as 10%-25% of rejected claims. Today, many patient check-in kiosk solutions read magnetic insurance swipe cards provided by insurance carriers. However, not all of these institutions provide such cards. Read the rest of this entry »
Real and reasonable progress towards healthcare reform
Posted by Jim Denny in ARRA/Stimulus, EMR, Healthcare Reform, Interoperability on August 31st, 2009
The summer of 2009 will no doubt go down as one of the most stimulating in the history of healthcare. The specter of reform, technological interoperability and incentive/penalty programs generated lively – to say the least – debate.
But in the midst of the confusion and hyperbole (e.g., “death panels,” special-interest strangleholds, socialized medicine) real and reasonable progress has been seen in the areas of meaningful use and electronic health record (EHR) certification.
Significant strides were made in finalizing the definition of “meaningful use,” an ambiguous concept that had left the industry wondering how it could be applied as a benchmark to measure EMR effectiveness, as required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). By mid-summer the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), after a period of public comment, zeroed in on a definition: that meaningful use “enable significant and measurable improvements in population health through a transformed health care delivery system.” It likewise set goals for providers to accomplish by 2011:
- Allowing patients to access their health records in a timely manner;
- Developing capabilities to exchange health information where possible;
- Implementing at least one clinical decision support rule for a specialty or clinical priority;
- Providing patients with electronic copies of discharge instructions and procedures;
- Submitting insurance claims electronically; and
- Verifying insurance eligibility electronically when possible. Read the rest of this entry »
The times they are a’changing
Posted by Jim Denny in ARRA/Stimulus, EMR, Health Information Technology, Practice Management System, Revenue Cycle Management on August 25th, 2009
There is no way Bob Dylan could have been thinking about HIT when he released his 1964 album predicting a new vision for America. Yet his words seem remarkably appropriate as healthcare leaders from coast to coast wonder how best to prepare themselves for the game-changing technology initiatives that loom on the horizon.
The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in February 2009 created unprecedented interest in electronic medical records – and with good reason. The legislation promises incentives for providers implementing an EMR system within the next few years and penalties against slow adopters shortly thereafter. Physicians have naturally begun worrying about how to select the “right” system – and how they would pay for it. HIT vendors added to the frenzy by intensifying marketing efforts in order to grab a piece of the EMR pie sooner rather than later.
But amidst the noise and confusion of early reactions to the ARRA, both healthcare and technology leaders may have overlooked the overarching objective behind the push for EMRs: To increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare system. This is an opportunity to improve clinical outcomes while reducing cost to all stakeholders, including patients. Read the rest of this entry »
Getting your hands on critical business intelligence
Posted by Ken Bradley in ARRA/Stimulus, Business Intelligence, EMR, Revenue Cycle Management on August 19th, 2009
The ARRA’s focus on physician adoption of EMR technology, with its emphasis on implementation deadlines and reimbursement incentives, has dominated headlines to date.
But just as important – if not more – is the legislation’s directive that healthcare providers select systems that promote clinical interoperability and data transfer.
Most physicians and practice managers who have made the transition to EMR will tell you their systems capture plenty of information – overwhelming amounts, in some cases. The problem lies not in collecting data, but in how effectively it is shared and ultimately used. Read the rest of this entry »
Beyond EHR: Select open systems that promote interoperability
Posted by Jim Denny in EMR, Health Information Exchange, Health Information Technology, Infrastructure, Interoperability on August 11th, 2009
Besides electronic health records, the information technology components of the 2009 federal stimulus bill emphasize interoperability and infrastructure. The intent is to nudge the country in the direction of a National Health Information Network (NHIN).
The logic is simple. Paper patient medical records limit access to information: Only the person with the chart in hand can review or augment the contents. Likewise, a stand-alone EHR delivers information to only those providers affiliated with the independent medical group. The information may be digitized, but it is still housed in a data silo. Patient information – whether it is medical history, allergies, demographics or insurance coverage – increases in value exponentially when it is appropriately made available to clinical staff and practice managers across the care continuum.
This is an important factor to keep in mind when selecting an EHR or other information technology such as lab reporting software, practice management systems or human resource management applications. To achieve optimal performance, practices must have the freedom to adopt “best-of-class” core applications and complementary software that meet their unique needs. At the same time, practices are best served when the technology they adopt promotes connectivity among a wide range of applications and software packages. The benefits of doing so are wide-ranging:
- Comprehensive access to multiple applications allows users to exchange information easily for increased efficiency;
- Connectivity ensures that data vital to patient care and clinical operations are available as needed; and
- Automatic data exchange eliminates the need for information to be re-entered into disparate applications – a labor-intensive process that increases the risk of error. Read the rest of this entry »