Who heals the healers? When I was ten, my grandfather suffered his third and final heart-attack in as many decades. The attending physician performed a coronary artery bypass, and an angioplasty, but neither was enough. Two days later, he advised us to pull the plug. Several hours later, the ventilator was switched off and Grandpa Read more…
EMR Software
Physicians’ Fears about ICD-10 are unfounded, CMS explains
Two recent updates: CMS has compiled a list of things you should know about ICD-10. They focus on how the transition is not as hard as it is being trumped up to be. CMS will run ICD-10 acknowledgment testing from June 1- 5, to give providers a chance to test their ICD-10 procedures before October. This will Read more…
Good News for Physicians: Meaningful Use Stage 1 and Stage 2 has been simplified
Last Friday, April 10, was a good day. In a welcome yet delayed move, CMS finally announced its proposed rule to simplify its Meaningful Use program. While many Healthcare pundits are praising CMS for its sensitivity to physician concerns, I believe this decision had more to do with rescuing the program from its imminent failure-as Read more…
ICD-10 Transition: How to spend the next 28 weeks?
They did it once, what’s the guarantee that they won’t do it again? Like many physicians, I have asked myself the same question while contemplating ICD-10. Is it worth spending so much time and money in preparing for a transition that has not taken place for the last three years? While contemplation is not a Read more…
Research: EHRs improving clinical outcomes
According to a recent study published in the Health Services Research journal, Of all the physicians who used electronic health records in 2011, nearly 75% have derived clinical benefits from the electronic copies of patient medical histories. 3,000 physicians participated in the Physician Workflow Survey, by answering a questionnaire, to share their respective EHR experiences. These Read more…
How Meaningful is ‘Meaningful Use’?
Is it me, or is healthcare in the US all about Electronic Health Records (EHRs) these days? The government can do all it wants to penalize providers for not using EHR technology, but should it not be the other way around? I mean, should the doctors not be asking the government to upgrade the legacy Read more…
Avoid Unnecessary Costs When Switching EHR
If you’re considering taking advantage of the Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs by switching to a more efficient EMR system, a word of caution: even though the new implementation will no doubt benefit your practice by enabling you to effectively manage the needs of your patients, the initial transition phase may be fraught with challenges (read: Read more…
EHRs and Pay-for-Performance: The way forward for Primary Care?
Despite working for more hours and seeing more patients, Primary Care physicians struggle to earn even close to what other specialists such as cardiologists, urologists and orthopedic doctors do. However, the introduction of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), and the talk of an industry-wide shift towards the pay-for-performance model in the coming years have begun to stir Read more…
11 indicators that you need a new EHR
Often so deeply immersed in looking for ways to make their practice more efficient, physicians sometimes fail to see the most obvious hurdle preventing this very process from occurring; their EHR. If your Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution is not up to the mark, you might be losing out on precious profits, and incurring costs Read more…
2015 Will Bring New EHR Challenges for Physicians
The healthcare industry is in the midst of major transformation. There have been numerous technology updates and improvements in the methods of delivery. There have also been, changes in codes and regulations. All of this is being done to improve the care and safety of patients, and to enhance the security of critical data. In Read more…