Is Your EHR Vendor Ready for ICD-10?

A few weeks ago, we posted an ICD-10 Preparation Checklist that outlined some of the major steps practices will have to go through as they implement ICD-10. One of those steps was to touch base with the EHR vendor and billing services to see what their plans are for the...

Date: Jun 17, 2013 Categories: ICD-100 comments.

ICD-10 Preparation Checklist

ICD-10 is just over a year away, which means your practice should at least have a plan in place that outlines how you will transition to the ICD-10 code sets. Your practice most likely hasn’t completed the following steps yet, but make sure each step is a part of your...

Date: Jun 03, 2013 Categories: ICD-100 comments.

Meaningful Use and Productivity: Not Mutually Exclusive

A recent Deloitte survey found that 15 percent of physicians said they have no plans to adopt an EHR that is meaningful use certified. Why? Because of the impact on cost and productivity. There’s a common belief among physicians that meaningful use can’t be achieved without sacrificing productivity. Given the...

Date: May 28, 2013 Categories: Meaningful Use, Productivity0 comments.

5 Ways ICD-10 Differs from ICD-9

The ICD-10 compliance deadline is less than a year and a half away. The deadline will be upon us before we know it, but many practices are behind in their ICD-10 transition plans. However, HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius has said that the government has no plans to push the deadline...

Date: May 20, 2013 Categories: ICD-100 comments.

What Can You Do with Two Hours?

See more patients. Make more money. Go to lunch with a friend. Read a book. Go golfing. You can do a lot with two hours, even if you only get two free hours a month. Imagine what you could do with two extra hours every day. Two hours is the...

Date: May 13, 2013 Categories: Electronic Medical Record, Voice0 comments.

3 Things Doctors Can Do to Improve EHR Productivity

Like it or not, your electronic health records system defines the way your practice is run. It determines how informed the front office staff is, how long it takes a doctor to dictate a note, and whether a patient can access his or her records online. An EHR that hampers...

Date: May 06, 2013 Categories: Electronic Health Record, Productivity0 comments.

The Modern EMR: What Doctors Can Realistically Expect

Electronic medical records (EMRs) have come a long way since the early ’90s when EMR technology was still relatively new. In the early days, EMRs were seen primarily as a replacement to paper. These systems made it easier for staff to keep track of charts and reduced money spent on...

Date: Apr 29, 2013 Categories: Electronic Medical Record, Usability0 comments.

EMR Security: A Return to the Basics

All too often I come across headlines along the lines of “Data breach affects millions” or “5 hospital workers fired over inappropriate EMR behavior,” which has caused a lot of people to conclude that EMRs are unsafe. In reality, though, electronic medical records are actually more secure than paper records,...

Date: Apr 15, 2013 Categories: Electronic Medical Record, Privacy/Security0 comments.

What Will You Do with Your Meaningful Use Payment?

In the ensuing months, a large number of physicians will receive payments for successfully attesting to meaningful use in 2012. After jumping through hoops to meet all the government requirements for the program, practices are rewarded with as much leeway as they want to use the funds however they feel...

Date: Apr 01, 2013 Categories: Meaningful Use0 comments.