Archive for May, 2008
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0 Evolve with Clinical Security
May 31, 2008. Implementation.Security is an ever growing concern for clinics of all sizes. Data security used to consist of locking the office doors at night before leaving with a box full of charts that need completing. With the introduction of wireless notebooks, off-site billing companies, lab companies, and branch offices, clinics are now faced with an ever-changing array of security related responsibilities, many of which seem unnecessary or overwhelming to a physician who simply wants to concentrate on quality patient care, not technological security needs. So this begs the question: How important is it to ensure that patient data is secure?
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0 Easy Ways to Secure Your System and Work Towards HIPAA Compliance
May 21, 2008. Insight.Continue Reading...EXCERPT FROM:
Easy Ways to Secure Your System and Work Towards HIPAA Compliance – by Ryan Ricks, XLEMR
As published in the Spring 2008 Edition of EHR ScopeAs we all know, medical practices see patients with the aim of improving their health. Like any other business, medical practices have many concerns, ranging from the quality of services they provide, to regulation and compliance issues, and ultimately, the bottom line and
financial well-being of their practice. Why then, should doctors and their staff worry about information security?What is information Security?
First, you may wonder exactly what we mean by information security. Simply put, information security is the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of the data, or information
stored at your practice, whether electronic or in hard copy. Medical practices should take information security seriously, because failing to do so could have negative consequences
for quality of care, revenue streams, and may subject the practice to legal action.
Confidentiality is critical for medical practices. A patient’s medical history is highly sensitive, and there are huge consequences for a breach. Unlike a compromised credit card,
medical history can ruin one’s life, resulting in embarrassment, loss of employment, or any other terrible scenarios. Federal regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act mandate severe penalties if a practice fails to protect medical information. Availability is perhaps even more important. Good health care depends upon the availability of information. What
happens at your practice if you misplace a patient’s chart? Usually the staff finds it stuffed inside another chart, but what happens if the chart is destroyed? Hurricane Katrina
wiped out many practices and their charts. If you lose your information, you cannot see patients, and ultimately you lose your revenue as well. Integrity relates to the accuracy of information. Accurate information can mean the difference between life and death. How many news stories have you heard where someone died due to inaccurate medical information? Perhaps a crucial
allergy was missing from their charts, or maybe someone misplaced a decimal point for a dosage. Integrity encompasses accuracy at the point of data entry, (e.g. where there any typos?) as well as malicious tampering (e.g. did someone purposefully change a patient’s history?)Ryan Ricks is the Security Officer for XLEMR. To reach Ryan directly for more information, email ryan.ricks@xlemr.com . To see full article, please visit www.ehrscope.com/magazine.
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1 Patient Education Beyond the Brochure
May 14, 2008. Insight.Patient Education. The words bring to mind tri-fold brochures with muted colors and line drawings. How can healthcare providers engage, retain and ultimately teach today’s healthcare consumers when most materials remain in a style far from the stimuli that confront the public at every turn?
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1 Two good articles on the US healthcare crisis
May 10, 2008. Government Initiatives, News.Two good articles on the US healthcare crisis
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Leisureguy.com
Observing that the nation’s doctors and hospitals operate a tangled web of incompatible forms and technologies, Thompson asked President George W. Bush to create a universal system of electronic medical records that would follow patients around the country, eliminate redundant treatments and, according to some estimates, trim billions of dollars from the nation’s annual health care tab. -
5 Dragon Medical and your EMR – When to buy
May 9, 2008. Dragon Medical, Spotlight.
Should you Purchase Dragon Medical Before, During or After an EMR Implementation?We are frequently asked the question “If a physician is going to eventually use Dragon NaturallySpeaking with an EMR, is it preferable to purchase Dragon before, during or after the EMR is acquired?”.
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1 EMR Coding
May 8, 2008. Insight.Introduction
This document is intended to provide an overview of the guidelines that are used by physicians and auditors to determine the level of evaluation and management service provided during patient encounters. We will review both the complex nature of the rules as well as how electronic health records can assist physicians and their staff with the task of determining the level of service. We will also provide detailed information designed to assist clinicians with evaluating how well electronic health record applications perform automated evaluation and management coding services.
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1 The Importance of Voice Recognition in an EMR
May 8, 2008. Dragon Medical.In the beginning there was memory. The physician’s memory was the original repository of the patient medical record. Memory was supplemented by handwritten notes on papyri in ancient Egypt and Babylon and on paper from medieval times to the 20th century. With the advent of recording devices in the 20th century, handwritten notes gave way to the infinitely more time effective practice of dictating patient notes into a recorder which were then transcribed into a typewritten or word processed document.
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4 A Successful EMR Implementation
May 8, 2008. Implementation.Deciding to adopt an EMR is one of the most important decisions made by any practice. The transition to an EMR from a paper system can be challenging due to the fact that it will change the way everyone works. EMR’s can change current documentation method(s), workflows, billing practices, scheduling, patient follow-up methods, communication/messaging, etc.. EMR adoption usually requires reengineering current systems and can dramatically change the way practice’s runs. Considering the vast changes that have to occur to adopt an EMR, extensive planning must occur for a successful implementation.
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2 EMR Terminology
May 8, 2008. Insight.There are a number of acronyms concerning the industry. Some are confusing and some are redundant. However, there are some subtle differences between the various acronyms, at least according to their most common usages.
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0 EMR Specialty
May 8, 2008. Insight.There is a lot of discussion concerning which is the ‘best’ Electronic Health Record for any individual entity. There are a variety of parameters which should be considered prior to embarking upon what will undoubtedly be one of the most important decisions in the life of a healthcare organization.
One of the most important issues is ‘Should I purchase an EMR designed for my specific specialty?’
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