Archive for August, 2009
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1 CCHIT Terminology
Aug 30, 2009. Insight.When you review EHR products and determine if they are CCHIT Certified®, be sure to check if the product is fully certified or if there is a conditional. There are three different CCHIT status’ which are:
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0 CCHIT Seeks Input on Launch of New Programs
Aug 29, 2009. Insight.On September 3rd the CCHIT has a web conference scheduled to gather input from the vendor and developer community on the details and timing of its planned new paths to certification of electronic health record (EHR) technologies, with the goal of supporting more rapid, widespread adoption and meaningful use under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
To log onto the call, visit http://www.cchit.org/about/towncalls/commission-seeks-input-2009
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2 EHR Companies’ Sales Increase
Aug 28, 2009. Implementation.Over the past few months we’ve been hearing about physicians resisting change. More specifically, they are not ready to purchase and implement an electronic health record (EHR) system.
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4 Why EMR?
Aug 27, 2009. Spotlight.There are several benefits to an EMR such as:
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• Reduce expenses
• Increase revenue
• Reduce medical errors
• HIPAA Compliant
• Easily Accessible
• Reduce Transcription
• E-Prescribing -
2 Medical Chart Processing Appliance
Aug 27, 2009. Today.The system that scanning companies use is an integral part of the overall scanning process. Systems, such as the OptiScan® ChartWorx appliance, are able to integrate with existing practice databases providing a valuable tool for associating the scanned images with chart data.
Such systems can provide specialized intranet web applications to determine key project statistics, provide patient scan status reports, and can generate cover sheets for scanning patient charts. This reporting interface provides real-time statistical feedback to both the scanning company and practice management. Progress can be monitored daily, providing a valuable tool in determining estimated project duration as well as scanning and preparation personnel efficiency data.
The scanning service provider must provide the most suitable scanner and image processing software for a successful outcome. Be sure that the company that you choose has the systems in place to meet your needs and deliver the data the way you need it.
Michael S. Hawkins
OptiScan Inc.
Business Development
http://www.optiscan.net/medical.php
Cell: 602-882-3364
Work: 602-789-7800
Want additional information?
Follow our blog at OptiScan.Blogspot.com!
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0 $1.3M Grant for Electronic Medical Records (EMR) System
Aug 26, 2009. Politics and HIT.Yesterday morning the Virginia Tobacco Commission provided a $1.3 million grant to the OnePartner Advanced Technology and Application Center (ATAC). With this grant money, the ATAC is able to create the infrastructure needed to transfer electronic medical records (EMRs).
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0 Stimulus Package Data Sharing Standards Approved
Aug 25, 2009. Today.The Health Information Technology (HIT) Committee, a federal group working on the HITECH stimulus law, approved initial recommendations for data exchange and interoperability standards. Data exchange and interoperability is a requirement for meaningful use. Physicians must purchase and implement a certified system that supports the meaningful use requirements in order to qualify for reimbursement payments.
Meaningful use has four main functional requirements: computerized order entry, drug interaction checking, maintaining an updated problem list, and generation of transmissible prescriptions. A certified EMR system must provide these functions, and physicians must use them daily for all their patients. In addition, a certified EMR must be capable of sharing information and working with other systems.
Sharing information is one of the crucial requirements which physicians and vendors alike have been waiting for. Sharing information will help physicians work together when referring patients, or seeking information or advice on treatment plans, diagnosis issues, or other problems. Electronic information sharing will cut down on the amount of paperwork – specifically faxing, printing, filing, and mailing charts – that the office staff must do everyday. Eliminating the cost of managing paper can save a substantial amount of money for most practices.
The HIT Committee wisely chose existing data standards for their recommendations. Health Level 7 (HL7) is data standard based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML). HL7 was developed for earlier government programs, such as the Doctors Office Quality Information Technology (DOQIT) and Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). The HIT Committee also decided to use existing primary vocabulary standards, such as SNOMED, RxNorm, and others. This will ensure that all EMR systems measure and record data the same way.
Reusing existing standards is a wise decision because many vendors currently use them in their products. Developing new standards would take time and increase development costs, making it more difficult for physicians to participate in the stimulus program. Physicians will also benefit from using existing standards. Many are already familiar with SNOMED and RxNorm, which will reduce training time and allow physicians to implement and use their systems faster.
Interoperability requirements were one of the key things many physicians have been waiting on. Now that the initial recommendations have been approved, physicians should start transitioning from their current “wait and see” attitude into a more proactive shopping mode. Once the government starts their initial certifications in October, there won’t be any reason for physicians to delay. Getting started early is the key to successfully participating in the stimulus package and getting the highest reimbursement possible.
Read the article.
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Ryan Ricks Security Officer
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0 Practice Management Software (PMS)
Aug 25, 2009. Today.Practice Management Software (PMS) is the software component that deals with the daily operations of a medical practice. A practice management enables medical staff to capture patient demographics, schedule/update appointments, maintain lists of insurance companies, billing and generate reports.
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2 A Disadvantage of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)
Aug 23, 2009. Insight.Physicians believe that a major pitfall of an electronic medical record (EMR) is the fear that they will lose patient data during the EMR transition. They believe it is impossible to scan all patient charts into an EMR without error. Many physicians are proud of their thorough documentation, which is evident by their 3 inch wide charts.
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2 Google Health, a Personal Health Record (PHR) System
Aug 22, 2009. PHR.We’ve already discussed one free personal health record (PHR) vendor, Microsoft®, however, there are other PHR vendors out there.
Another company that everyone knows, Google, also has a service enabling individuals to sign up for their free PHR.
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