Archive for November, 2009
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2 Adopting an EHR: Planning for Implementation is Key
Nov 30, 2009. Today.Implementation of an EHR involves much more than software installation. While the vendor usually handles installation- setting up hardware and providing and loading the application software- much of the implementation responsibilities are those of the medical practice. MetaStar, Inc. and DOQ-IT have produced a myriad of resources to assist physicians and hospitals in EHR adoption. Below is an adaptation of an article they produced, which brings up some important points about responsibilities of the medical office during the process of implementing an EHR.
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7 Digitizing Your Patient Charts
Nov 24, 2009. Today.The digitization of patient charts is becoming more and more inevitable. One of the important aspects of implementing EMR/EHR is dealing with the digitization of current patient charts and your patient charts archive. There are a number of approaches to accomplishing this task. Here are some things to look for or think about when making this important decision. The first being the acquisition of a HIPAA Compliant EMR product that permits you to batch scan records, index records in a manner similar to current physical filing methods to reduce workflow interuption, organize chart sections by subject and a provide simple method to file and retrieve patients records. This method may be a long drawn out process if you lack the resources to dedicate to the digitization project.
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2 Meaningful Use will focus on care goals, not technology
Nov 24, 2009. Today.President Obama signed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act into law on February 17th, 2009. Part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the HITECH act sets aside federal money to reimburse physicians who purchase and implement an Electronic Health Record (EHR). In order to participate in the program, physicians themselves must qualify; they must adopt a certified EHR, and implement it in their practice according to the “meaningful use” guidelines.
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8 New Branches on the Family Tree: Website to Track Generations of Family Medical Information Sprouts
Nov 24, 2009. Insight, PHR.The traditional family tree represents branches of names from generations past. With Health IT, this image may sprout into something more complex to include family medical information. All too often, valuable family health information is not known and lost as part of a comprehensive health record. However, this information is vital as we advance in unlocking the human genome and identifying genetic markers as key predictors of disease. Realization of this problem has sparked the development of a new website, Health Heritage®, which will soon help people track generations of family health data.
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0 New Study Finds Health Disparities Exist with EHR Adoption
Nov 23, 2009. Insight, Today.According to a recent study published by Health Affairs, hospitals in which racial and ethnic disparities exist are less likely than other hospitals to have adopted electronic health records (EHRs). Researchers surveyed 2,368 hospitals about their use of electronic systems for 24 functions. The hospitals that served the most Medicaid, African American and Hispanic patients had lower rates of EHR adoption compared to hospitals that served less of these patients.
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0 Computer Systems with Cognitive Powers: A Close Reality
Nov 19, 2009. Today.John: “Hey Bill, I got this new computer, and it has 4 GB RAM and HD!”
Bill: “Well John, I can top that. I just got one with an IQ of 130!”
Instead of talking about a computer’s gigabytes, we might soon move to discussions about a computing system’s IQ. IBM researchers are making strides in developing a new kind of computing system that can simulate and emulate the human brain. Two major achievements may indicate the feasibility of building a cognitive computing chip.
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0 Why you Should Purchase an EHR Before Year’s End
Nov 18, 2009. Today.The end of the year is upon us, and that can only mean one thing. Everyone is looking forward to the joys of turkey dinners and holiday festivities. However, for most of us that run or own businesses, the end of the year means we have to start thinking about taxes.
Most of us are aware of the more common tax deductions. Some of us even meticulously keep track of expenses and receipts to make the paperwork easier. Many small business owners, especially physicians, may not be aware of the deductions offered by Tax Code 179.
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0 Health Information Technology Beyond U.S. Borders
Nov 17, 2009. Today.The impact of ARRA and the HITECH Act has created a flurry of activity around EHR adoption in the U.S. However, the benefits of EHR technology could extend well beyond this country’s borders, having a significant global impact.
Global health is an issue worth considering. Does anyone remember that little thing called the Bird Flu? We need to think bigger: How can health technology and EHR systems integrate beyond our borders to improve public and global health? Well, the University of Indiana is working on answering this tough question.
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1 In The Race To Adopt EHRs, Watch Out For The “Red Flag Rules”
Nov 16, 2009. Today.A complete EHR will contain not only personal health information; it will offer financial and identifying information as well. This information is valuable to a medical practice for identification, authorization, and billing. However, it can also be extremely valuable to identity thieves who can use it maliciously. Medical practices implementing EHR software will have to ensure their system will comply with standards for securing both personal health and financial information.
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0 New Micro-Implant Will Contain Health Record and Credit Score Information
Nov 13, 2009. Today.VeriChip, the company that markets a microchip implant that links to your online health records, has acquired a credit monitoring and anti-identity theft company, Steel Vault. The combined company will operate under a new name: PositiveID.
This company now has tremendous power, creating a single microchip that can hold a person’s most private and sensitive health and financial information. Acquiring this power is met with criticism, as PositiveID could link or cross-check patient health records (from the HealthLink chip) to people’s credit scores. This technology could do extreme good; or, if used inappropriately, extreme evil.
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