A blog on all things EMR, EHR, meaningful use, medical billing, practice management, mobile health, and health information technology. http://www.healthfusion.com/rss_feed.xml On November 1st the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) made an adjustment to the 2013 Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Program’s payment exemptions. CMS’ adjustment finalized two new e-Prescribing hardship exemption categories pertaining to the EHR Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Program in the 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule. Eligible professionals now only need to register or attest for the EHR Incentive Program by January 31, 2013 to avoid penalty, even if they did not use the G code method of attesting to eRx use. However, if an eligible professional previously registered for the EHR Incentive Program but did not supply the EHR Certification Number for their EHR product at that time, and has not since achieved meaningful use, they need to go back and add that piece of information to their registration before January 31, 2013. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/eprescribing/cms-eprescribing-erx-incentive-program-hardhsip-exemptions/ Mon, November 26, 2012 10:00:00 PST The iPad has not only been a consumer technology phenomenon, it is the best form factor for documenting a patient encounter with an EHR/EMR. Apple has sold 100 million iPads in the past 2+ years, and the iPad is responsible for most of the Internet traffic spawned from mobile tablets. The MediTouch EHR Web application was designed from the “ground up” for the iPad and every day we experience thousands of logins from iPad devices. Even though Apple’s last iOS release (iOS6) was flawed, prompting an apology from the CEO, it is still the best tablet for Web applications on the market today. Steve Jobs once commented that a smaller form factor than the original 11.9 inch screen in the “large” iPad would not be appealing to consumers. Well the rumor is that before his untimely death he changed his mind. Either way, his successors have come to the realization that a smaller form factor that fits between the iPhone and the traditional iPad is required to compete with hardware manufactured by Apple’s arch rivals: Google, Samsung, and Amazon. Hence, today, we have been “blessed” with a new kind of iPad — the iPad Mini. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/ipad-ehr/ipad-mini-and-meditouch-ehr-killer-form-factor-for-ehr-emr/ Mon, November 5, 2012 10:00:00 PST My role as a blogger has never been to pick a political side. Rest assured my subsequent analysis of the recent letter sent to Kathleen Sebelius (Secretary of Health and Human Services) by influential Congressmen (Republican leaders Dave Camp and Wally Herger, chair of the Ways and Means Committee and its health subcommittee, respectively, and Fred Upton and Joe Pitts, chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee and its health subcommittee, respectively) is based solely on fact checking and not politics. I believe that if there is to be a battle to change the course of the Meaningful Use program the initiative will need to be based on solid facts, not flat-out inaccuracies. This attempt to reverse course on EHR adoption is so amateurish that I can’t help but believe that there is ZERO chance that it will succeed. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/republican-congressmen-wont-change-meaningful-use-program/ Wed, October 17, 2012 10:00:00 PST In a recent blog post titled, Beyond Meaningful Use/Stimulus — EHR is a Revenue Enhancer — Time to think BIG!, we featured our new virtual office visit feature. The response to the blog post has been remarkable. Physicians were interested in learning more about how virtual visits work with Medicare patients. As a service to our providers, I have attached a letter from Medicare that clarifies their position regarding charging patients “on a cash basis” for this service. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/virtual-office-visit-medicare-billing-questions-answered/ Wed, October 3, 2012 10:00:00 PST The next version of Apple’s iOS operating system (iOS 6) for iPhone and iPad (versions 2 and “New”) was announced this week and there are plenty of new features for iOS device users, but most of them do not directly impact MediTouch EHR users running our award-winning EHR software on an iPad… Yet we have discovered a couple that should make MediTouch users happy. Placing patient images in a patient chart can now be performed directly from Safari — no need to email the picture to the patient chart. MediTouch EHR uses extensive and complex Javascript programming to help run our user interface. It has been discovered that Safari on iOS 6 achieves better benchmark scores that it does on iOS 5. MediTouch was designed for the iPad and our synergistic relationship with Apple’s tablet continues to make medical documentation fast, easy, and mobile. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/ipad-ehr/ios-6-coming-on-september-19th-whats-in-store-for-meditouch-ehr-users/ Fri, September 14, 2012 10:00:00 PST We will be authoring a couple of blog posts on how MediTouch EHR can enhance revenue for your practice. Most EHR/EMR vendors publicize Meaningful Use as the sole revenue enhancement methodology related to adopting an EMR/EHR. It takes a special kind of EHR/EMR vendor to create software that goes beyond the typical tactics with regard to increasing your practices revenue line. Again, we are not speaking about ways that EHRs save money — they do, but that is not the emphasis of our next couple of blog posts, the focus is the top line. Our team concluded that if we could find a way to integrate an electronic visit or virtual office visit within the MediTouch system, then our doctors would be able to provide a service that is in great and growing demand. And, of course we have found that method! Beyond Meaningful Use/Stimulus — EHR is a Revenue Enhancer — Time to think BIG! http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/beyond-meaningful-use-ehr-is-revenue-enhancer/ Thur, September 6, 2012 10:00:00 PST Today, August 23, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) released the Final Rule for Meaningful Use Stage 2. With regard to timing most of the Stage 2 Rule is what we expected and planned upon, such as the delay of Stage 2 until 2014. However, there was one element of the final rule that pleasantly surprised even us, and should do the same for our MediTouch users. The pleasant surprise to come out of CMS’ Meaningful Use Stage 2 Final Rule is that doctors will only be required to attest for 3 months of Meaningful Use for the first year of Stage 2, rather than the expected year-long attestation process. If you’ve been waiting for the Meaningful Use Stage 2 final Rule, or simply procrastinating, there is no better time to adopt the all-in-one MediTouch EHR. HealthFusion has even created a Meaningful Use Fast Track program to help providers expedite MediTouch EHR implementation and earn their full Meaningful Use incentive payment, but time is running out! http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/meaningful-use-stage-2-final-rule-released-reporting-period-reduced/ Thur, August 23, 2012 10:00:00 PST Much has happened since the last time we reported on the state of the EHR/EMR and Healthcare IT landscape. This week we will attempt to summarize some of the major events impacting current and potential MediTouch EHR users. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-emr-news-week-8-17-2012/ Fri, August 17, 2012 10:00:00 PST While other EHR/EMR vendors may force healthcare providers into rigid templates with little-to-no available customization, HealthFusion’s MediTouch EHR comes with a combination of preloaded terms, medical phrases, and forms with the unlimited ability to customize the system. Best of all, you don’t have to be an IT expert to customize MediTouch EHR. With just a few minutes of training, providers and their staff will be creating custom charting tools on MediTouch’s easy to use interface. Those charting tools are all built to work with the tip of your finger on the iPad tablet or with a mouse and keyboard on any Windows PC or Apple computer! HealthFusion is growing its user base primarily because satisfied users refer their colleagues. Our users “feel good” about referring their friends, because they are convinced that the MediTouch team remains steadfast in our commitment to award-winning customer service for every MediTouch user. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-emr-vendors-fail-customer-service-except-meditouch/ Thur, August 9, 2012 10:00:00 PST Almost every clinician has heard about the Meaningful Use (MU) EHR incentive program, yet EHR adoption rates for all but the largest practices are hovering at just about 50%. When October 2012 rolls around, it will be the last time for about half of the nation’s healthcare providers to maximize their Medicare Meaningful Use incentive payment. The sad truth about the October Meaningful Use mini-deadline is that most providers would never procrastinate when dealing with an issue related to the welfare of their patients. In contrast, when it comes to their own financial well being, they sometimes can’t find a way to follow the sage advice of one of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln who stated, “Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.” Our Advice — If the train is leaving the station, FAST TRACK with MediTouch EHR beginning in August, and maximize your $44,000 Medicare EHR Meaningful Use incentive payment. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/ehr-emr-meaningful-use-incentive-program-ending-adopt-ehr-emr/ Fri, July 27, 2012 10:00:00 PST Another study recently released, Physician’s Practice 2012 Technology Survey, confirms the adoption rates of the ONC’s survey. The Physician’s Practice survey found that 72% of U.S. healthcare providers are in some state of EHR/EMR adoption. With adoption steady, the main reason for the lack of an EHR/EMR system remains the cost. According to 29% of those surveyed, the high cost of an EHR/EMR, more than any other factor is the reason behind their lack of EHR/EMR adoption. But as MediTouch users know, healthcare providers can find an all-in-one EHR, Practice Management, and Clearinghouse solution at a fraction of the cost of many legacy EHR/EMR vendors through HealthFusion. And on top of its many outstanding features, MediTouch has no startup or implementation fees, its Web-based so there are no in-house servers to buy or maintain, and its ASP model provides a monthly subscription service. The days of paper record keeping are drawing to a close; if you’re one of the providers who has yet to adopt an EHR/EMR system due to its cost, consider MediTouch, the most robust, easy-to-use, and affordable all-in-one EHR on the market. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-emr-system-adoption-surveys/ Fri, July 20, 2012 10:00:00 PST There was much more EHR/EMR and Healthcare IT news this week following the July 4th holiday, especially with issues concerning Meaningful Use. Providers looking to receive their full share of Meaningful Use incentive funds from the government should pay close attention to the Meaningful Use rulings, and be sure to take a personal initiative. And those seeking a hardship exemption from the 2012 e-Prescribing Act now have recourse to do so. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/health-topics/meaningful-use-stage-2-stage-3-eprescribing-penalty/ Fri, July 13, 2012 10:00:00 PST As greater numbers of providers adopt Web-based, cloud computing EHRs and EMRs, security and storage concerns will continue to increase. As recent power outages along the east coast have proven, secure and reliable data storage and backup is paramount in the event of a natural disaster for all healthcare cloud software, especially those containing any protected health information (PHI). 64% of respondents to the survey stated that their organizations have a disaster recovery strategy in place; however, the majority of these strategies (38%) have never been tested. In times of disaster, it is imperative to be prepared for the worst possible scenario, and this is no different with healthcare data. For this reason, HealthFusion securely stores its MediTouch EHR, Practice Management, and Clearinghouse data at several secure data centers across the country. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-technology/cloud-computing-benefits/cloud-emr-ehr-software-data-disaster-recovery-security/ Fri, July 6, 2012 10:00:00 PST Although the DEA legislated a solution for the electronic prescribing of controlled substances in 2010, the requirements in that rule are extensive, and therefore require an infrastructure that was not in place when the rule was passed into law. This new infrastructure impacts SureScripts®, the practitioner, and all of the retail pharmacies. In the next several months, that infrastructure may be ready for those providers who are highly motivated to prescribe controlled substances electronically. MediTouch® has been prepared for EPCS, and we will make it available to our users once we begin to see better pharmacy compliance, which we expect hopefully by year’s end. So be sure your EHR is built for the future of medicine and e-prescribing; be sure with MediTouch EHR®. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/eprescribing/electronic-prescribing-of-controlled-substances-epcs/ Tues, July 3, 2012 10:00:00 PST A recent report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that switching from paper records to electronic health records (EHRs/EMRs) dramatically reduces the number of malpractice claims. While the study focused on a small sample size of insurance claims, “The adjusted rate of malpractice claims fell six-fold among physicians in practices that adopted computerized records, Steven R. Simon, MD, MPH, of the VA Boston Healthcare System and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and colleagues found.” The shift in claim volume represented a number of all closed claims, rather than just in payouts. The more extensive documentation and workflow notes of most EHR and EMR vendor systems may also help prevent against malpractice claims. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/health-topics/ehr-emr-healthcare-it-web-news-june-29-2012/ Fri, June 29, 2012 10:00:00 PST Microsoft made a big announcement this week with the release of their Surface tablet computer to compete with the Apple iPad, and more directly the Google Android tablets. “We believe the RT-based [Windows RT is the Windows 8 mobile browser] Surface tablet will prove to be only a modest challenger to iPad – most specifically in the enterprise, given the device’s support of Office,” wrote analyst Bryan Prohm of Cowen and Company. “Moreover, because iPad has proven to be popular with end users despite lacking Office support, we believe RT-based tablets are most likely to cannibalize enterprise PC sales (not iPad sales). We expect the Surface will expand the tablet market more than Android tablets have to date.” For now we suggest sticking with the most popular tablet computer in the world; one that dominates both healthcare and home settings for doctors and the general public alike — the Apple iPad. Early adoption is all well and good, but you deserve a tablet computer that is proven and reliable, like the Apple iPad. The same principle holds true with EHR/EMR adoption. You owe it to your practice, patients, and yourself to choose EHR/EMR software that is tried and tested, and designed and built for the iPad and fingertip touch. Choose the best of both industries; choose MediTouch EHR and Practice Management on the iPad. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/microsoft-surface-tablet-vs-apple-ipad-ehr-emr-practice-management/ Fri, June 22, 2012 10:00:00 PST Most EMR/EHR vendors don’t “think ahead” on behalf of their providers. The MediTouch team is always considering, “What can we do today to make life easier for our providers in the future?” We are always trying to anticipate new regulatory requirements and build them into the workflow of our EHR. If we are thinking about ICD-10 over two years ahead of the start date, then it’s a good bet that we will be compliant and proactive when October 2014 rolls around, which will make your transition smoother. The same holds true for SNOMED coding — convert your patient problem lists slowly over the next year and half and become problem list compliant for Meaningful Use Stage 2 gradually. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/health-topics/health-policy/snomed-ct-codes-icd9-icd10-coding-mapping/ Wec, June 20, 2012 10:00:00 PST According to a 2011 survey conducted by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 70% of doctors in California use an EHR/EMR system, but only 30% have an EHR/EMR with the functionalities needed to achieve the Meaningful Use requirements mandated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Likely, there are many doctors in California using an EHR who may not worry about qualifying for Medicare and Medicaid Meaningful Use incentive payments from CMS (annual payments funded by the ARRA HITECH Act for successful use and attestation), but in 2015 those incentives become penalties. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-certification/ehr-emr-vendors-do-not-meet-meaningful-use-measures/ Fri, June 15, 2012 10:00:00 PST I am convinced that some of the best marketing I have recently witnessed is related to the materials published by the government regarding the various provider “incentive” programs. Let’s face it, these incentive programs are really penalty programs with just a taste of incentive in the early years. The names of these programs: EHR Incentive Program, PQRS Incentive Program, eRx Incentive Program… great marketing, but misleading. In fact, CMS does not usually use the word “penalty” when providing details about the programs; instead, the artistic wording is payment “adjustment”. Whether providers choose to participate early and take advantage of the initial incentive years or wait till later and run the risk of penalty may be based on how that provider responds to motivational queues. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/eprescribing/ehr-pqrs-eprescribing-cms-incentive-program-penalties/ Wed, June 13, 2012 10:00:00 PST Another Meaningful Use milestone has been reached: The Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) program has paid out $5.58 billion to 110,650 physicians and hospital in total program estimates through May 2012. “We are reaching an even keel as to how much we are paying each month in incentive payments,” said Robert Anthony, specialist in CMS’ Office of eHealth Standards and Services, in his program status report at the June 6 meeting of the Health IT Policy Committee, which advises the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. April was the first month that Medicaid professionals could be paid as meaningful users, but not all of the states have their systems up and running yet for Medicaid Meaningful Use attestations, he said. As of April, about 45 percent of all eligible hospitals have received an incentive payment, while 1 of every 7 eligible Medicare physicians is a meaningful user of EHRs, moving steadily higher from the previous month’s 1 in every 9 Medicare physicians, said Robert Anthony. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/health-topics/ehr-news-and-healthcare-it-updates-from-around-the-web-week-of-june-8-2012/ Fri, June 8, 2012 10:00:00 PST Since 2011, tablet ownership among doctors has more than doubled to 62%, according to a recent survey which included 3,015 physicians from 25 different specialties, conducted by healthcare market research and advisory firm Manhattan Research. As was the case in last year’s survey, Apple’s iPad is the dominant tablet among physicians. Monique Levy, VP of research at Manhattan Research, said of the Apple iPad for doctors, “It is really suited for doctors in terms of graphics”. MediTouch harnesses those graphic capabilities to provide an optimized software solution; complete with EHR drawing features and large button interfaces, combined with dictation capabilities, which means an elegant interface, more efficient medicine, and true meaningful use. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/ipad-ehr/doctors-tablet-computer-use-doubles-in-2012/ Tues, June 5, 2012 10:00:00 PST The focus around the Internet, for the week of June 1, 2012, centered on EHR adoption rates, Meaningful Use incentives, and ICD-10 implementation. While there may not have been as much news in healthcare this week, the highlighted stories below are rather pertinent to MediTouch® users and providers who have yet to adopt an EHR or EMR system. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/health-topics/healthcare-news-from-around-the-web-week-of-june-1-2012 Fri, June 1, 2012 10:00:00 PST This week, healthcare news from around the web is good news for MediTouch® users. SaaS, cloud computing EHRs, like MediTouch, are becoming increasingly popular among physicians. Telemedicine has been accepted as a reliable solution for rural healthcare, for which MediTouch’s web-based, cloud computing EHR is ideal. And, while there have been some rumblings about the quality of patient care while using dictation on an EHR, the problem experienced by other vendors is a non-issue with MediTouch EHR®. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/health-topics/healthcare-news-from-around-the-web-week-of-may-25-2012/ Fri, May 25, 2012 10:00:00 PST Welcome to another weekly edition of Healthcare News from around the Web brought to you by HealthFusion® MediTouch®. This week, EHR and data security as well as Stage 2 of Meaningful Use were hot topics across the healthcare landscape. The healthcare landscape is constantly changing from week to week, be sure to check in with HealthFusion’s EHR blog every Friday to see what’s new. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/health-topics/healthcare-news-from-around-the-web-week-of-may-18-2012/ Fri, May 18, 2012 10:00:00 PST The Healthcare landscape is evolving rapidly these days, and with a career, family, and possibly a practice to run, it can be difficult to stay on top of recent Healthcare news. At HealthFusion®, we want to help you stay informed, so today begins our new series of blog posts — a weekly summary and synopsis of recent news in healthcare from around the Web. Be sure to check back every Friday for the weekly Healthcare News from around the Web, brought to you by HealthFusion MediTouch. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/health-topics/healthcare-news-from-around-the-web-week-of-may-11-2012/ Fri, May 11, 2012 10:00:00 PST “Just because mobile devices work well in their personal lives doesn’t mean they will work in a clinical setting. Being proficient at playing Angry Birds on an iPad® doesn’t mean using an EHR on the iPad will be as easy.” He cautioned, “If the EHR wasn’t designed for use on a tablet, the user will not gain the same efficiencies that they would have on a desktop computer. For example, an EHR that uses a lot of small checkboxes for a clinical exam won’t work very efficiently for someone with adult-sized fingers trying to check the boxes. Many apps were written for a 19-inch computer screen, and we’re shoving them on a 7-inch mobile screen." The above captioned comments are a great buying guide for EHR technology. For years (even before the invention of the iPad) the design team at MediTouch EHR® has understood how fundamental the move to mobile medicine is and will be for years to come. That is why MediTouch® was designed from the “ground up” for mobile computer tablets. We agree with the industry experts that an EHR not designed for mobile and touch will not work efficiently on a mobile tablet computer.” http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/ipad-ehr/medicine-is-going-mobile-but-your-ehr-must-be-designed-for-use-on-a-tablet-computer-2/ Thur, May 10, 2012 10:00:00 PST The Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements regarding the Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) standard for Summary of Care Patient Records will turn out to be a big win for providers. The HL7 CDA format and standards should make it easier for physicians to store and “own” their patient records. In Stage 1 of Meaningful Use, CMS introduced the Continuity of Care Document (CCD) and Continuity of Care Record (CCR) personal health record (PHR) concepts. Now, instead of those standards, the patient health record will be recorded exclusively in an easier to implement CDA format. At the heart of the CDA solution is a library of reusable CDA templates that allow for easier machine-to-machine communication, facilitating the transfer and storing of more patient data. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/the-cda-summary-of-care-record-a-dramatic-step-toward-patient-record-interoperability/ Tues, May 8, 2012 10:00:00 PST The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s (CMS) open comment period for Meaningful Use Stage 2 (MU 2) will soon end on May 7. At HealthFusion®, we are optimistic that CMS will heed our comments and requests; a conviction only strengthened with the recent Meaningful Use Stage 2 comments made by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). CHIME’s Meaningful Use Stage 2 comments echo those made recently by HealthFusion MediTouch® in our recent blog posts, Meaningful Use Stage 2 Proposed Rules Open Comment Period — HealthFusion MediTouch Comments and Meaningful Use Stage 2 NPRM for Health Information Technology Comments by HealthFusion MediTouch. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/meaningful-use-stage-2-proposed-rules-chime-and-healthfusion-share-similar-comments/ Fri, May 4, 2012 10:00:00 PST In the previous blog post of our series on the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) proposed Meaningful Use Stage 2 measures we provided our commentary with regard to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Meaningful Use for 2014 regulations. As promised, in today’s post we will provide our commentary with regard to the NPRM for Health Information Technology (HIT): Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record (EHR) Technology. This is the sister rule to the Stage 2 Meaningful Use regulations; it describes the technical means to accomplish the measures outlined in the Stage 2 proposed rule. As with our previous commentary, we hope that HHS and CMS will heed our comments and recommendations, but rest assured no matter their final ruling on Meaningful Use Stage 2 measures, HealthFusion will be ready and Meaningful Use attestation will be as easy as always with MediTouch and our Meaningful Use Report Card®. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/meaningful-use-stage-2-nprm-for-health-information-technology-comments-by-healthfusion-meditouch/ Tues, May 1, 2012 10:00:00 PST Recently, HealthFusion submitted our commentary on the Meaningful Use Stage 2 proposed measures to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for the open comment period. We hope that HHS and CMS will heed our comments and recommendations, but rest assured no matter their final ruling on Meaningful Use Stage 2 measures, HealthFusion will be ready and Meaningful Use attestation will be as easy as always with MediTouch and our Meaningful Use Report Card®. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/meaningful-use-stage-2-proposed-rule-open-comment-period-healthfusion-meditouch-comments/ Thur, April 26, 2012 10:00:00 PST Summary of Care Records in the CDA format are the cornerstone of several Meaningful Use Stage 2 measures. MediTouch EHR through its patient portal, YourHealthFile, and state of the art interface has already made great strides in accomplishing much of what is going to be required in most of the Meaningful Use Stage 2 measures. We remain skeptical about certain parts of the measures that are coupled to the new CDA standard, but not about the standard itself. In fact, we believe that the new CDA Summary of Care Record method to exchange patient information will be a great improvement for patients and providers; we will explain why in the next blog post of our series. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/stage-2-meaningful-use-changes-the-format-for-exchanging-patient-health-records-what-stage-2-measures-are-impacted/ Fri, April 20, 2012 10:00:00 PST At HealthFusion we believe our MediTouch users will benefit most from the new iPad’s dictation feature, although the enhanced retina display and improved internet connection at 4G speeds are also useful advancements. Just as with the iPhone 4S, complex words and some medical terminology are not easily transcribed. At HealthFusion, we recommend our MediTouch users speak in short, staccato phrases when using the new iPad’s dictation feature. Thanks to MediTouch’s structured notation method, based on the SOAP note system, input fields are brief, usually only requiring one or two short phrases rather than long explications. With the structured notation method of the MediTouch system, there is far less chance of exposing sensitive patient health information (PHI) during iPad dictation. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/ipad-ehr/new-ipad-dictation-feature-talking-is-the-new-typing/ Tues, April 10, 2012 10:00:00 PST CMS is working on aligning the Meanigful Use and PQRS quality reporting programs. In 2014 your EHR vendor will be able to handle the measurement and reporting for both programs. For certain specialties, such as Podiatric Medicine, CMS must make changes to add more measures to the PQRS program for certified PQRS EHR submitters. We believe that the APMA® is working with Medicare to provide such a solution. MediTouch EHR® is working hard with CMS to help your practice actualize this new unified quality reporting vision. We expect to become a certified PQRS EHR method submitter by the end of this year. In 2014 when reporting requires file submission for both the MU and PQRS programs, our users will have a simple method for meeting the requirements of both programs. We are monitoring how CMS implements their vision for program alignment, and working with stakeholders, such as the APMA, to make sure that none of our constituents are “left behind”. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/alignment-of-the-pqrs-and-meaningful-use-quality-measurement-programs-in-2014-will-podiatric-medical-doctors-benefit/ Thur, March 22, 2012 10:00:00 PST Medicine today is becoming increasingly data-driven, so it should come as no surprise that many physicians feel tied to a computer. Without a computer at every patient bedside, many doctors are finding themselves spending more time on the job entering data, lengthening their day, and taking time away from what really matters — the patient. The iPad allows medical professionals to spend more time treating their patients and less time entering data, making it the ideal tablet computer for medicine and MediTouch EHR Web-based software its perfect companion. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/ipad-ehr/ipad-ehrs-and-emrs-improve-efficiency/ Tues, March 20, 2012 10:00:00 PST In today’s blog post we grouped together two measures that propose to change the way physicians and patients relate to each other. The government is proposing to reward or punish medical practices not based on physician performance, but instead on the behavior of their patients. This infringement on the traditional physician-patient relationship is an overreach and could have a detrimental effect with regard to that special bond. One of my physician friends sarcastically commented that he might be incentivized to have less people answering his phone and force patients to communicate electronically with his office in order to meet one of these measures. Over-regulation has unpredictable consequences, and forcing doctors to monitor the online activities of their patients may backfire. One thing for sure, it is the worst kind of social engineering. We hope that when the Stage 2 proposed rule becomes law that the provisions that mandate that physicians are responsible for their patient’s online activities are removed. Now is the comment period for the Stage 2 rule and we plan on submitting this blog post to CMS. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/the-two-worst-stage-2-meaningful-use-measures-your-patients-need-to-meet-meaningful-use-stage-2-for-you-to-get-paid-outrageous/ Tues, March 13, 2012 10:00:00 PST While Apple’s press event for the iPad announcement was a bit of a dud, the enhanced and additional features of the new iPad are a definite improvement over the iPad 2. But Apple devotees cannot help but feel a little dejected with the release of the iPhone 4S equivalent of the iPad. One can only hope Apple has something in store for its next release, or it may begin to lose its grip on the marketplace and its cult-like fandom. For MediTouch users, who desire the latest technology, feel free to upgrade to the newest iPad. However, do not feel obligated to upgrade for fear of your practice falling behind or software incompatibility. MediTouch is designed and built to run on past, new, and future iPads, since MediTouch is Web-based, iPad-native EHR software. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/ipad-ehr/the-new-ipad-just-call-it-ipad-rumors-confirmed-and-debunked/ Fri, March 9, 2012 10:00:00 PST Remember that the source of funding for Meaningful Use provider incentives is NOT the healthcare reform bill that was passed last year — The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare). The funding for Meaningful Use provider incentives is derived from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, aka the stimulus package). We do not expect any funding related to the Meaningful Use program to be pulled, and we are confident that even if there is a Republican president come January 2013, the EHR incentive will continue to march forward. The program is a 3-stage program and Stage 2 will present EHR technology users and vendors with a new set of challenges. Last summer the government (CMS) published some loose guidelines outlining their intentions for Stage 2 and now they have published the preliminary rule. The government will accept comment for the next few months and then publish the final rule this summer and hopefully create test sites for vendors to assist in the preparation of updated EHR technology. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-adoption/ehr-meaningful-use/stage-2-meaningful-use-2014-the-roadmap-is-finally-in-place-fasten-your-seatbelts/ Mon, March 5, 2012 10:00:00 PST Apple has made its name, and its money, in the industry by playing its cards close to the vest. Their secrecy and innovation have combined to create a cult-like following, with many consumers eager to adopt the latest version of an Apple product as soon as it is announced or even rumored. At HealthFusion, we are as fanatical as anyone when it comes to Apple products, especially the iPad, but we have a simple suggestion for our users and everyone else considering the iPad 3: If you are already an iPad owner, do not sell off your tablet just yet in anticipation of an eminent release. And if you are not currently an iPad owner, simply wait until a release is confirmed. We suggest restraint; in either case the world will have an answer in a week’s time, so just wait a little bit longer. No matter Apple’s announcement on March 7th, HealthFusion’s MediTouch Software Suite will continue to operate efficiently on the current generation iPad and the next. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/ehr-features/ipad-ehr/ipad-3-release-rumors-dont-get-rid-of-your-ipad-2-just-yet/ Wed, February 29, 2012 10:00:00 PST As we stated in our previous blog post, 5010 Update – How the Government and Blues have botched the 5010 claims transition (Where is my check, and how do I make payroll), “Last summer CMS should have postponed 5010 until January 2013.” The 5010 implementation date was far too close to the ICD-10 2013 start date and the 2014 Meaningful Use Stage 2 date. Medical providers are subjected to far too many new government regulations in too short of a time to be able to comply with all of them. The bottleneck created by the government’s own time mandates could have severe repercussions for the industry as a whole. Due to the government’s poor planning and execution, many organizations, including the AMA and MGMA, are calling for severe delays or even an end to ICD-10 implementation. We at HealthFusion® certainly do not believe ICD-10 should be abolished. However, as was previously stated, we do believe delays should have been previously implemented, and call for a congressional investigation into the matter. http://blog.healthfusion.com/index.php/health-topics/health-policy/icd-10-is-coming-october-1-2013-its-closer-than-it-seems-or-is-it/ Fri, February 17, 2012 10:00:00 PST On Friday, February 3, 2012 the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) authored a scathing letter to the HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, outlining significant problems with reimbursement of claims following the transition to the HIPAA 5010 transaction sets. In the letter MGMA reports that many providers have not been paid by Medicare and TRICARE (we also see this pattern with many large Blue plans) since as far back as November 2011. Whether you are using HealthFusion® or another clearinghouse or practice management system, you may be impacted by the problems outlined in that letter. MGMA’s letter is an obvious indicator that the 5010 payment issues are industry-wide — affecting providers that use hundreds of different billing and clearinghouse systems. Yet the Government and Blue plans initial reaction has been to point their fingers at the practice management and clearinghouse industry. Recently they have been slowly taking responsibility for the problems they have created. I am certain that the overwhelming majority of the payment issues that providers have been experiencing are related to the payer community and I have the evidence! http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#47 Mon, February 6, 2012 10:00:00 PST Most experts agree that paper charts will play a role in most practices for a few years after the adoption of medical records. Do not rush to become completely paperless at the start of implementation — very few practices need to or can afford to make that change in just a few weeks. Take your time on moving away from paper completely and try to populate the chart with just enough data, such that when you move from office to office, or office to home, that you can understand your patient’s health and render sound medical decisions based on the use of the EHR alone. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#46 Mon, January 17 2012 10:00:00 PST In the battle between MediTouch® Pure Cloud® technology and traditional Client-Server models, it is clear that the Pros of the cloud clearly beat the Cons. Unless you are a rural clinic that cannot get relatively fast Internet speeds, MediTouch® has overcome all of the Cons of the cloud and leverages all of the Pros to deliver the best EHR infrastructure in the business; we simply knock the socks off of the client-server model. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#45 Mon, December 30 2011 10:00:00 PST As paper patient records are migrated to an EHR, every type of EHR requires the practice to translate their paper information to electronic lists in the EHR. This task can be time-consuming for a practice, and most EHRs do not provide simple solutions that make these tasks easier. With MediTouch EHR® and the YourHealthFile® Patient Portal, your patients can assist you in the initial creation of mandated data lists, such as Medication Lists and Patient Histories (Medical, Surgical, Family, Social, Immunization, and Allergy). http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#44 Mon, December 5 2011 10:00:00 PST With the YourHealthFile® patient portal, many of the tasks performed by the medical team, including the physician, can now be performed at home or at an office kiosk by the patient. Patients love to participate in their healthcare; they want to understand and interact with their personal health record and find new ways to communicate with your medical practice. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#43 Thur, October 27 2011 10:00:00 PST iOS 5 will be available for free download to the general public starting on October 12th. As certified iPad® developers, our iPad® development team at HealthFusion® has had the opportunity to test and experiment with iOS 5 prior to its release, and we are excited by its potential. The transition to iOS 5 for MediTouch® users will be seamless, and we hope to introduce and incorporate new features now possible through iOS 5 in the near future. We are excited about Apple’s® new mobile operating system and what its potential means for MediTouch® users; we hope you share our enthusiasm and enjoy iOS 5. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#41 Fri, October 7 2011 10:00:00 PST Using advertising-supported enterprises is now part of our everyday ritual. We all use Google and read our local papers online – those companies now make much of their money from ad-supported revenue. With ad-supported enterprises, users agree to be subjected to advertising, or have their data mined, or both, for the right to use or their service. In many industries, such as “web search”, this model makes sense and in fact, in some cases, is helpful to the consumer. This advertising model has now migrated to the EHR space. There are several companies that will provide EHR services “for free”, in return for being allowed to advertise you – the physician – and sell your data to third party data mining companies. They hype the fact that they make the majority of their money from advertising to physicians and selling your data after the PHI has been redacted. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#40 Tues, September 27 2011 10:00:00 PST the results from Dr. Cebul’s survey indicate, rather definitively, what we at HealthFusion® have always said: the government’s Meaningful Use incentive program for EHR adoption can improve the quality of care for everyone, across all insurance types. These results may conflict with some available studies that claim the implementation and use of electronic health records have little to no quality-related advantages over traditional paper records. However, many of these studies have limited data sets, rely on old data, or simply neglect to include all insurance types, especially the uninsured. And, with one in six Americans now living in poverty, the discrepancy in insurance coverage is sure to increase and become a more vital statistic for Meaningful Use. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#39 Thur, September 15 2011 10:00:00 PST There is not much of a window for providers to claim an exception for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, since the deadline is less than one month away. We do know this – if you do not want to be penalized in 2012, and you have not already met the 2011 requirement, the clock is ticking. We suggest you adopt MediTouch EHR®, and that you register action for the EHR incentive program on the Medicare Website without delay! http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#38 Wed, September 7 2011 10:00:00 PST On June 16, 2011, the HIT Policy Committee conveyed their recommendations to CMS (The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) on the new requirements for Stage 2 of Meaningful Use. These are only recommendations, but they do provide the road map to Stage 2. Typically, these recommendations are not adopted verbatim, but if history is any indicator, these proposed policies will compromise the majority of the Meaningful Use Stage 2 final rule when it is published in the summer of 2012. In fact, according to National Coordinator for Health IT, the ONC Chief, Farzad Mostashari, if the past is any indication of the future, the final rule on Stage 2 is, going to look a lot like, what the (HIT) Policy and Standards Committees recommend. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#37 Wed, August 31 2011 10:00:00 PST We predict that meeting Meaningful Use Stage 2 will be relatively easy for MediTouch® Meaningful Use Stage 1 users. With Meaningful Use Stage 1, we made the road to success simple and easy to track with our Meaningful Use Report Card®. In fact many of our providers have already attested via the CMS process and some have already “cashed their checks”. We have been tracking the progress of the HIT Policy Committee, and many of the changes they are proposing are already built into MediTouch®. The bottom line, our work on MU2 has already started; so when 2014 begins our users will have all the tools to make the transition to Stage 2 hassle free. Our advice – focus on Meaningful Use Stage 1, with MediTouch EHR® it's easy money; by the time Stage 2 comes around any incremental changes will be a “no-brainer”. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#36 Tues, August 23 2011 10:00:00 PST Most people already allow much of their sensitive data to be stored in the cloud, many without even knowing it; so the cloud is really nothing new or foreign. By alleviating cumbersome and costly client-server EHR systems, physicians are able to save money, time, and space. In addition, web-based, cloud EHRs provide better data accessibility and security. Cloud-based EHR systems seem like the obvious choice for any practice. Give MediTouch EHR® a try, and witness the wonders of the cloud for yourself. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#35 Wed, August 17 2011 10:00:00 PST Software Advice and Houston Neal are correct, web-based and Mac-based EHRs are the premier solutions on the market. However, why limit yourself to one or the other when you can have both with MediTouch EHR®. MediTouch® is built to handle the wide-range of computers your practice currently employs, as well as the future of tablet computing, the Apple® iPad®. At HealthFusion®, we want every member of your practice, no matter the size, to have access to their EHR through their current computing solutions. If the office manager is tethered to the front desk all day, only using a small select group of programs, it makes no sense to be required to invest in expensive new technology just to operate your EHR. MediTouch® is web-based and built to run on a variety of Windows® and Apple® platforms, from basic desktops to the iPad®, and most everything in between. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#34 Thur, August 11 2011 10:00:00 PST With the conversion to EHR, physicians need a way to draw on anatomical images and pictures of their patients. Sketching on a piece of paper and uploading to the chart is too time consuming. Drawing saves time and often speeds the creating and deciphering of encounters. The MediTouch® team has provided an eloquent solution to this challenge and, like all of our solutions, it is flexible; meaning it can be used on the native iPad® browser or any computer. In fact, we are the only EMR company that offers this type of drawing solution on the native iPad® browser — MediDraw™. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#33 Fri, August 5 2011 10:00:00 PST The delay to 2014 seems inevitable, since early this month Dr. Moshashari said that he approved of the recommendations by the Health IT Policy Committee for delaying MU2 until 2014. This was the confirmation that the healthcare industry was anticipating, regarding approval of the HIT advisory group’s recommendation by government policy makers http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#32 Tues, July 26 2011 10:00:00 PST The real question is, why can’t EHR vendors innovate without government intervention or incentive? At MediTouch® our medical team believes we can. We recently demonstrated the way we lead innovation during a topical public health challenge, the Whooping Cough outbreak (in some states). http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#31 Wed, July 20 2011 10:00:00 PST Our team has worked diligently with providers in an attempt to build trust in the Meaningful Use program in order to facilitate EHR adoption, and these types of bureaucratic mistakes are, at the very least, counter-productive for all constituents of the health care delivery system. The fact that MediTouch users have started to bank their Meaningful Use incentive dollars has worked wonders to reinforce what our team has been proclaiming for months – the government is ready and willing to make good on their Meaningful Use EHR promises. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#30 Tues, July 12 2011 10:00:00 PST With MediTouch® Advanced Document Management it is simple to get a picture of your patient into the appropriate patient chart – it takes 30 seconds, and this set of screen shots shows you how simple it is. No EHR vendor can rival the simplicity and speed of our patient, image documentation process. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#29 Wed, July 6 2011 10:00:00 PST Organization saves time, but it is not an excuse for EMR systems and products that slow encounter speed to a halt. Providers need to quickly move through encounters, and they should not have to enter phrases and care plans repeatedly. Much of what physicians do or say, they have probably done or said before in a prior encounter; but only parts or segments of that prior encounter may apply to the patient they are currently treating. Providers need a way to fit together the jig-saw puzzle pieces of prior encounters, in order to help them build their current chart note. They need MediTouch® Grand Central. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#28 Wed, June 28 2011 10:00:00 PST If one follows the history of smartphone adoption, then it is reasonable to conclude that most every provider will be migrating to a mobile tablet technology like the iPad®; it’s really only a matter of time. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#27 Wed, June 22 2011 10:00:00 PST HealthFusion® is proud to report that our first MediTouch® physician user has received their initial payment of Meaningful Use Incentive Funds as part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Stage 1 Electronic Health Record Meaningful Use Medicare Incentive Program. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#26 Mon, June 13 2011 10:00:00 PST With EHR adoption there is an opportunity to improve the health of your patient population. There are certain tasks that become more accurate when the processing power or formatting of an EHR is leveraged. This is one in a series of articles that explains how the “Holy Grail” of improving quality at the point of care is achieved with MediTouch EHR®. http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#25 Thu, May 26 2011 10:00:00 PST There's not a week that goes by that we don’t receive a comment from a physician that goes something like this; “We love the ePrescribing module in MediTouch EHR – we wish we could use it on all prescriptions (controlled substances also)”.We thought it would be a good idea to “clear the air” on why there are two workflows for prescribing and why providers should not hold their collective breath on a change in the status quo... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#24 Thu, May 19 2011 10:00:00 PST They said it could not be done but we proved them wrong! Back in 2009 when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (aka the stimulus package) was enacted the legislation that funds the EHR Meaningful Use (MU) incentive program we made the following predictions... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#23 Thu, May 05 2011 10:13:19 PST In our last blog we discussed how important suggestive Evaluation and Management (E/M) coding is for physicians. MediTouch EHR simplifies E/M coding but unlike many EHRs our system also has additional automated methods that work with your billing team to assist with other non-E/M procedure codes and even diagnosis codes. Before a provider even sees a patient, much, if not all of the encounter can be pre-coded... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#22 Mon, May 02 2011 9:00:00 PST Many physicians do not know how to code. It's hard to believe that a task that physicians execute many times each day is performed improperly over and over again… http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#21 Tue, Apr 19 2011 08:30:00 PST Without help, it is almost impossible to track, document, and order the proper procedures to meet the growing list of quality measures that may apply to a specific patient. Learn how providers can meet the challenge of performing and documenting Health Maintenance with MediTouch EHR… http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#20 Wed, Apr 13 2011 11:05:29 PST We were initially excited to test the new Xoom tablet, but weak support for Web browser standards and the lack of true medical dictation support leave much to be desired. Read our full Xoom review to learn why iPad 2 is still the prime candidate for a mobile EHR platform… http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#19 Thu, Apr 07 2011 16:19:21 PST iPad 1 was a revolutionary product. For most medical provider users, it was the best hardware available for mobile healthcare computing. Now, Apple has released the next version just before the iPad's first birthday! Let's explore MediTouch EHR's history with the tablet and review the new iPad 2... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#18 Mon, Mar 28 2011 14:06:34 PST Let's review the new PQRS program, how it compares to the EHR incentive program, and where MediTouch EHR can help your practice to earn PQRS incentives from CMS -- with less work... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#17 Wed, Mar 23 2011 15:45:35 PST Over the past few years, I have tested dictation software, and while the software has improved steadily, the input methods were cumbersome. I recently downloaded Dragon Dictate for the iPad and started toying around with the app to see if it could be a partial solution for users of our MediTouch EHR software... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#16 Thu, Mar 10 2011 11:19:21 PST I was recently astounded to find out that one of the largest publically traded Practice Management / EHR companies is taking a percentage of their providers' Meaningful Use stimulus incentive payments... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#15 Wed, Mar 02 2011 15:22:21 PST Let's review CMS' ePrescribing incentive program details and interactions between the EHR Meaningful Use and eRx incentive programs. Learn how to avoid eRx program penalties and earn the larger $44,000-64,000 EHR incentive with MediTouch EHR... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#14 Thu, Feb 24 2011 10:07:19 PST Do you have incentive program confusion? If the answer is "Yes," then you're not alone. There are too many incentive programs, and the rules are changing too quickly for the average medical provider to keep up with them. Let's take a look at the government programs, and avoid paralysis by incentive program confusion... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#13 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:01:35 PST Do you have incentive program confusion? If the answer is "Yes," then you're not alone. There are too many incentive programs, and the rules are changing too quickly for the average medical provider to keep up with them. Let's take a look at the government programs, and avoid paralysis by incentive program confusion... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#13 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:01:35 PST A new survey states that 90% of all providers that purchased EHR are not tracking to receive MU payment. Let's review some of the reasons given for this challenge, and see how MediTouch EHR will help you easily overcome any hurdle to get earn your incentive... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#12 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:09:00 PST The bottom line: there are plenty of government payment issues to be cynical about, but Meaningful Use EHR incentive payment is not one of them. And do not let all the Obamacare repeal talk lead you to think that these incentives will disappear, as they are unrelated laws. It's time to get MediTouch EHR and start collecting your incentive... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#11 Fri, 7 Jan 2011 10:19:00 PST Technology is changing the way we communicate in our personal lives -- and with patients. Introducing the YourHealthFile.com patient portal... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#10 Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:22:00 PST Practices in the study that implemented an EHR saw over $150,000 in increased revenue -- per medical provider -- after an EHR streamlined processes and workflow throughout their practices... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#9 Mon, 27 Dec 2010 10:36:00 PST Medical providers that don't match to an EHR Meaningful Use quality measure are still eligible to participate with any EHR vendor that is certified and that can create a quality file on behalf of that provider... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#8 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:19:00 PST Doctors are not used to being measured, but a simple report card can help to keep you on track... to $44-64K in government stimulus incentives! http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#7 Sun, 21 Nov 2010 15:22:00 PST A new study shows EHRs boost revenue in a medical practice well beyond the $44-64K government stimulus incentives... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#6 Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:57:00 PST Quality healthcare is keyed to a future dependent on EHR technology, and HealthFusion is proud to be certified for MU in the first month that the government testing program was in place... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#5 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:42:00 PST Can we look to the Meaningful Use measures and the government-led EHR adoption program for assistance with universal connectivity issues? Not really, at least not in its first iteration, but it is a first step... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#4 Sat, 23 Oct 2010 14:33:00 PST A good way to assess your hardware needs is to evaluate by the role of EHR software users. Let's take a look at front/back office, nursing, and medical provider EHR users... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#3 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:01:00 PST Finding a certified EHR is just the first step on the road to collecting Meaningful Use incentive payments... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#2 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:09:00 PST CCHIT is no longer the only game in town: Physicians and EHR companies must compete in the healthcare marketplace, and now there is real competition in the EHR certification space as well... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#1 Sun, 26 Sep 2010 12:24:00 PST EHRs should not get in the way of crucial doctor/patient interaction but should instead improve quality of care... http://www.healthfusion.com/blog.asp#0 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:45:00 PST