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 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