The dictum “to write as long as possible” has become the norm for some physicians. Quality, not quantity, should be our goal.
The Good and Bad of Cloned Notes
Having an electronic heath record (EHR) system in your practice has many benefits, such as Medicare incentives, quality improvement, and increased office efficiencies. Falling in the “office efficiencies” category is the ability to clone notes, which allows you to cut and paste notes from one visit to another. This documentation option for physicians using EHRs puts them at risk for audits.
Managing Patient Records
Physician practices handle patient records that contain sensitive information—including financial, demographic, and medical data—on a day-to-day basis. This type of information can put a practice, as well as the patient, at risk if not handled properly. Rheumatology practices should make sure that they have policies and procedures in place for keeping and distributing patient records. In fact, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has set a national standard for the privacy of health information.
Are You a Meaningful User?
As a follow-up to last month’s article (August 2010) about the final rule for the electronic health record (EHR) stimulus program—which offers up to $64,000 to eligible providers who are meaningful users of an EHR system—this month we will explore the minimum requirements for successful meaningful use, which take effect in 2011 and will build gradually each year of the program.
What Does Meaningful Use Really Mean?
On July 13, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the publication of the final rule for the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program. The final rule announcement ended the holding pattern for providers eager to make the switch from paper to digital medical records.
I Have the Data—Now What?
Rheumatologists practicing in the current healthcare environment are experiencing unprecedented information flow, data management issues, and a rise in quality designations and pay-for-performance incentive programs. There is increasing pressure on rheumatologists to document or capture treatment concordance with guideline recommendations and best practices and to monitor gaps in care and patient outcomes. Unfortunately, some quality programs are not considered clinically meaningful, and even those that are often bring administrative burdens related to reporting, data aggregation, and analysis.
Technology and Pay-for-Performance
Medicare and private payers are increasingly developing programs to reward physicians based on clinical benchmarks. As more payers embrace this approach, practices are looking to technology to help them manage complex reporting requirements.
Update on Meaningful Use
On December 30, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the long-awaited proposed rule establishing the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, which lays out a set of standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for EHR technology. This program has been developed in response to the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” (ARRA), which authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide a reimbursement incentive for physician and hospital providers who become “meaningful users” of an EHR.
Join the Electronic Health Information Exchange Community
Effective and efficient health information exchange has the potential to revolutionize rheumatology practices by simply delivering necessary patient information where and when it is needed in a complete and logical format. The list of its potential benefits—including streamlined administrative processes, efficient communication, and reduction of redundant testing—is limited only by the willingness of physicians to implement clinical and administrative technology and modify workflow to accommodate electronic processes.
Reach Beyond the Digital Walls of Your Practice
How much time and money do you spend trying to find information about your patients? Are you frustrated by the difficulties in obtaining patient medical records, test results, lab reports, radiology results, and insurance eligibility from organizations across state lines, down the street, or even across the hall? Do you ever order redundant tests simply because you are unable to access the results of tests ordered by another member of the care team?