MACRA is paved with good intentions but steep in implementation challenges. It is a monumental task for anyone reading the final rule issued by CMS on October 14, 2016, for the implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (2017). The document is indeed full of legal intricacies. The good news is: MACRA will pay physicians for continuing to do what they always wanted to do: provide the best possible care in the best interest of their patients. Now for the bad news: MACRA marks the most significant change to clinician reimbursement in more than 20 years; and we all have to be ready. The updated MACRA timeline is still aggressive, but its final adjustments reflect greater flexibility than what was outlined as recently as June, 2016. Continue reading here Successful compliance with meaningful use is necessary for the smooth running of a practice. Providers generally struggle with keeping up with regulations in the short and long term. Here is a list of the various stages meaningful use has been through, and what is currently happening. More important the list includes the various amounts that physicians have to pay as the stages change. It is very important to stay ahead of the various regulations that are coming up currently. This list elaborates on what is needed currently from a practice. So that providers can be prepared and in control. Read more Within CureMD the diagnosis search box now recognizes provider specific abbreviations and aliases for diseases. You can now use common terms or abbreviations to describe a clinical condition and the system will bring forth the desired ICD-10 code.
According to a 2011 report from the Institute of Medicine (IoM), entitled “Health IT and Patient Safety: Building Safer Systems for Better Care,” some studies indicate that electronic health records (EHRs) lead to “improvements in patient safety, while other studies find no effect.”
Well, this is what you need to know: EHR vendors absolutely contribute to patient safety. People don’t realize the potential of EHR technology, especially in the long run. Everything is going toward being electronic, and we should view it with optimism because the end goal is patient safety and overall well-being. In addition, as EHR use increases, clinician productivity is bound to go up. Well-developed EHRs let the physician, NP, or PA concentrate on providing his or her very best patient care while the coders do the coding. Potential Safety Risks My friend Kenneth Edwards, a dermatologist, spends most of his time evaluating reports from EHR software users and developers regarding safety and risks. “It is indisputable that EHRs play a key role in improving patient safety,” he says. Keeping patients safe is a responsibility shared by everyone in the healthcare ecosystem. What differentiates an EHR vendor is its ability to continually innovate, update, and iterate. Any vendor that claims perfection is not being honest, and what makes a vendor rise above the rest is the level of transparency it offers to the industry and its customers. In that vein, I’m going to be forthright with you: It’s true that a number of factors, such as software bugs, poor application design, and the tendency of clients to adopt unsupported workflows, can lead to safety risks. For example, the system may not detect it when a provider accidentally enters data in the wrong field, often as a result of a difficult-to-use interface. Misentering patient information such as weight or height leads to incorrect calculations, and putting in the wrong name could mean reports are sent to a different patient. The risks to health and privacy in these situations should be obvious. Continue reading Why different doctors would love one EHR and hate another. What are the physicians’ views and what questions do they ask regarding the EHRs. Please give your useful feedback on it.
1. Is the experience of nurses and doctors a more positive one? The discussion regarding using the EHR usually circle around the complexity to please the physicians. The clinicians, nurses and other people on the team have same complaints as doctors? 2. Does the pace of choice or a choice make a difference? Doctors and physicians feel more satisfied when the EHR software is their own choice initiated by their own requirement at their own pace. Rather than forcing them to meet a new government mandate. |
AuthorAlex Tate is a health IT fanatic who is passionate about technology and its revolutionary impact on the healthcare industry. He adds value to the healthcare community by providing answers to problems faced by the providers. He is always hunting hot topics and opportunities that will open new dimensions in the field of Health IT. You can reach him at [email protected] Archives
December 2016
Categories |