Why Practices Should Switch To EHR Software?

Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are transforming the healthcare industry by automating clinical processes of practices. Moreover, a portion of the 2009 Stimulus Act, the Health Information Technology Act (HITECH), aims to promote and establish EHRs for the whole country by 2014. If practices haven’t made the switch, here’s why they should:

1.   HITECH offers significant incentives (and penalties) based on “meaningful use” of certified EHRs

MeaningfulUse (MU) defines the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) within an organization. 2014 is the last year to acquire Medicare incentives for MU Stage 1 (which begun in 2011).  If a provider fails to start reporting by July 1, 2014, he will not be able meet the 90-day reporting requirement, and subsequently fail to attest by the final October 1, 2014 deadline.

The Medicare penalty kicks in for providers who have failed to adopt EHR software within this deadline. Providers who are unable to start MU within the time bracket will be subjected to a 1% penalty of annual Medicare collections in 2015. The penalty will increase by one percent each year in following years until 2017 after which the penalties will vary depending on the percentage of eligible meaningful users. It should be noted that Medicare is taxable.

Additionally, the Medicaid incentive program will continue until 2016, after which providers will not be able to receive Medicaid benefits.

2.   Benefits for patients and practices

In addition to the legal requirements due to which providers are switching to EHR systems, there are numerous benefits for both the doctor and patient, via a switch to this system.

The clinical procedures of a practice will be made easier, safer and faster via EHR software. Features, for example, e-Labs by which orders and results can be sent and received online, respectively, save valuable time.

Patient portals allow for increased interaction with patients and allow lab results, reports and reminders to be transmitted online. This also saves time for both the practice and patient, in addition to lowering the number of visits a patient has to make to a practice.

Additionally, all the patient history and information is stored on EHR software which reduces errors, multiple tests and enhances the patient’s experience.

Other benefits of EHR systems include increased productivity, accelerated revenue cycle, enhanced compliance and lower costs.

3.   Benefits for the society

The society, as a whole, will also greatly benefit from EHR systems. The government is collecting data for research via these systems. Information on obesity, smoking trends, and other important conditions is being gathered. This information will be analyzed and worked upon to devise methods to counter these problems and to focus on preventive measures.

The article lists some of the most widely talked about benefits of EHR systems and how, on a broader front, the whole country will immensely benefit from adopting EHR software.

Cloud-based EHR best bet for Solo Physicians and Small Practices

Selecting the right technology for small practices can be a daunting task for various reasons including availability of financial and human resources and cost of technology among others. This has led to slow adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) among small practices.

The answer to their problems lies in Cloud-based EHR that allow small practices to implement the system with limited financial and human resources. Moreover, increasing number of vendors is offering this technology making the market competitive. This helps solo or small practices to shift from paper-based to electronic systems of records.

Cost-effective

Small practices do not have the capacity to make huge monetary investments in a server-based EHR that require space and IT personnel dedicated to maintenance of the system. By implementing Cloud-based EHR, providers can save huge sums of money. Also, right vendor selection can also help providers to get a suitable EHR deal.

Simple implementation process

 A smooth workflow is necessary for small practices to run their business successfully. Setting up a server room for the EHR and training the staff can take a lot of time that will result in loss of patients and revenue. On the contrary, a Cloud-based system will take less time to adopt and fully implement in practice workflows.

No maintenance hassle

While selecting the vendor, providers of small practices should ensure that they offer excellent customer support, as they are solely responsible for maintenance and upgrade of Cloud-based EHR. On one hand, this enables providers to focus entirely on their practice and patients, while on the other hand; poor customer support of the vendor will prove to be problematic.

EHR security is vendor’s responsibility

While using Cloud-based EHR, small practices don’t have to guard server rooms and ensure security of devices. Since electronic records are accessed through a browser, therefore, no information is lost if the devices are stolen or damaged. However, each provider –big or small – is responsible for implementing HIPAA laws at the practice.