EMR-EHRS Blog

The American Pain Society will be holding their 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Florida this year from April 30-May 3 – and 1st Providers Choice will be attending as a Pain Management EHR software exhibitor.

The meeting will include exhibits, lectures, special interest group meetings, symposia sessions, and much more. This year’s lecture lineup promises not to disappoint, with topics ranging from “Pain in Infants, Children, and Adolescents” to “There Is an App for That: Using Mobile Technology to Improve Chronic Pain.”

Conference attendees will be able to interact with the best and brightest in pain research, translate scientific discoveries into clinical practice, network with colleagues, learn policy issues that directly affect them, discuss their own research and clinical observations, and visit an extensive number of exhibiting companies featuring pain management products, including EHR software.

1st Providers Choice will be exhibiting their Pain Management EHR and Ambulatory Surgery Center EHR software and Practice Management solution in Booth #410. Their EHR is 2014 Edition certified and provides a full range of solutions, including an online Healthcare Portal, to help physicians meet Meaningful Use.

Podiatry EHR software provider 1st Providers Choice is proud to announce that they will be attending this year’s Valley of the Sun Podiatry Conference as an EHR exhibitor. Co-sponsored by the Podiatry Institute and the Arizona Podiatric Medical Association, the 2014 conference is being held in Phoenix, Arizona from April 24-27.

Among the list of interesting topics that will be presented at the conference by various highly-respected and well-known doctors of podiatric medicine are: Surgical Treatment of Advanced Forefoot Deformity, Innovations in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, Dislocating Personnel Tendons- Reliable Repair Techniques, the Role of Advanced Biologics in Wound Care, Syndesmosis Repair, and more.

There will also be several hands-on workshops featuring latest techniques and technologies including topics as such as: Ankle Foot Orthotics- Controlling the Uncontrollable Foot, Navigating the Challenges of MRSA Infected Wounds, and Treating Complex Hallux Valgus Deformities.

All these lectures, workshops, and education sessions will help educate conference attendees to better understand the various updates and strategies in would care, surgical approaches to complications and revision surgery.

Healthcare professionals will also have several opportunities to meet with podiatry EHR vendors and other companies showcasing their podiatry-related products. 1st Providers Choice will be exhibiting their EHR and practice management software. Some of the features of our podiatry EHR software include:

• Podiatry-specific exam and procedure templates, letters and forms
• Billing codes specific to podiatry (ICD-9, ICD-10, CPT)
• Pre-loaded reports and ability to create custom reports
• Image library with hundreds of foot-related diagrams
• Client-server and web-based hosting options
• Extensive drug formulary database
• Ability to e-prescribe controlled substances
• Meaningful Use Stage 2 certified

To learn more about the conference, click here. We hope to see you all in Phoenix!

Healthcare providers can breathe a sigh of relief. Implementation of ICD-10 code sets has been delayed another year thanks to a bill passed in the Senate on March 31. The controversial Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, which passed with a vote of 64 to 35, has pushed the compliance deadline to October 1, 2015.

The U.S. is one of only a handful of developed countries that is not yet using ICD-10 code sets, which are said to be more accurate and precise. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is set to release ICD-11 codes in 2017 – just two years after healthcare organizations in America will have started using ICD-10.

Industry response to the ICD-10 delay has been varied thus far. Many organizations have expressed satisfaction with the extra time it gives them to prepare internally for the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 – on top of the other changes that they have had to implement, including installing EMR software.

Others have criticized the delay stating that hospitals and healthcare organizations have already invested a lot of time and money in order to achieve compliance this year. Additionally, according to AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association), a one year ICD-10 delay could cost between $1 billion to $6.6 billion.

Preparing for ICD-10 Ahead of Time

The ICD-10 extension, however, does not mean that physicians and healthcare organizations can put off thinking about upgrade requirements for another year. Preparing for ICD-10 requires extensive planning to ensure that different systems, like billing and practice management software, can all work together to submit claims accurately, allowing providers to get paid.

Those who have not yet started ICD-10 preparations will now have more time to work with software vendors and clearinghouses to ensure compliance, while those already prepared for the transition can continue getting educated on the new code sets and how the transition will affect billing and coding processes.

1st Providers Choice’s 2014 ONC fully certified EMR and Practice Management software is ICD-10 ready. We can help your practice get through a seamless transition. To learn more about our software solutions call 480-782-1116 today!

The EHR Incentive Program has been around for several years now, and few healthcare providers are unfamiliar with Meaningful Use and all it entails. The program main draw is the stimulus payments that physicians can qualify for each year by successfully adopting, implementing, upgrading or demonstrating meaningful use of certified EHR technology.

Starting this year, qualifying for incentive payments requires using 2014 Edition certified software. This means that physicians must attest to Meaningful Use using an EHR solution that has proven through extensive testing that it is capable of supporting requirements for both Stage 1 and 2, including electronic health information exchange, interoperability and patient engagement.

In order to accommodate physicians whose EHR vendors have not yet achieved Stage 2 certification, CMS and the ONC decided that in 2014 only all Meaningful Use participants will report for just 90 days – regardless of whether the physician is in their first year of Stage 1 or already getting started on Stage 2. This means that healthcare professionals can begin their Meaningful Use reporting this year as late as October 1, 2014. Physicians are warned, however, not to wait until the last minute to get started.

1st Providers Choice understands physicians’ concerns, and we want our users to start the reporting process early. That’s why we worked hard to get certified for Stage 2. Our EHR software and Patient Healthcare Portal solution are both 2014 ONC Stage 2 Certified, allowing physicians to start their 90-day reporting period immediately.

To help you achieve your goals, we assign a Meaningful Use expert to your practice. They guide you through the reporting process and show you how to use the EHR’s Meaningful Use dashboard to keep track of your progress. Our trainers also work with you to go over using drug formularies, setting up lab interfaces, e-prescribing controlled substances, and using the patient portal to achieve Meaningful Use.

Our patient portal makes it easy for physicians to meet the following patient engagement requirements:

• Provide online access to health information to more than 50% of all unique patients (who were seen by you during the reporting period) within 4 business days.
• Have 5% of all unique patients view their health information online, download it, or transmit it to a third party.
• Have 5% of unique patients (who were seen by you during the reporting period) send you a secure message.

1st Providers Choice has also made the necessary upgrades to ensure our EHR is up to date and our Practice Management software is ready for ICD-10. We have already begun testing our software with insurance payers and clearing houses to ensure a smooth transition to ICD-10 for hospitals and physician practices.

Interested in learning more about fully certified EHR software? Call 480-782-1116 today!

The Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association (AOMA) will be hosting its 92nd annual convention next month, from April 9-13 in Scottsdale, Arizona – and 1st Providers Choice is attending to showcase their Family Medicine EHR software. The 1st Providers team had tremendous success at last year’s meeting, and we are excited to meet with doctors again this year.

1st Providers Choice understands the unique challenges that osteopaths face, especially when it comes to clinical documentation. That’s why we have designed an EHR that is easy to use and that can adapt to the requirements of this specialty. In fact, our EHR software allows osteopaths and family medicine health professionals to provide more accurate and efficient care to patients, all the while reducing costs.

With tools like e-prescribing, patient portal integration, lab tracking, appointment reminders and more, 1st Providers Choice’s EHR is the ideal choice for osteopathic medicine providers. To learn more about our EHR software, find our booth at the AOMA convention, speak with a member of our team, and view a free demo.

In addition to hosting EHR vendors and other software exhibitors, the AOMA conference will cover a variety of topics ranging from personalized medicine to obesity basic medical treatment. To see a full schedule of events at the AOMA meeting.

Anesthesiologists, pain medicine professionals, and pain management EHR vendors will be congregating in Chicago, IL this year from April 3-6 for the 39th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting. Hosted by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the meeting is set to cover interesting topics, provide innovative teaching opportunities, and give providers unsurpassed access to industry experts.

The meeting is a highly anticipated event for pain medicine professionals, as it provides informative educational sessions, great networking opportunities, and access to dozens of pain medicine software vendors. 1st Providers Choice will be exhibiting their Pain Management EHR software and Anesthesiology EHR software at the conference in Booth #215.

Healthcare professionals attending the spring meeting will be taking active roles in workshops, refresher course lectures, and PBLD sessions. Because of its outstanding popularity during the fall meeting, the simulation-based crisis management and ultrasound-guided perineural catheter insertion workshop will be available to all participants.

Other new and special session workshops for the spring meeting include:

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Regional anesthesia in the era of the Affordable Care Act
• Prevention of acute to chronic pain
• Risk factors for neurologic injury

A portion of the meeting will also be devoted to the highly anticipated update of the ASRA Anticoagulation Consensus Statement, which addresses the new oral anti-thrombotic and anti-platelet agents. To learn more about the annual meeting, click here.

Will you be in Chicago next month for the conference? Don’t forget to stop by Booth #215 to learn more about our EHR software for pain medicine and fully integrated ICD-10 ready practice management solution.

The American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) is holding their 30th annual Pain Medicine conference this March, titled the Emerging Science & Research of Pain Medicine – and 1st Providers Choice is proud to announce that our Pain Management EHR team will be in attendance.

The conference will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona from March 6 to 9, with preconference sessions beginning on March 5. Physicians attending the APM Annual Meeting’s various sessions will have the possibility to earn up to 32.25 Continuing Medical Education credits.

Sessions will cover topics including the improvement of pain treatment protocols, pain medicine education initiatives, and more. The following are a few of the stand-out sessions:

• Improving Pain Treatment Protocols: AAPM and the FDA Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION) Initiative
• Updates in Chronic Pain Management in the Adolescent Population
• Square Pegs in Round Holes? Do Clinical Treatment Guidelines Fit Our Patients’ Treatment Needs?
• Advancing the Practice of Battlefield (Auricular) Acupuncture

Held as a way to promote continuing education in pain medicine and professional networking, the AAPM Annual Meeting will also feature an exhibit space for more than 100 pain treatment products and services, including pain management EHR software from 1st Providers Choice. It will be a great opportunity for pain management and pain medicine specialists to learn more about electronic health record software and how implementing it can reduce operating costs and improve care.

To request a FREE demo of our EHR for pain medicine or fully integrated ICD-10 ready practice management software call 480-782-1116. You can also stop by Booth #100 at the AAPM Annual Meeting to talk with one of our EHR specialists. For more information about the conference and session descriptions, click here.

About the AAPM: The American Academy of Pain Medicine is the premiere association for pain physicians and their treatment teams. The 2104 conference is a celebration of the organization’s 30 years of pain medicine and the better and safer management of pain.

The selection process to find the ideal EHR software takes time, but choosing the right system can result in improved patient care, increased efficiency and reduced costs. This is why it is important to define your practice’s needs before starting your search, to research vendors thoroughly, and to understand how an EHR might benefit you in the long run. Though there are many questions you should ask yourself before you start examining your options, these four fundamentals are a good place to get started:

1. Think about what makes your practice unique.

To choose the right EHR for your practice, you first need to determine what makes it different from the average healthcare organization. Is your specialty uncommon? Does your workflow differ greatly from other clinics? Do you use an old billing system that might not be easy to integrate with a new EHR? If you take the time to think about your practice and how it operates, it will be easier for you to come up with questions to ask potential EHR partners. The more thorough your questions and research, the more likely you will be to end up with the right EHR.

2. Get to know the EHR vendor.

Researching an EHR system to ensure that it meets all of your practice’s needs is important, but you also want to make sure that you do your homework and get to know the EHR vendor. Once your electronic medical record system is installed, is the vendor going to be there to help you customize the software? Will their training and support team help make sure you make it to your “go live” date and that your staff is adequately prepared? The relationship with your vendor is ongoing, so make sure that they are people you want to work with.

3. Consider the importance of mobile-ready EHR software.

More and more doctors want to use their smartphones to connect to their EHR, yet few electronic medical record systems provide this useful capability. Whether your have the need for this feature now or think you might in the future, make sure the EHR vendor you partner with provides software that is mobile compatible. Being able to access patient records on-the-can help you respond to patient requests, view scheduled appointments, and monitor important test results for critical patients even when you are out of the office.

4. Choose an EHR that will grow with your organization.

Mobile capabilities aside, there are many other EHR features that few systems have but that are likely to be the norm in coming years. Patient portal software, for example, is gaining importance as providers prepare for Meaningful Use Stage 2. Even if you are not participating in Meaningful Use and have no plans to in the future, you will eventually want a patient portal to meet patient demands. If you don’t want to use that feature quite yet, you can always ask your EHR vendor if you have the option to add it in the future. EHRs that can be customized, that easily adapt to changes in workflow, and that can interface with other software tend to be systems that make physicians happier long-term.

Call 480-782-1116 or contact us online to learn more about our certified, mobile-ready EHR software.

Times are changing in the medical field, and it’s not hard to see why. Modern technology has brought about a myriad of benefits, facilitating higher efficiency, accuracy and convenience for both doctors and patients alike. Through the use of mental health EHR software, for example, psychiatrists are now providing patients with easy access to their health records and tests, online scheduling, and more. New technologies are also helping reduce costs for providers and patients and, more importantly, they are helping to improve care delivery and treatment outcomes.

By using EHR-integrated patient portal software, mental health professionals are able to provide their patients a safe place to answer sensitive questions. Being able to answer personal questions in a non-threatening environment (and knowing that their information is kept confidential and secure) allows patients to really open up. Additionally, filling this information out online before a scheduled appointment reduces waiting time for the patient, while simultaneously giving medical staff extra time to address the patient’s questions and concerns about specific things they may have trouble understanding. It also gives providers the data they need to make accurate diagnoses.

Patient portal solutions, when used together with EHR software for psychiatry or mental health, also allow patients take advantage of convenient features such as online scheduling and bill pay, e-consultations, and easy medication refill requests. In addition to this, psychiatry EHRs can be customized to meet the unique needs of mental health patients by allowing them to list out their health issues before their appointment, on their own time, eliminating unnecessary stress.

Not only do online healthcare portals increase efficiency and patient customization, they also reduce costs for the provider. Some aspects of online portals that cut IT and administrative costs at the benefit of the patient include the ability to:

• Add patient demographics before initial appointment and update them anytime.
• Add and update billing and insurance information.
• Input current medications.
• Enter past medical history and family history.
• Fill out part of the subjective note for the provider.
• Send secure messages to the provider.
• View documents, immunizations, and labs.
• Update and monitor vital signs.
• View care plans.
• Complete intake forms.
• View statements and pay bills online.
• Request appointments without making a phone call.
• Request prescription refills online.
• Access patient education resources.
• Check for authorizations and referrals.

Keeping customer service as the primary focus in medical care, we provide an optimal solution to lowering costs while increasing comfort and convenience. Our psychiatric EHR software is fully certified and HIPAA compliant, ensuring patient information is kept confidential, strictly between the patient and provider.

Call 480-782-1116 to learn more about our leading health IT solutions.

Our Electronic Health Record software is one of the most trusted, well-designed specialty healthcare products in the market today. Not only is it a secure, full-featured electronic medical records system, but it is also fully integrated with a multitude of useful medical management office modules that improve the workflow of your practice. See how our Electronic Health Record software can help your practice improve care quality for patients, reduce risk, cut costs, and increase revenue.

Click here to watch a video about our fully certified EHR software. Call 480-782 -1116 or contact us online to learn more.