EMR-EHRS Blog

Choosing an EHR can be complicated for any physician, but it is even more difficult for specialty clinics as most systems are geared towards primary care. Pain management practices, after all, more so than many other specialties, require EHRs geared specifically to their needs. This is due to the fact that pain specialists see patients at multiple locations and have unique workflows that can’t be easily accommodated with standard systems.

Is your practice shopping around for its first EHR or for a replacement to an under-performing system? Here are three reasons why you should consider an Ambulatory Surgery Center EHR for pain management:

1. Pain Management EHRs are designed specifically for your specialty.

At 1st Providers Choice, we aim to make physicians’ jobs easier while improving patient care. This is why we have developed EHR software with pain management specialists in mind. Not only is our EHR ready to use right out of the box – it also features templates, forms and other tools that physicians in this field rely on most. Our EHR can also be customized to match your practice’s workflow and each physician’s needs, ensuring productivity isn’t affected and that different charting styles can be accommodated.

2. They allow for easy, automated sharing of patient records.

Our Pain Management EHR’s Intelligent Exchanger utility tool allows physicians to easily pull information from one EHR database to another. This is useful for specialists who might see patients both at their practice and at an ambulatory surgery center for further treatment, as it allows them to share data between systems without a hassle. How does it work? Upon visit note sign off, you can check if your patient is part of the surgery center you typically work with. If so, you can send the visit note to the surgery center to be filed in the patient’s chart as a visit note from a referring doctor. When you’re at the surgery center with the patient, you and the staff there will be able to access those files.

3. Access to pain management EHR records is possible at any time, from anywhere.

Many EHR systems for pain management specialists allow for easy access from Internet-enabled devices – and this is certainly the case with 1st Providers Choice. Our mobile-ready, cloud-based EHR allows physicians to access their patient charts securely no matter where they are, as long as they have access to a device with an Internet connection. This is an important feature seeing as pain management specialists must often travel between their practice, ambulatory surgery centers and local hospitals to treat patients.

Interested in learning more about our ambulatory surgery center and pain management EHR, including how it could help you improve care delivery and patient outcomes? Call 480-782-1116 or contact us online.

Endocrinology and diabetology EHR software increases the efficiency of documenting patient medical records for physicians. In fact, using EHR software improves clinical documentation, ensures health records are safe and secure, and results in a faster and more effective retrieval process. Full-featured EHRs, like 1st Providers Choice’s IMS solution, can also make patients’ lives easier and result in better medical care overall by integrating with glucose devices and other self-monitoring tools.

Using recent advances in technology built into our IMS for Diabetology and Endocrinology EHR software, physicians can automatically download glucose meter results from patients’ portal glucose devices. All you have to do is connect the patient’s device to a laptop or PC running the EHR. You can then import results from the device into the EHR directly into the health record of the patient you select. Not only will your endocrinology practice save by having patient data automatically documented and analyzed, but patients will no longer have to manually keep track of this data.

At 1st Providers Choice, we have years of experience working with endocrinologists and diabetology practices. This has given us the experience necessary to implement highly successful EHR solutions. Our technology is tailored to the endocrinology specialty throughout the application, from documentation templates and custom forms and billing.

Aside from certified EHR software, we also offer fully integrated patient portal and practice management software. Practices that use our patient portal software, in addition to our endocrinology EHR, have the option of allowing patients to upload glucose readings themselves. Once approved by a member of your staff, this data can be added automatically into the patient’s EHR chart. When patients get involved in their care, everyone wins. Endocrinologists can ensure their patients’ health records are complete and accurate, allowing them to deliver better care.

Interested in learning more about how our EHR software for endocrinologists and diabetologists can benefit your practice? Call 480-782-1116 to contact us today.

Pain medicine experts and pain management EHR vendors alike will be descending on Phoenix, Arizona this year, from November 21 to 24, for the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine’s annual meeting. The 12th annual scientific and educational event will provide a variety of opportunities for attendees to network with other physicians while learning about new and innovative pain management practices and techniques.

Healthcare professionals attending ASRA Fall 2013 will be able to attend lectures, courses and workshops, with topics ranging from “Botulinum Toxin Injection for Headache” to “Complementary and Alternative Medicine.” Other new and Special Session workshops announced for the fall meeting include:

• Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Pain Medicine
• Pharmacologic Controversies in Pain Medicine: Pro-Con Debate
• Long-Term Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Pain Interventional Techniques: Pro-Con Debate
• Anticoagulation and Interventional Pain Procedures

Pain management specialists will be able to select content based on their preferred learning styles and individual educational needs. In fact, many of the workshops will be hands-on and interactive, allowing participants to practice skills on live models and/or cadavers.

ASRA Fall 2013 is also set to feature an Exhibit Hall where attendees will be able to talk to pain management and anesthesiology EHR software vendors, like 1st Providers Choice, and learn about other pain medicine-related products and services. EHR software designed specifically for the pain medicine specialty can simply workflow and improve the efficiency of many clinical and administrative processes.

To learn more about the 12th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting, click here.

About ASRA: The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine is the largest subspecialty medical society in anesthesiology. Their mission is to advance the science and practice of regional anesthesia and pain medicine by addressing the clinical and professional educational needs of physicians and scientists. Originally founded in 1923, ASRA has about 4,000 active members, including pain specialists, physicians and scientists from around world.

For behavioral health organizations the advantages of switching to a mental health EHR are many. Yet, few EHR vendors have produced a tried-and-true software solution suitable for behavioral health providers. With 1st Providers Choice, psychiatrists, psychologists, professional counselors and other mental health providers have finally found an end-to-end EHR solution that meets their extensive charting needs.

Senior PsychCare (SPC) recently implemented our mental health EHR and billing modules across its various Texas locations and has achieved improved results in billing and patient care. Their more than 60 mental health providers have benefitted from simplified workflows, more efficient documentation, customized reports, and more. Following are some of the features that SPC’s behavioral health specialists have benefitted from:

Specialized content and customization: EHR systems designed with mental health providers in mind include features that are most relevant to behavioral health specialists. The systems also allow for a high level of customization in order to meet the specific needs of providers practicing within the mental health field. For SPC, this has included specialty-specific diagnoses and treatment plans, preventative care resources and psychiatric management tools, among others.

Real-time data: With mental health-specific EHR software, providers can create reports to conduct analyses of patient progress. All it takes is a few quick mouse clicks to export the data from the EHR.

Alerts and reminders: EHR software for mental health facilities allows providers to set up daily, weekly or monthly alerts. This can be useful for following up with suicidal patients or with those taking antipsychotics with potentially harmful side effects. This has been beneficial, in SPC’s case, for treating patients at Long Term Care facilities, as they need continuous monitoring and follow-up care.

Continuity of care: SPC maintains active contact with other physicians regarding changes in their patients’ mental status, diagnostic services, psychological treatments, and medications – and EHR software allows for thorough documentation of these changes. With mental health EHR software, behavioral health specialists at SPC are also able to share visit notes with other providers responsible for their patients’ care.

Learn more about our mental health-specific EHR features. Contact us today to speak with one of our expert EHR consultants or to schedule a free demo.

About Senior PsychCare: Senior PsychCare was founded by physician and specialized psychiatrist Dr. Leo Borrell, a leader in innovative care for stress and age-related problems. SPC is affiliated with Medipsych and Senior Psychological Care of Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, and employs more than 60 mental health providers in facilities throughout these major Texas cities. SPC provides independent evaluations, psychiatric management and mental health services. They also work in collaboration with mental health programs and medical providers who lack the resources of a comprehensive team of medical health specialists.

Community health centers and federally qualified health centers (FQHC) serve more than 20 million patients each year, according to data from HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration. They provide medical care to uninsured and underinsured populations, to patients who rely on public health programs for assistance, and to those living in medically underserved parts of the country. These health centers are integral to the nation’s healthcare system, yet they often lack the resources to adopt new technologies that can improve care quality and patient safety, increase efficiency, and reduce costs.

Electronic medical record software is one technology that can help FQHCs further their commitment to providing high-quality patient care. An EMR for community health centers can make it easier to integrate clinical, financial and administrative information; it can help improve health outcomes; and it can facilitate administrative processes. Despite this, health centers are slower to adopt EMR systems than other providers.

Barriers to Adoption

There are several reasons why health centers lag behind other organizations in adopting EMR systems. Some of the factors providers cite most include:

• A lack of funds
• Concerns about loss of productivity or income
• Inability to integrate the EMR with the center’s billing system
• Software does not meet the center’s reporting needs

Implementation Strategies

Despite these roadblocks, it is possible for community health centers to purchase and implement an EMR – and many more are doing so. In order to prepare for implementation, health centers should first ask themselves why they need an EMR and whether their organization is ready for one. They should then conduct extensive research into costs, EMR requirements, preparation time, and whether to seek outside help for the implementation process.

The next step is selecting an EMR and making sure that it meets the health center’s needs. This should be done after the organization has identified the functions that are crucial to their center and the software systems that will need to interface with their new EMR.

Health IT consultants can be beneficial for the installation and initial setup phase, and many technicians may even work for a reduced fee in order to accommodate the health center’s budget. Physician can look for IT technicians working with Regional Extension Centers, in addition to federal grants and funding that can assist with the adoption of an EMR.

IMS EMR for Community Health Centers

Due to our unique approach to EMR software for FQCHs, providers working a health centers nationwide are able to improve care delivery and make a significant difference in the lives of their patients. Our EMR solution is cost-effective, easy to learn and use, and designed specifically with community health centers in mind. In fact, community health centers that use our EMR achieve improvements in patient care through:

• Real-time access to patient information
• Better care coordination across multiple sites
• Improved chronic disease and medication management
• Enhanced quality assurance
• Health information exchange capabilities

Interested in learning more about our EMR for community health centers and FQHCs? Contact us online or call 480-782-1116 to request more information.

Denied claims are a large source of lost revenue for many healthcare organizations. Yet, physician practices often lack the resources to process them in a timely fashion. It is important for claims to be submitted accurately and error-free the first time around, to avoid revenue cycle setbacks and ensure timely reimbursement. One way to accomplish this is by using a medical billing or electronic claims scrubbing EMR.

Claims scrubbers analyze the data attached to a claim to ensure that all required data is present before the claims is submitted to the payer. This includes patient demographics, insurance information, procedure and diagnosis codes, and date of service. It is important to note, however, that not all claims scrubbers offer the same features and functionalities. In fact, while a basic claims scrubber might check that certain fields are filled out on the claim, it might not verify the accuracy of the entered data. Therefore, it is important to use a claims scrubbing system with advanced capabilities.

It is also helpful to rely on software that uses the same tools as the major insurance carriers, meaning that if a payer’s tool is updated your practice gets the same update as well. This allows healthcare professionals to fully identify errors that an insurance carrier might catch, thus avoiding a delay in payment.

With 1st Providers Choice’s Advanced Clinical Editing electronic claims software, not only can billing staff submit clean claims the first time, reducing denials and rejections and increasing revenue, but partially-billed procedures can also be corrected in order to ensure maximum reimbursement. Through automated alerts, staff can be notified when edits might be necessary, and they can also review any guidelines and regulations that may have triggered the alerts.

Additional features and benefits of our advanced claims scrubbing software:

• Integrate superior clinical editing features into existing claims management workflow
• Actively track, control and prevent denied claims
• Streamline claims editing with our extensive knowledgebase of coding relationships (from commercial payers to Medicare)
• View multiple claims rules on the same screen
• Increase efficiency and revenue with electronic billing

For more information about our electronic claims practice management software and how it might benefit your healthcare organization, contact us at 480-782-1116.

Big changes have been happening in the healthcare industry in the last few years, revolutionizing the care delivery process, the role that patients play in their care, and how medical records are stored and managed. With all of these changes taking place recently it should come as no surprise that 2014 is poised to be another important year, not only for podiatrists but for all doctors. Physicians will finally be able to start attesting to Stage 2 of the Meaningful Use program on January 1st, for one, meanwhile undertaking preparations to meet the October 1, 2014 deadline to switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 diagnosis and procedure coding.

For podiatrists, using fully integrated podiatry EHR software will make it easier to affront the many challenges that next year will bring. Here’s a run-down of some of the more important things your practice should prepare for as 2014 draws near:

Attesting to Meaningful Use In 2014

The EHR Incentive Programs have been around for about two years now, and slowly but surely healthcare professionals have gotten the hang of the attestation process. If you are a Meaningful Use veteran in your second, third, or even fourth year of participation, you may have already grown accustomed to the full year reporting periods which are required for Stage 1 after the first year of attestation.

Next year, however, is going to be different as eligible hospitals and healthcare professionals can get started with Stage 2. In 2014 only, all providers – regardless of what stage they are on – are required to demonstrate meaningful use for just 3 months (90 days). The purpose of the universal 3-month reporting period in 2014 is to give all healthcare professionals time to implement and/or upgrade their certified electronic health record software to meet meaningful use requirements going forward.

For podiatrists participating in the Medicare program, the reporting period is fixed to the quarter of either the calendar year (for eligible providers) or fiscal year (for hospitals and critical access hospitals). This is not the case for those participating in the Medicaid program only.

If you are new to Meaningful Use, make sure you decide ahead of time which program you are going to participate in – and find out when you can start the reporting process. If you are ready to move on to Stage 2, check with your EHR vendor to make sure your podiatry EHR software meets the Stage 2 requirements.

Preparing for ICD-10

Getting your podiatry practice ready for 2014 means making the necessary preparations to switch to ICD-10 before October 1st. Though the CEO of the Medical Group Management Association referred to ICD-10 as one of the most expensive and complicated changes the healthcare industry has faced in decades, with proper planning the transition doesn’t have to be so overwhelming. If your practice is already using ICD-10 ready practice management software for podiatry together with a podiatry EHR, the only thing you will have to worry about is getting accustomed to the new codes. Like with any new change, this will happen with patience over time.

Interested in learning more about our podiatry EHR software, Meaningful Use, or ICD-10 preparations and its potential costs? Call 480-782-1116 or contact us online to talk to one of our representatives today!

Ophthalmology is a unique branch of medicine that differs greatly from other specialties. It requires the use of electronic medical record software with ultra-specific capabilities that generic, multi-specialty systems simply cannot provide. Ophthalmology EHR vendors are better positioned to meet the needs of physicians in this field, as they often employ specialty-specific teams with a better understanding of ophthalmology practice requirements and workflow.

At 1st Providers Choice, we work closely with specialty-specific professionals, such as ophthalmic assistants, to gain insight into the documentation needs of providers in this field. We also maintain regular involvement with ophthalmic and optometric organizations to keep abreast of constant changes and advancements.

Aside from providing key, specialty-specific EHR features and templates, our ophthalmology EHR software focuses on three important characteristics:

1. The ability to handle large image files efficiently.

Ophthalmologists frequently work with high-resolution images of patients’ eyes, and they need to be able to store and access these images without any system lag. Web-based EHR software easily makes this possible, as heavy files are not clogging up one single server. Ophthalmologists can quickly import eye images to their patients’ health records or open existing images for review. Physicians with physical servers may choose to purchase a separate server for their image files in order to prevent system lag.

2. The ability to easily record drawings of the eye.

Ophthalmologists often need to record aspects of their patients’ eye examinations with color drawings – and new technology facilitates the inclusion of these drawings in electronic medical record software. Most programs allow physicians to draw a picture, often with the use of a drawing pad, which can then be annotated by drawing arrows that point to corresponding text. Visual findings can be documented with minimal effort and inserted into the appropriate patient’s chart.

3. The ability to connect seamlessly to medical and ophthalmology devices.

Seamless integration with medical equipment, such as cameras and visual field units, can save ophthalmologists a great deal of time by ensuring that data gets to where it needs to go – in the corresponding patient’s health record – without creating extra work for the physician. We have set up interfaces with most major medical devices and have also worked with ophthalmologists to establish custom interfaces with lesser-known equipment.

Interested in learning more about our ophthalmology EHR features? Contact us today at 480-782-1116.

Though electronic health record software is relatively new to health care, voice recognition software has been around for quite some time. In the past, healthcare professionals used the software to dictate notes when charting on paper, and the notes eventually made it into patients’ charts with the help of medical transcriptionists. With EHR software, however, things have changed.

Most EHR systems, for example, now include a voice recognition feature – and its capabilities are much more advanced than they were even a few short years ago. In the past, when the software produced a block of text, it had to read carefully and edited for spelling and grammatical errors and other inconsistencies. Today’s voice recognition software, however, is much more complete. It includes medical vocabularies for multiple specialties, and it can learn speech patterns, voices and inflections.

Doctors are able to use speech recognition software to document patient data in real time, eliminating the middle man and saving time. Instead of dictating notes for a transcriptionist, for example, physicians can simply talk into a mic and see their notes in front of them on the screen, already in the patient’s chart. This helps ensure that EHR software records are kept up to date and that the most accurate information is being saved in each patient’s chart at the time of the encounter.

Aside from allowing doctors to add free text into patients’ charts, voice recognition software also allows healthcare professionals to perform other tasks. This includes selecting items from drop down menus within the EHR and navigating through other options within visit templates and EHR menus and screens. This not only makes documenting patient visit easier, but adds to the ease of use of electronic health record software.

Are you considering switching to an EHR and looking for a software system with voice recognition capabilities? Learn about the cost and time-saving benefits of medical speech recognition software by contacting us online today.

Adopting EHR software can modify provider workflow and charting processes. This means that healthcare professionals must strategically implement the new technology in order to provide high quality care without affecting productivity. What providers often fail to take into account, however, is that patients must also get used to the EHR’s presence in the exam room. Therefore, providers must implement the software in a way that does not affect patient satisfaction.

Here are a few ways that physicians can use their EHR software to improve the doctor-patient relationship.

Use the Chart View screen to review the patient’s medical history. Doing so before entering the exam room will allow you to interact with the patient straightaway without having to go straight to the computer. 1st Providers Choice’s Chart View menu provides physicians with important patient information, such as:

• Problem list
• Chronic conditions
• Past and current medications
• Patient allergies
• Family and social histories

Engage the patient in the visit by explaining how the EHR software is being used. Though most patients aren’t wary of what their doctor is doing, too much time spent typing can make the visit feel impersonal and the patient feel neglected. Instead of having the patient wait while you send out a prescription electronically or transmit a lab order through the EHR, involve them in the process and show them what you are doing. After you type visit notes into the EHR, let the patient know that they can view their visit summaries through your practice’s online patient healthcare portal.

Make sure your computer is positioned in a way that is easy for the patient to view. This is critical if you plan to show the patient test results in the EHR or demonstrate how an e-prescription is sent. It is also important in order to prevent the computer from becoming an obstacle that hinders free-flowing communication. Instead of positioning your EHR-enabled computer on a desk between you and the patient, put it somewhere that the patient can easily see.

To learn more about our EHR software solutions and how they can benefit your practice, call 480-782-1116 or contact us online.