Task specification, phased approach can help small practices adopt EHRs

Small practices that are just now preparing to adopt an electronic health record system may be slightly behind the curve when it comes to industry-wide rates of implementation, but meaningful use incentives are still out there for the taking.

Clear assessment of business goals key to successful EHR system change

There are times when an electronic health record system just does not cut it when it comes to performing as part of a business.

Scribes can ease burden of data entry for physicians

Reaction on the widespread implementation of electronic health records continues to roll in with many studies and reports focused on quantifying the impact that EHR systems have when it comes to identifying undiagnosed conditions that may otherwise be missed without interoperable stores of medical data.

Small practices driving increase in EHR usage rates

Small practices traditionally have not had access to the vast resources and time management process available to large organizations that make electronic health record system implementation a much smoother process.

Sepsis onset, mortality rates predicted by EHR information

When patients are admitted to a hospital for a procedure, the expectation is that only the condition in question will require treatment.

EHR information stored in HIEs reduces ER admissions 30 percent

Meaningful use requirements are increasingly expected to prompt more practical use of electronic health record systems as the rote implementation guidelines of stage 1 are expanded upon with the more comprehensive ones of stage 2.

CMS disburses almost $23 billion in meaningful use incentives

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' meaningful use program has been criticized heavily in recent months for the amount of extra work it has placed onto the shoulders of medical practices across the country.

Executives say EHR information breaches caused by employees, lost devices

The patient data stored in electronic health information records can benefit physicians through on-site examinations and screenings for potential conditions, but the true value of EHR systems relies on their ability to communicate across provider networks.

At-risk lung cancer patients identified by EHR screening

At times, meaningful use requirements can seem like busy work blindly focused on attesting for incentive payments, but with increasing frequency, electronic health records are being used in ways that increase the potential of physicians to administer effective treatment.

Secure EHR systems can help avoid data breaches, HIPAA fines

Data breaches can be health care IT professionals' worst nightmare.

Stage 2 requirements should be approached holistically

Now that stage 2 of meaningful use is well under way, some health care professionals are wondering how they can optimize their response to the next phase of the industry-wide transition to electronic health records.

With CMIOs, physicians can put focus back on patient

The health care industry's focus during this year's Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference may have fallen on the battle over meaningful use and ICD-10 between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and various groups, such as the American Medical Association and American Hospital Association.

EHR analytics improve off-label drug use tracking

While physicians have a variety of tools at their disposal to treat the myriad conditions they see each day, sometimes they prescribe drugs against the explicit meaning behind their development.

Massachusetts physicians could lose licenses without EMR certification

Ever since electronic medical records were introduced to the health care industry, professionals from front-line physicians to high-level administrators have worked to satisfy the requirements of meaningful use stage 2 requirements in order to qualify for incentive payments.

CMS agrees on end-to-end testing for ICD-10

It was not an easy fight for vocal opponents of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' testing program for ICD-10, but after several highly publicized letters and charged criticism, the CMS has given way and agreed to exhaustive end-to-end testing of their and providers' systems for the new medical billing processes.

EHRs may help patients stick to medication schedules

As is the case with any new technology adopted into the medical industry, true value rests in its ability to improve patients' quality of care.

Physicians not skeptical of EHRs’ potential

Ever since the mandated implementation of electronic health records systems into medical practices large and small, there has been industry-wide pushback against the encroaching technology.

Physicians are willing to work hard for smoother ICD-10, EHR transition

Much has been made about the troubles surrounding the transition to ICD-10, and while electronic health records are here to stay, there is serious doubt within the community of physicians that the changeover from the relatively paltry amount of codes in the current system will produce a net benefit for medical professionals.