Technology

Physician practices are steadily adopting electronic health records (EHRs), according to recent reports, and primary care physicians are leading the pack. More than 40% of practices now use EHRs, with more than 2,200 already having attested to meaningful use. Who are they and how did they do it?

Meaningful use incentives are a strong motivator for physicians to implement electronic health records (EHRs), but lack of funds remains the primary reason for not taking the plunge, according to a new survey. Still, practices which had stretched to buy them were highly satisfied with EHRs.

Add effective use of technology to diet, exercise and medication compliance when it comes to helping patients control their diabetes. A study found that care for patients with diabetes was appreciably improved when their physicians used electronic health records (EHRs) extensively. And lowering A1c? There?s an app for that.

Is your practice inadvertently trying to double-dip when it comes to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) incentive programs? To make sure you don?t, the agency has posted new answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about how many incentives you can receive at once. The information is complicated but useful.

A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine says that new information systems tend initially to increase malpractice risks for physician practices, largely because of unfamiliarity with the system and computer-related errors.

Respondents to the 2011 Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Medical Practice Today survey said four of the top five "considerable or extreme challenges" they face relate to operational issues.

Two information systems designed to detect Medicare and Medicaid fraud are not working as well as they should, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

EHRs may be breathing new life into the mobile personal health record market. The mobile format encourages development of applications that allow patients to manage chronic diseases, make appointments, and perform other tasks.

The interim final rule was released in early July by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is available for comment until September 6. It requires insurers to use uniform transmission formats and standardized forms when they request information or provide patients' claims and coverage information to doctors.

More than 70% of primary care and multispecialty practices are on the path to becoming Patient-Centered Medical Homes, according to a new study, and some new technology is helping them gather the patient information they need to achieve that status. Learn about some products that can help your practice conduct affordable patient surveys.

Opponents of Medicare?s sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula are hoping their YouTube video goes viral. The American Academy of Family Physicians and 10 other physician-led groups released the YouTube video as part of a coordinated effort to infect Congress with the desire to eliminate the SGR in any deficit-reduction plan. Here?s a preview.

More than 90% of medical practices responding to a recent survey said that it would be ?very? or ?extremely? burdensome to meet the requirements of the proposed ?accounting of disclosures? rule. Read more to find out what several associations are suggesting in place of that rule.

DrFirst?s release of the first application available nationwide and approved by the Drug Enforcement Agency for e-prescribing of controlled substances should make e-prescribing easier for physicians?and prescription abuse a little harder for patients. Learn more about the product and how you may no longer have to maintain a dual prescribing system?paper for controlled substances and electronic for everything else.

When it comes to technology, an apple a day does not keep the doctor away. In fact, physicians prefer Apples, as in the Apple iPad and iPhone.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gave physicians a break in its recently proposed rule on meaningful use requirements for electronic health records (EHRs). The revision would allow eligible providers (EPs) to ?continue to report clinical quality measure results as calculated by certified EHR technology by attestation? through 2012. Previously, CMS had required eligible providers (EPs) to start submitting quality measures electronically to CMS next year.

A recent study suggests that outpatient computer-generated prescriptions may be just as error-prone as your old paper versions. There is a solution to reduce mistakes, however. You can program your e-prescribing system to help you avoid common errors.

Massachusetts badly needs to contain healthcare costs, according to two new state government reports.

A proposed change to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act would give people the right to see who has electronically accessed their protected health information.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has extended the deadline to October 1 for implementing e-prescribing standards.

The technology requirements to be recognized as a PCMH now closely mirror those needed to prove "meaningful use" of health information technology under the new healthcare legislation.

Despite today's uncertain economic climate, two recent, surprising reports show that mergers and acquisitions are on the upswing.

Google Health is ailing?and the end is near. But electronic health records may be breathing life into the mobile personal health record market. Those technologies increase patient engagement, which is a benefit in both the Patient Centered Medical Home and Accountable Care Organization models of care delivery.

If you aren?t e-prescribing today, you?re facing a 1% cut in Medicare Part B payments next year and a 1.5% penalty in 2013?but there?s still time to squeeze in the required 10 e-scripts before June 30 if you act quickly. With days to go before the deadline, use these tips to implement what you have or choose an e-prescribing program you can start using right away.

When patients request copies of their electronic health records from your practice, the clock starts ticking. This Q&A gives you the new information on the minimum information required and how quickly you must provide it. Also find out why you soon may have to inform patients when their health information is viewed.

Location, location, location doesn?t just apply to real estate; it also is a factor in how Medicare calculates payments to your practice. But how accurate and consistent is that process? Not very, according to a recent Institute of Medicine Report. Find out what the IOM recommended and what they?re proposing to improve accuracy.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) wants to publicize data about the care you?re providing as a primary care physician so that consumers and business could compare your cost and quality to other providers. The claims data would be derived from both Medicare and private sector insurers. Find out more while there?s still time to influence the final rule.

Project ECHO uses telemedicine technology and care-based learning, enabling specialists at the University of New Mexico Health Science Center in Albuquerque to partner with primary care clinicians in underserved areas to deliver specialty care to patients with chronic diseases.

A decade ago, a risk management consultant in Washington State predicted that "within the next few years all clinicians will be routinely using email as a communications tool in patient care."

Understand whether meaningful use and e-prescribing incentives are based only on Medicare Part B patients.

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services mailed the first Medicare checks to physicians who had attested that they had achieved meaningful use of their electronic health records (EHRs). What effect will these payments have on you and your colleagues? Will everyone rush out to buy EHRs now or will they let this opportunity pass them by? Read on to find out.