In my opinion, (and without taking sides of the political table), the jury is still out on whether or not ObamaCare is a good thing or not. From a consumer standpoint, the rise in costs is certainly not a good thing. While I understand that health plans now have to cover more conditions/illnesses than they did before since ObamaCare eliminates pre-existing conditions and that might be why the cost is going up,
November 7, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
Having an electronic health record (EHR) system that works for you is more important now than ever. If you are unhappy with your current EHR technology, you are not alone as, according to IDC Health Insights’ and MedData Group’s EHR Satisfaction Survey, 58% of ambulatory users are very dissatisfied, dissatisfied or neutral about EHR technology.
November 4, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
Patients of Dr. Nisar A. Quraishi, an internist in with a private practice in Jersey City, NJ may have had their medical records stolen and are now potential victims of identity theft. Patients who have seem Dr. Quraishi between 1982 and 2009 have had their records stored in a shed behind the office and just last week this shed was broken into and records stolen.
October 30, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
It seems like voice recognition should be a standard in EHR systems given the fact that physicians are ‘familiar’ with the mechanics of it as they have always dictated reports. But some of the barriers are the integration with many EHR systems, the large amount of clicking to get to the text boxes,
October 27, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
Many EHR systems are falling short of user expectations and this is leading to many switching to new solutions. Some of the main reasons for dissatisfaction are that many vendors have fallen short with updates, that customer support has been lackluster, and that some systems are cost prohibitive. Polls by Black Book Rankings had found that as many as 17% of EHR users were set to switch systems and a KLAS (an independently owned and operated company,
October 22, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
ICD-10 compliance is now less than a year away and a Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) survey showed that larger groups and facilities are being proactive while others seems to be taking their time (survey included over 500 responses from providers, vendors and health plans.) The delay in enacting ICD-10 negatively affected provider progress and WEDI Chairman Jim Daley stated that unless all stakeholders make a “dedicated effort”
October 17, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
In June Sylvia Mathews Burwell was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Just recently, the Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS), which represents 57,000 health IT professionals, sent a letter to Health and Human Services requesting that the agency adjust the meaningful use reporting period to a single three-month quarterly requirement vs.
October 15, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS.gov) recently updated their ‘Payment Adjustments & Hardship Exceptions Tipsheet for Eligible Professionals’. The information pertains to Medicare Eligible Professionals who are not meaningful users of Certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) and the payment adjustments that will be applied beginning January 1, 2015. Meaningful use is using certified electronic health record (EHR) technology to: improve quality,
October 9, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
On June 2nd, Apple Inc. announced its HealthKit platform, “a single place that applications can contribute to a composite profile of your activity and health.” Along with Samsung’s SAMI (Samsung Architecture for Multimodal Interactions) and Google’s anticipated Google Fit, HealthKit holds out the promise of having one’s pertinent health information available anywhere, anytime.
June 17, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
In today’s landscape of medical practice changes, doctors managing private practices have many things to overcome, including the expansive changes due to Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act). Add to these changes increasing costs and changes in payment rates, and one can see why some doctors are throwing up their hands and turning to hospital buyouts and hospital employment to help manage costs.
March 25, 2014 | By Lawrence G |
