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Infographics: Physicians Going ‘Tabletized’ to Access EHRs

October 1, 2013 by Ango Mark Leave a Comment

Physicians EHR

 

The E-gadget Backdrop

The mobile gadget revolution in the healthcare arena is at the cusp of ‘tabletization’, according to a string of new reports. Clinicians are increasingly using their mobile devices, especially tablets at practices for the rapid, secure and amicable electronic health records’ (EHRs’) usage, storage and exchange.

Insights into the Penchant for Tablets

It’s a trendy ‘spectator sport’ among new practices and the mobile purveyors to fathom why physicians are utilizing their tablets. Two recent reports, “Mobile Usage in the Medical Space 2013″ and “Tablet Usage by Physicians 2013″ from American EHR Partners based on the survey of about 1,400 physicians, underscored that tablets are more useful than smartphones for doctors using EHRs.

The doctors use their tablets in the clinical settings for performing the following activities :

  • 1. Sending and receiving e-mails (52.4 percent);
  • 2. Accessing electronic health records (EHRs) (50.6 percent);
  • 3. Retrieving diagnostic information (41.7 percent);
  • 4. Research data about drugs (33.3 percent);
  • 5. Keeping abreast with medical field through journals and articles (29.8 percent).

Snapshots on Tablet Usage in Healthcare Space

  • 1. Physicians use Epocrates®, Medscape®, Up To Date®, MedCalc®, and Skyscape® as the top five tablet apps in their medical practices.
  • 2. Smaller enterprises, with three doctors or less, are expected to carry out an extensive range of bustles on their tablet, such as banking, patients’ correspondence, or taking snaps for medical research, etc.
  • 3. One-third of EHR users and one-quarter of non-EHR users prefer a tablet gadget in their clinical practice.
  • 4. The users of EHR are hanging about 25 hours per week on their tablet device, with a better portion of time used up on business (59 percent) than for personal points (41%).
  • 5. With an increased clinical and healthcare research funding, the research about medications is escalating. About 33 percent of EHR users employ a tablet to research medications every day.
  • 6. About 70 percent of the physicians are tablet users who access EHR through password.
  • 7. More than 32 percent have installed device tracker apps on their tablets, so as to remotely clear all data on their tablet – if misplaced or stolen.

 Tablet- Benefits Overwhelm !

  • A. Though smartphones and tablets are competitively used by physicians, most physicians are feeling convenient with the EHR access on a portable, wider screen as in tablets.
  • B. Making video calls to interact with patients for research, feedback and patient services is much easier and pleasing with this device.
  • C. During business meetings and even during special patient encounters, this is a great instrument to scribble upon.

  Contact MedicalBillingStar to know about the recent healthcare trends in gadget landscape !

Filed Under: EHR, physicians Tagged With: EHR Billing Company, EHR billing services, EHR users, healthcare information technology, mobile apps, mobile health, physicians EHR, tablet

Infographics: Eradicating Impediments In Medical Claims Reimbursements

July 23, 2013 by Paul Martin Leave a Comment

Physician Reimbursement Facts For 2014

Existing turbulent healthcare industry scenario :

In the current turbulent economy-ridden environment healthcare providers and physicians are not able to precisely and correctly claim the actual reimbursements of expenses incurred for  diagnostic and treatment purposes from the insurance agencies, resulting in loss of revenue, profitability, incorrect claims, delayed claims, missing out on claims, the main reason being that they are not fully equipped to provide precise diagnostic and treatment documentation, backed by capturing the correct medical codes for medical billing. The physicians do not have the time to oversee capturing the correct medical codes and medical billing procedures as they have to focus on their core competency of diagnosis and treatment as first priority.

Vital issues compounding the problems :

Healthcare professionals are constantly under pressure due to increased patient/financial constraints and regulatory pressures, forecasting a doomsday for medical services.  This situation is worsened further due to federal regulations that advocate improved, affordable healthcare services without comprising on quality issues even under the present economic scenario where the inputs for provision of healthcare services are experiencing spirally increased costs. To further complicate the issue, in-house administrative personal are not inadequately trained, inexperienced and lack the requisite expertise in medical coding and billing, as well as thorough and accurate clinical documentation.

The physicians would like to spend most of their time and efforts by focusing on core issues of diagnosis and treatment, rather than diverting their resources and energies over the nuances of managing and monitoring their   to maximize revenue. Rather than have in-house medical coding and billing services, it pays to opt for outsourcing or right sourcing the billing services to established and experienced vendors. There is a dire need for in-house analysis of existing problems, solutions, future trends, and remedial measures.

The situation will further worsen in the near future since presently health care reforms are under way with focus on affordable health coverage and quality. 

Medical Reimbursement Problems faced by Health Providers :

  1. Insufficient knowledge or experience in medical coding and billing
  2. Lack of training in medical coding and billing
  3. Physicians using In-house medical coders and billers have to feel the consequences by struggling with inexperienced coders straight out of college
  4. These billers and coders fail to cope up with evolving coding and billing guidelines, for medical procedures, and stay abreast with the latest procedures
  5. Nightmares of lost revenue and unpaid bills 

Lost revenue opportunities :

  1. Physicians tend to miss opportunities to maximize medical reimbursements from the insurance companies.Lost revenue due to various factors includes:
  2. Undercoding level of treatment,
  3. Omitting modifiers,
  4. Submission of medical reimbursement claims without the requisite documentation required to support the reimbursements.
  5. Wastage of resources in determining and tracking reasons for claims rejected, besides finding out claims missed or under claimed.

The pathway to maximum reimbursement :

  1. Out sourcing or better known as “Right sourcing” the medical billing and coding, clinical documentation, claims processing, EMR services to professional one-stop third party vendors  results  faster, precise and complete reimbursement of medical claims, boosting up revenue and  profits.
  2. Besides assigning the right codes for medical services the outsourcing vendor provides specialty specific coding services using experienced and AAPC credentialed coders on board. 
  3. The vendor is conversant with the significance of coding for the technical and professional components of a medical service, place of service codes, e/m codes, revenue codes, and when claims need to be bundled or unbundled.Compliance with all medical coding systems such as ICD, CPT and HCPCS ensures that working with such vendor is a smart option.

Remedial Measures :

  1. Wise,prudent, and strategic to partner established third party vendors such as MedicalBillingStar who have long-standing expertise, experience in dealing with state-of-the-art coding and billing services to a wide range of categories in the US medicare industries.
  2. Healthcare and medical units, irrespective of whether they are small, medium, or large, stand to experience hassle-free boost-up of medical reimbursements, without the nightmares of returned claims, missed-out claims, and piling up of rejected claims, and efforts to resubmit claims.
  3. MedicalBillingStar closely follows the on-going trends in medical coding and billing and medical insurance claims processing methodologies.

Filed Under: 2014, EHR, EMR, Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Medicare, Revenue cycle management Tagged With: medical billing and coding, Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, physician reimbursement, reimbursement claims, Revenue cycle Management

The AMA Suggests That Physicians Should Focus On Billing. Are You?

July 10, 2013 by Ango Mark Leave a Comment

clinic medical

Are you losing out on billable dollars ?

This is not the best time to be a healthcare provider! Financial constraints and regulatory pressures are giving physicians, sleepless nights.   Doomsayers have crawled out of the wood works to proclaim that medical practices are going to fold up and die.

It is certainly not like healthcare is circling the drain hole. But it is essential that medical practices up their game to stay afloat.

Still stuck with a payment contract that is five years old ?

The major mistake that healthcare practices make is to get paid much lower than the services they provide. Nobody likes getting on the phone and haggling with insurers. But what has to be done has to be done! Frequently negotiating reimbursement contracts will go a long way in increasing revenue.

Thorough claim analysis and evaluation of top paying CPT codes every three months can prevent and clot the bleeding.

It is okay to discuss money with patients !

Do you feel delicate when discussing about money with patients? Instead of dillydallying be forthright with your patients about treatment costs and payment options. Give them a lowdown on what and how much the insurer will cover.

A lot of patients promptly sue their doctor the minute they receive a bill. Discussing about payment prior to a medical procedure will prevent heartaches and heated arguments.

Don’t rely on straight- out of a- can solutions…

Most EMR/EHR systems come with coding and billing features. But no matter how loaded your system is, don’t lean on it completely. There are certain factors such as duration of treatment or the extent of injury that play a crucial role in increasing reimbursement. Middle of the road coding isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Why work just eight hours ?

As pressures mount and operational costs skyrocket, outsourcing has become a viable option. It makes a lot of sense to work with a billing company that works 24 hours. You not only process claims faster you can clear revenue backlogs.

Furthermore it is a nice feeling to walk in to your practice the next day knowing fully well that your biller has transmitted your claims to the insurer. And that now, finally, the accent will once more be on patient care.

Filed Under: EHR, EMR, ICD-10, Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Revenue cycle management Tagged With: billing company, billing services, EHR, EMR, Healthcare, Physicians, Revenue cycle Management

Forget The Incentive. Can Your Practice Escape MU Penalties?

June 10, 2013 by Ango Mark Leave a Comment

How do you avoid MU penalties ? There is just one way, demonstrate meaningful useMU. The primary worry of all healthcare providers is missing out on incentives. But taking steps to avoid the fast approaching penalties should be the top most priority right now. It is time for physicians to get in on the ground floor and work towards MU.

Working hand in hand with patients !

To, meet compliance deadlines, it isn’t enough, that you adopt an EHR, and optimize, your, workflow. Remember that it all boils down to just one thing, the quality of care you provide patients. Explore better ways of working with your EHR to avoid nasty payment cuts and penalties.

Eligible professionals, who are going to demonstrate meaningful use to avoid payment adjustments in 2015, must kick start their EHR reporting period by July 2014. You will have to work at breakneck speed to reach the finishing line on time.

Ramping up patient portal efforts…

Under stage two of Meaningful Use patients should be able to view their data, download it and be able to transmit it. Do you know that a functional patient portal can help you meet, 3 core objectives and 4 menu objectives? That it could be the easiest way of meeting the patient engagement criteria?

 Though a patient portal can be available in the provider’s website or function as a stand -alone online application. A patient portal that is integrated in to your EHR can improve functionality and ensure data security.

Patient engagement the big “gotcha” !

Laura Kreofsky the principal advisor for Impact Advisors predicts that patient engagement and public reporting are going to be the major stumbling blocks for physicians. Make sure you option for an EHR with a robust patient portal. If you are an EHR user insist that your vendor provides you with a fully functional patient portal.

The payment cuts for physicians who’ve missed the boat…mu-penalties

Source:Practice fusion

Filed Under: 2013, 2014, EHR, EMR, Meaningful use Tagged With: EHR, EMR, Healthcare, Meaningful use penalty, Medical Practice, MU Incentive, Patient engagement, Patient Portal, Physicians

Smartphones Can Help Your Practice To Achieve MU !

May 29, 2013 by Ango Mark Leave a Comment

What do you do when you go meet a physician ? Explain in detail about your medical history and pray that you haven’t left out anything. Now you just need to hand your smartphone to the doctor. The trend of accessing medical data through smartphones is growing at a fast clip.

And major smartphones such as iPhone and Android apps offer applications to, store, download, and manage patient information.

A success story…

The University of Pittsburgh Medical center found that patients joining the medical practice’s patient portal grew exponentially after reports were available through smartphones. The project launched in 2011 has been a roaring success with 700 patients joining the portal every week. Patients’ being able to access their medical records is a major criterion for qualifying for MU. And smartphones have just made it easier for doctors!

How do you get Mrs Linder interested ?

Despite the optimism and euphoria surrounding the success of smartphones to help patients use patient portals, engaging them is a key issue. Mayo clinic found out the hard way that engaging patient is no easy task.

Patient engagement ; an on-going challenge…

When they launched a web based portal three years ago, 240,000 patients joined. Reason to celebrate! But wait. The clinic is having a tough time getting patients to using the portal. To receive MU dollars patients should use the patient portal. Patients who are too old or those who are suspicious of technology need to join the bandwagon as well.

Show that you care !

To engage patients it is important that patient portals are designed from the patients’ perspective. Address their needs and make the portal fit in with their overall healthcare plan. Making the portal easily navigable and using images and text that are easy on the eye is important. And yes the assurance that their data is completely secure.

Not everybody understands encryption protocols or static passwords. Educate and train your patients in handling healthcare IT. Encourage patients to use graphical authentication techniques. And, to separate medical data, from, the other regular features, of their, mobile phones.

Fighting the good fight !

It can be frustrating, pointless and time consuming. But staying the course can help your practice not just receive MU incentive dollars and achieve compliance. But also make hundreds of your patients happy and more involved in their healthcare.

Here is the info-graphics with few stats on patient portal

patient-portal

Filed Under: EHR, EMR, Meaningful use, Medical Billing Tagged With: Healthcare, Meaningful Use, Mobile EHR, Patient Portal, Physicians, Smartphone

11 Ways To Ensure You Join The List Of Successful EHR Implementation Stories !

May 1, 2013 by Ango Mark Leave a Comment

Get Off to a Good start !

Untitled-21

To start on shaky ground can sour your relationship with an EHR forever. Being hasty can prove to be disastrous. Imagine working with an EHR that does nothing to improvise your clinical workflow. Or, being stuck with templates that take hours on end to load ? Being careful during the EHR implementation process will lead to a healthy and beneficial experience with your EHR.

Don’t get swamped by sales talk and sagely advice. Grab a piece of paper and jot down what your expectations are. And make a promise to yourself that you will not make a compromise no matter what.

Here goes with the presentation on ways to implement an EHR with successful stories !

11 ways to ensure you join the list of successful ehr implementation stories ! from ango mark

Filed Under: EHR, EMR Tagged With: EHR Implementation, EHR practice tips, EMR, emr implementation support, EMR practice tips, Healthcare, Physicians

Don’t Fumble Your Way Through EHR Implementation !

April 29, 2013 by Ango Mark Leave a Comment

EHR Implementation ; How To Avoid The Tripwires…

Choosing an EHR is tough. A zillion glossy brochures, well-meaning colleagues and pushy sales persons only make the decision harder. The, fact that almost everybody who owns an ehr hates it with a passion makes the most determined of physicians, back-foot.

According to recent reports physicians are reverting to paper records. And some have started looking out for another EHR. A survey by American EHR partners found that user satisfaction levels dropped from 39% in 2010 to 27% in 2012. How do you ensure your EHR implementation process doesn’t turn out to be a harrowing experience ?ehr-implementation

Know What You Want…

Most physicians rush in to ehr implementation without clear direction or expectation. Analyse your workflow and see how the inclusion of an electronic health record impacts your practice operations. Do not fall for the “you can tweak it” line. Manipulating your ehr can prove to be counter-productive.

Customizing your system is fine as long as you don’t miss out on the features and automated comfort your ehr offers.

What Does Your Front Office Team Think ?

Yes, the mousy girl who sits in the reception needs to know whether the appointment scheduling and insurance eligibility feature, makes the cut. Your coders will have to decide if the coding and scrubbing options are easy to work with.

The end users are many and you have to choose an EHR that makes everyone happy. It will increase productivity and morale.

The Person Who Matters The Most !

Your patients are the lifeline of your medical practice. Ask your EHR vendor whether they offer a patient portal. Check if it is patient friendly and secure. Enquire about the level of training and support offered. Caring for your patients is after all the best investment, ever.

Stay The Course !

Adopting an EHR is like parenting. It does get on the nerves and makes you lose sleep. But being a quitter is not going to help. Vow to yourself no matter how tough it is you will not revert to paper. Scribbling down details is easy but not the best way to work. During the implementation stage itself, promise to yourself, you will stick to your EHR.

Filed Under: 2013, EHR, EMR, Meaningful use Tagged With: EHR, EHR Implementation, EHR Practice Management, EMR, EMR Billing, Healthcare, Medical Billing, physicians EHR

Are Meaningful Use Guidelines Driving Physicians Round The Bend ?

April 15, 2013 by Ango Mark Leave a Comment

Are physicians being rushed towards achieving MU ?

According to some strange law in the healthcare universe, there is always going to be someone complaining. EHR adoption rates are up. But before, you feel that doctors have finally made peace with their ehrs. Recent studies indicate that switching to an EHR can lead to loss of revenue.

Research Speak !

A recent study by the University of Michigan shows that only 27% of practices have showed a positive return on the money invested in their EHR.  It cites rather alarmingly, that a physician loses $43,743 over 5 years after EHR adoption.

The research further reveals that the incentives for working with an EHR do help. But in a “very uneven way”

MU

Rushing headlong into EHR adoption can be the reason…

The rapid pace of adopting EHR’s, in the pell-mell to receive incentives, is being blamed for the loss of revenue. EHR adoption rates are increasing at breakneck speed leaving no time for data collection to catch up. It paints a very unhealthy picture. In the race to ace the EHR game, patients it is feared, can be left in the lurch.

Can Stage 3 of Meaningful Use turn out to be a nightmare ?

This seems to be the shared fear of everyone, from the AMA Executive Vice President and CEO James L. Madara. To, the small practice owner, three blocks away. Stage Three MU has additional and stricter measures, for physicians to meet.

Inter-operability continues to be a key issue. With serious flaws in EHR systems and their architecture, MU can prove to be a disaster waiting to happen.

There is reason to chin up !

Though, loss of revenue due to EHR implementation continues to be a haunting dream. Physicians can take heart in the fact that focusing on their revenue cycle maximization that can reverse their fortunes.

The study by the University of Michigan on EHR use, has found that the major difference between practices that lost money, and those that didn’t. Was, how they used their EHR’s, to increase revenue.

Medical practices that, concentrated on patient care, improved their billing process and focused on reducing denied claims, saw a positive change. It is time for medical offices to not just concentrate on achieving MU but also think of ways to improve their billing cycle.

Handhold patients through the ehr transition process from ango mark

Filed Under: EHR, EMR, Meaningful use Tagged With: EHR Adoption, EHR MU attestation, Incentive, Meaningful Use, Physicians

Want To Save $ 23,000 ? Switching To E-Billing Will Improve Your Practice’s Financial Health

April 10, 2013 by Ango Mark Leave a Comment

Still Stuck With Paper ?

What is your carbon footprint ? If you are still sending out paper claims, you are felling more trees. Agreed, this is an argument that is as old as fossils. Apart from saving trees there are a lot more advantages to using e bills ! It helps to track claims easily and lessens the amount of time your insurer takes to sign your check.

ebilling-infographic

Save More Dollars !

According to the American Medical Association submitting claims electronically can save a practice 55% of its claims submission costs. The AMA further states that physicians stand to gain above 23,000 dollars a year by switching to electronic claims.

Electronic billing also reduces the TAT of insurers. The overall efficiency and cost effectiveness of the process is just what overworked medical practitioners need. Paper claims are time consuming to generate, transmit, and maintain a record of. Electronic bills are quite simply put, the smarter way to bill !

Joining The e-club !

According to a recent survey of America’s health insurance plans the usage of billing electronically has doubled. From a measly 44% in 2002 to 94% in 2012 there’s been an exponential increase in providers who are switching to e billing.

Almost 79% of claims are now automatically adjudicated without manual support. Physicians are finding e billing helpful as it helps their staff to focus on patient engagement.

A Huge Relief For Billers…

What is the biggest headache of a medical biller ? No. It is not getting claims paid. The bigger headache is finding out which claim is in what stage of processing. An average medical office sends out dozens of claims per day. Keeping tabs on each one of them can trip up the most determined of medical billers.

ERA’s and EFT’s help medical billers to hasten the pace of the billing process. And make it easier for them to maintain a clear cut billing record.

Ask Your Insurer To Move On From The Stone Ages !

It is time for insurance companies to stop working with paper claims. Physicians need to put their foot down and ask insurers to accept electronic claims! Concerted and continuous effort across the continuum will ensure that the healthcare industry functions a lot more smoothly and efficiently. And yes, save a billion trees in the process !

How e billing can impact physicians practice from ango mark

Filed Under: 2013, EHR, EMR, General, Medical Billing, Revenue cycle management Tagged With: e-billing, Healthcare, paper claims, physician practice, Physicians, switch over to e-billing

Is Your Medical Practice Ready To Attest For Meaningful use?

April 5, 2013 by Ango Mark Leave a Comment

Are You Ready To Attest For Meaningful Use ?

If you are an EP, receiving the MU incentive check is going to top your list of priorities. It is time for physicians to pull up their socks and start working towards meeting the eligibility criteria for MU 2. Before getting down to the brass tacks it is important that you phase out the attestation process.

Meaningful Use

Being Up To Speed On Data Transmission…

Data transmission is a tricky word. It means you need to share data without making compromises on data privacy. To, begin with exchange a clinical document with one of your peers who use a, different EHR. Send out “trial” documents to test the waters. Check whether you are able to transmit clinical data securely.

Shop for a HIE and team up with one, to be able to transmit medical data easily across the care continuum.

Time To Stop Fighting Over Turf  !

Physicians have always felt a little queasy about letting patients access their EHR. A secure patient portal that allows patients to view and download medical information is important to meet the patient engagement criteria.

It is essential that stringent authorization methods are followed to prevent data misuse. And that, patients, are sufficiently educated about data security.

Dial Your Vendor’s Number…

You’ve pulled out all stops to make sure your practice meets MU standards. But is it is of little or no use, if your vendor doesn’t match your pace. Check with your vendor whether your EHR is compliant with the Meaningful Use 2 guidelines. Communicate with your EHR vendor and emphasize that a specific timeline needs to be adhered to.

With data interoperability being one of the key considerations, to attest for MU, it is important that you join forces with your EHR vendor, to reach the finishing line on time.

Have you spoken to your business associates ?

It is important that your business associates are an integral part of your MU attestation efforts. Whip up a plan with your business associates to optimize your workflow and streamline your everyday work processes.

2 hours a day !

Spending as little as two hours a day to work towards achieving MU can put you on the fast track to receiving your check. The key is to coordinate. Make sure that everybody who is involved with your medical practice is on the same boat. And to, make the most important person in the equation, your patients, to get more actively involved.

Filed Under: 2014, EHR, EMR, Meaningful use Tagged With: Attest your practice with MU, Data transmission on EHR, EMR, Healthcare, Meaningful use stage 2 rule, Physicians

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