Electronic Medical Records Guide
Technology Resources for Medical Practices
MDS Medical Software - Your Electronic Medical Records Partner
Making an informed decision about choosing an electronic medical records vendor, medical practice management software company, or medical billing company is no easy task. Our corporate philosophy is that an informed and educated customer is a happy customer. We attempt to filter through the Healthcare I.T. news, press, and articles that help you make the best decisions for your practice.
Electronic Medical Records Guide
Tips for Buying an Electronic Medical Records System.
Our straightforward guide to electronic medical records software is written for medical practices in the any stages of the buying process.
Healthcare Information Technology Stimulus
Ambulatory physician practices can enjoy a financial incentive of up to $44,000 for meaningful use of an EHR software system like Greenway PrimeSuite through the HITECH Act signed into law by President Obama on 2/17/2009. See our chart on the EMR software adoption incentives as described in the stimulus package for ambulatory physicians.
Healthcare Technology Glossary
All the industry jargon can get confusing. Interoperability, interfaced, integrated, ASP, client/server? Check out our Healthcare Information Technology glossary when you need help.Medical Software Costs and Considerations
The total cost of an electronic medical records system varies greatly, and a common perception is that the software licensing fees account for the greatest portion of the system. In reality, initial medical software training, delivery choices (web-based or client/server), hardware requirements, technical support, software maintenance, and productivity gains or losses will probably outweigh the licensing fees.Software Licensing and Maintenance
Initial software licensing typically takes one of two forms. The first is Client/Server licensing - the practice owns the licenses (the software), and purchases the hardware (servers, workstations, networking infrastructure) to support the installation. Client/Server medical software architectures are more expensive not only because of the heavier hardware requirements, but also because the practice owns the licenses outright. The second method of software licensing is ASP or Web-Based licenses. ASP (software is remotely hosted in a secured data center) licensing is less expensive initially because the licenses are never owned by the practice; instead, they are "leased" or "rented" for a specified contractual period - usually 3 years.
Ongoing software maintenance is billed monthly or annually - so long-term budget constraints will be a consideration in any installation. Read more about web-based medical software vs. client/server medical software.
Medical Software Training
Aside from the software licenses, ensuring the staff is properly trained to use the system should be the chief driver behind training decisions and planning. An under-trained or poorly trained staff will become frustrated and discouraged; huge productivity losses, turnover, and negatively impacted cash flow can result. Like software licensing costs for different electronic medical records systems, training methods vary substantially from one vendor to the next. The skill levels of the staff, and particularly the clinical and administrative "champions" should determine the training structure and delivery.
If the office manager, medical billers, and physicians have used an EMR system in the past, there may be more opportunities to save on training through web-based delivery or superuser training. However, if the transition to a digital patient chart is a new experience for the bulk of the staff, more in-person training may be necessary to ensure a seamless deployment. MDS Medical works with your practice to develop a smart and budget-friendly training plan for your staff.
Onsite “Go Live” Support
Even for practices that conducted all or nearly all of the software training over the web, the success of the implementation comes down to the ease of transition during the “go-live” phase. This is the time when the clinical and administrative staff has already been trained, and is ready to bring up the new system in real-time. Some practices choose to conduct the go-live in a modified clinical environment, with a light schedule. Increased time between patients the first few days can enable the onsite vendor staff to troubleshoot any problems that arise in a less stressful environment, and assist clinicians and staff through any issues. Any weaknesses – in I.T., infrastructure, clearinghouse setup, or training will come to light during the go-live. This is why comprehensive project planning, adequate training, and I.T. services are all so vital to the overall success of the implementation.
I.T. Installation and Support Services
For larger practices or those requiring 100% uptime for critical care, a Client/Server installation is recommended. Every medical software system has different hardware, server, workstation, networking, backup, and security requirements. It is imperative that the medical software vendor either directly provides I.T. services and support or contracts an I.T. company for you. Should the installation become challenging for an I.T. company without sufficient Healthcare I.T. experience, you may incur unexpected costs or downtime. The hardware requirements for a web-based software installation are less complex and less expensive. A good workstation and high-speed internet connection are the only essential requirements. Practices that don’t wish to sustain an I.T. environment in-house find that a web-based medical software is easier and less costly to maintain.
Data Conversions
If you are converting from an old system to a new one, the integrity of your transferred data is a key consideration. The rates vendors charge for data conversions also varies substantially and depends on the variables involved – the amount of data, type of system you are converting from, and if the vendor already has a conversion program written. For example, McKesson’s PracticePoint Manager was discontinued by McKesson and MDS has a conversion program in place that enables a fast and inexpensive transition to PrimeSuite electronic medical records – a far superior and award-winning system. Some vendors will only migrate basic patient demographics, while others can convert everything – so it’s important to ask questions about data conversion options and costs.Lab Interfaces, Patient Web Portals, Diagnostic Equipment Interfaces
A myriad of optional add-ons are available for many of today’s electronic medical records systems. Lab interfaces, patient web portals, diagnostic equipment interfaces, mobile data capture, and speech recognition software are just a few of the options available. If your providers insist on speech recognition software, you should discuss the pros and cons with vendors, and what is entailed in the installation.