Guest Post by Katie Matlack, Medical Market Analyst, Software Advice: I cover medical software and health IT for Software Advice, so I was curious to learn about some of the secrets to success when switching to an EMR that might not meet the eye. To find out what is it that separates the health care providers who truly reap the benefits of switching to EMR, from those who don’t, I interviewed representatives of three health providers who use EMRs now… Continue reading

Switching over to electronic health records (EHR) is leading to changes on many levels, with many of those changes being facilitated and accelerated by Meaningful Use. One significant change is the requirement to provide patients with electronic copies of their health records, as well as clinical summaries after each visit. As a result, patients throughout the United States will soon have access to their own medical records through a patient portal – a revolution being debated by physicians and health care providers… Continue reading

Doctors across the US have the opportunity to receive thousands of dollars worth of grants if they switch over to electronic health records (EHR). In an effort to boost the numbers of physicians and hospitals moving their practices over to EHR, the government has enacted both a Medicare EHR Incentive Program and a Medicaid EHR Incentive Program which allow eligible professionals, hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) to gain significantly if they demonstrate Meaningful Use of their electronic health technology… Continue reading

One of President Obama’s first legislative acts was passing the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), also known as the Stimulus or Recovery Act into law. The law’s primary purpose was to save and create jobs and growth within the American economy, in response to the recession of the late 2000’s.

Of particular relevance to medical practitioners is the Health Information Technology section which created the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONCHIT). This office subsidizes eligible practitioners (EP) who convert their offices to Electronic Health or a Medical Record system (EHR)… Continue reading

Physicians used to keep patients’ medical records on paper, necessary because today’s ailment can be a function of a prior condition. To get an accurate picture of the current situation, the doctor must know the patient’s medical history. This requires the doctor to spend hours recording current situations and comparing them to the patient’s medical history. With time, patient records often become cumbersome, containing pages of reports, charts, diagnoses, drug histories and allergies – literally everything that could account for the person’s current health status… Continue reading