Radiology practices considering implementing a Radiology Information System (RIS) or upgrading an existing system to improve internal efficiency and productivity may not have the time to invest in comparing new products on the market. From protecting your revenue stream to managing legal challenges, the system you choose will have a large impact on your practice and your clients.

To say that the healthcare industry is moving fast these days would be an understatement. Some studies report that there are around 400,000 medical articles written each year detailing innovative medical treatments, describing new pharmaceutical discoveries and advanced technology designed to improve patient outcomes.

Work in your medical practice can become so intense, with nearly every spare minute already scheduled for important, pending tasks, that it can sometimes be difficult to see that there are labor-saving options that you simply haven’t yet been able to budget time and resources to investigate.

While implementing an electronic health record (EHR) can dramatically streamline internal workflow and facilitate more effective communication with peers and patients, adding the technology alone won't necessarily make your organization as lean as possible. Healthcare in a digital environment is complex, especially with so many regulations that seem to constantly be rolling out another layer. While some studies show that a large percentage of physicians (91%) polled preferred the least expensive outsourcing option, there are some potential challenges associated with moving toward outsourcing medical billing with that approach.

On any given day at a behavioral health clinic, the staff may be called upon to serve patients and family members similar to any other medical practice. They greet clients arriving for appointments, verify insurance coverage and personal contact information, and escort them to comfortable exam or consultation rooms. Depending on the nature of the visit, a nurse or medical assistant may take vital signs and update the patient record to ensure the file is up-to-date and accurate.

It almost goes without saying that the needs of pain management practices are quite different from those of other specialties. Addressing the needs of patients coping with acutely painful situations and managing patients’ chronic pain properly while meeting law enforcement requirements can spell the difference between a relatively speedy recovery or prolonged care that may include complications.

The following is an excerpt from an article originally published on Healthcare Dive. It was written by Meg Bryant. While there is still plenty of room for improving the usability of electronic health records (EHRs) and making them more affordable for care providers, experts are trying to get folks to focus on their future potential. The barriers to EHR implementation and interoperability are slowly coming down and once they do, vendors will start looking to add more functionalities to the systems.

Medical acronyms allow people in the healthcare industry to communicate more efficiently by assigning “nicknames,” or abbreviations, to processes, procedures and organizations. Although there are hundreds of acronyms and medical terms used every day in medical care, these 24 are important to every modern practice, if you want to take advantage of incentives and resources available to your organization.

Running a successful radiology practice requires a great deal of time and attention, with so many moving parts to keep track of. Practices that rely on antiquated paper-based systems to organize their work and maintain files on patients are at a distinct disadvantage when compared to competitive radiology practices that have embraced modern technology in the form of a Radiology Information System.

Medical practices both large and small are coming to see the benefits of deploying electronic health record software at their facilities. Making the transition from an old-fashioned, paper-based system for tracking patients’ charts to EHR software is not something to take lightly. But the longer you delay the inevitable computerization of your practice, the longer it will take to get your employees trained and up to speed with using the new system.