It should go without saying that Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Services streamline claims processing and support financial stability. But, many specialty providers still don’t fully grasp the significant role that RCM plays in patient engagement and brand confidence building.

The following excerpt is from an article found on Healthcare IT News. It was written by Jack McCarthy. The transition to electronic health records is essential in modernizing healthcare – yet, in practice, meaningful use has made it painful and progress thus far has been intermittent. Indeed, the proposed rules for the third stage of meaningful use, particularly the requirements for greater participation of doctors and hospitals, is now coming under even more fire than the program has seen in the past.

Back in 2009, President Obama signed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. It gave the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services authority to create programs designed to improve the level of safety, efficiency, and quality of the health care delivered in this country by focusing on developments in health information technology. To that end, the government is making an effort to promote and encourage medical practices to start using such important tools as electronic health record software and electronic health information networks.

The following excerpt is from an article found on Medcity News. It was written by David Harlow. The Meaningful Use - Stage 3 proposed rule has been released, with official publication due on March 30. Likewise, the 2015 edition of EHR certification criteria and related rules. Check out the CMS presser and ONC fact sheet. Key to these rules, which lay the foundation for a post-Meaningful Use incentive-driven Health IT ecosystem, is the use of APIs - for the uninitiated, "application programming interfaces" - or simplified connectors that allow for easier transfer of data. The Meaningful Use requirements have themselves been simplified -- whittled down to eight high-level requirements, expressed as program goals or objectives:

The following is an excerpt from our whitepaper, "The Importance of Patient Engagement & Why You Need It." Today it is difficult to think of an industry that does not take advantage of computers, internet access, and specialized software to get work done faster and more efficiently. That, combined with the fact that people (patients) are so accustomed to using computers and smartphones to access and provide information is why they are often surprised when the front desk staff at their medical practice hands them a heavy clipboard with a stack of paper forms to fill out. After all, shouldn’t a medical practice - almost more than any other type of business - be better automated than that?

How happy are your current patients with your medical practice? Are you doing everything in your power to make them feel at ease, respected, and listened to? What is the waiting room experience like? The answers to these questions can help determine the future success of your practice. When patients are comfortable and pleased with how the staff treats them (and this includes the amount of forms the staffers make them fill out), they will be more inclined to stay on with you, as well as recommend your services to their friends, family, and neighbors.

The following is an excerpt from an article on Medpage Today. It was written by Joyce Frieden. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) may relax some of its rules for implementing Meaningful Use requirements, the agency announced Thursday. "Meaningful Use" refers to provisions in the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which authorized incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid to clinicians and hospitals that use electronic health records (EHRs) in a meaningful way to significantly improve clinical care.

As the manager or owner of a thriving medical practice, you may already have some experience using electronic heath record software to streamline workflow at your facility, cut down on errors, and improve patient care. EHR software definitely makes it easier on your employees, and using certified EHR software can make you eligible to receive financial incentives from the government because of the gains in efficiency providers -- typically experience.

It seems that people are busier than ever these days, with their attention constantly shifting between the requirements of work, family, and other priorities. The busier people are, the less energy they typically have available to devote to cultivating relationships. However, as the owner or manager of a thriving medical practice, you know just how important and valuable each relationship is with your patients. It takes time and effort to begin a relationship with each new person who comes into your practice, and you don’t want to waste that by failing to cultivate it.

From taking an extra moment to engage in small talk with a patient to offering children a lollipop after getting a vaccination, medical practices are always coming up with ways to improve the relationship between doctors and patients. With the advent of highly affordable computer systems and widespread adoption of high-speed Internet capability within most people’s reach, the potential to improve doctor-patient relationships is made easier with patient portals.