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EMR No Longer A Luxury
Up until recently a physician practice EMR (electronic medical record) might have still been considered a luxury but it is now mandated with a date for all patient data to be processed using EMR systems by 2015.
Less than half of private practice physicians currently have implemented an EMR in their practice. The Obama Administration has given a substantial push on increasing the use of EMR by providing funding in the way of economic stimulus funds.
To meet the guidelines for this funding source it must meet meaningful use standards. In the past some of the electronic medical record systems merely transferred the written documents to an electronic format, but much more is required to meet the expectations of meaningful use.
A true EMR goes beyond digitalization of patient records and embraces connecting with and providing meaningful and useful data to those involved in the care of a patient such as:
• Hospitals
• Pharmacies
• Laboratories
• Insurance companies
• Medical device and equipment companies
The optimal EMR will also go beyond connecting and will open the doors of opportunity for work flow enhancement and the ever growing need for reporting to be based upon coded data.
Medicare Quality Performance reporting and payment, which includes 26 measures relating to diabetes, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease and preventive services, has brought to the forefront of the EMR the need to have the required reporting data available in a coded format rather than being buried within a chart note.
CMS meaningful use criteria has been broken down into stages of implementation but it should be noted the first stage includes the following:
• Collecting electronic health data in coded format
• Implementing clinical decision support tools
• Reporting clinical quality measures and public health data
• Tracking conditions and coordination of care by use of EHR data
If you have an EMR system in place make sure your reporting capabilities and data collection fields meet the requirements. If you do not currently have an EMR the clock is ticking on the Mandatory EMR. Failure to have an EMR implemented by the target date will have financial implications upon your practice.
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About the Author:
PGM Medical Billing Services
At PGM, we believe physicians should focus on practicing medicine, not submitting claims and collecting payments. As insurance carriers and HIPAA requirements change, physicians are dedicating more and more of their time and resources to administrative tasks and red tape. By effectively managing this time-consuming work, PGM gives time back to physicians allowing them to do what they do best.
Our specialized medical billing service is focused on maximizing medical provider reimbursement. For the past 30 years, PGM’s medical billing service has been helping physicians not only get paid more, but get paid faster. Our complete practice management solution includes claim submission and follow-up, payment posting, advanced claim scrubbing to minimize denials, and much more.
PGM medical billing services will maximize your collections, reduce your time to payment and help you lower and better manage your expenses, all dramatically improving your bottom line.
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