When adopting an EHR system one of the most important steps is contracting with the EHR vendor. The contract you enter into with your vendor will likely dominate all of your future interactions with them. One of the greatest misconceptions practices have when purchasing an EHR is thinking of it as software similar to Microsoft®…

On October 29, 2010, the Alliance for Health Reform and The Commonwealth Fund sponsored an education session. Panelists were: David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health information technology at HHS; Tom Bowden of HealthLink in New Zealand; Ib Johansen of Denmark’s MedCom; and Sabine Koch of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Humphrey Taylor of Harris…

American Medical News posted an article today that summarizes comments from Dr. David Blumenthal and others delivered at an American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting last month.  The article describes what an “exception” to the meaningful use rules is; how to manage the menu criteria when some do not apply to a specialist’s practice; and what…

Many practices continue to be confused about the Physician Self Referral Law (Stark) and the federal Anti-kickback law related to electronic prescribing as well as electronic health records systems.   The Final Rule was published in the Federal Register on August 8, 2006. Below is a summary of the key provisions the American College of Physicians…

Earlier this week, the AMA House of Delegates approved a new policy on the use of social media by physicians.  I have abbreviated the recommendations here but would encourage you to read the entire policy (which is not very long).  Among the recommendations are: 1) Physicians need to be aware of the confidentiality and privacy…

One of the scariest things that physicians often face with EHR adoption is cost. When thinking about the cost of an EHR system many people only see the cost of software, whereas in fact there are a number of additional costs to consider. These include the costs of training, hardware, remodeling, loss of productivity, ongoing…

One of the primary goals of AmericanEHR is to provide comprehensive, user generated satisfaction and performance data about EHRs. With over 150 (and growing) certified EHRs to choose from, this has become an increasingly more difficult task for the average practitioner. When a large practice decides to implement an EHR, they will often bring in…

I had the pleasure of speaking with a few of the medical practices participating in a Patient-Centered Medical Home demonstration in upstate New York last week.  Joining the conversation were people from three different practices – including physicians and nurse care coordinators.  All were using EHRs, and all were recognized by NCQA as medical homes.  During the…