Computers are extremely good at performing repetitive tasks, particularly for mundane things such as appointment reminders. By extension, EHRs excel at the same type of functionality, particularly when applied to patients with chronic disease. Individuals with complex co-morbid conditions require a great deal of management and generally this is more about consistently applying rules and…

As debt-ceiling talks heat up, there is certainly quite a bit of drama taking place along the six-mile stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House. However, the CompTIA Tech Summit in Washington, D.C., on August 4 promises to deliver high-level panelists and thoughtful discussion, particularly on healthcare IT. From 9:00 a.m….

I just received an email from a long-time EHR user trying to meet the Stage 1 Meaningful Use objectives. His story raises two significant concerns: 1) Are the additional costs for meeting the MU Core and Menu Set well beyond the potential EHR incentives — and more than what EPs are willing to incur? 2)…

Just sharing the content of an email received from CMS highlighting their resources about attestation… copied in total and pasted below: Take a Look at CMS’ Attestation Resources Are you an eligible professional (EP) or eligible hospital participating in the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program? CMS has resources to help you attest to…

Dr. McKethan, National Director for Beacon Communities in the Office of the National Coordinator, sent me a very nice email a few days ago. Aaron graciously gave me permission to share his update through the AmericanEHR blog. As you know, the 17 diverse Beacon Communities aim to: 1. Build and strengthen their local health IT…

At AmericanEHR Partners we receive a lot of commentary and feedback from clinicians who use EHR systems. Many users describe challenges related to productivity and workload. However, there are also many positive benefits to EHR systems such as the ability to streamline access to documents and reports, the ability to e-Prescribe directly from the EHR…

One of the great values of the EHR is the ability to exchange information. But how does one protect the privacy of information while ensuring the security of that data? Because EHRs and other clinical information systems are interconnected, security is only as good as the weakest link in the system. The HIPAA Privacy Rule…

Over the past two weeks, hundreds of EHR users have completed satisfaction ratings for their EHRs. Over 2,200 user ratings are now available through AmericanEHR and 30 of the most popular EHR products have more than 10 ratings (the minimum number necessary to display EHR product ratings). Many users have submitted additional comments relating to…

Highlights from the June 30 AmericanEHR Webinar on Chart Conversion Techniques in the Small Medical Practice: Chart pre-loading. What should you pre-load into the EHR and is this a job just for nurses and administrative staff, or should physicians also learn to pre-load paper records into the EHR? Go Live. How should you best prepare…