Comments for EMR Straight Talk http://blog.srssoft.com From Evan Steele, CEO SRSsoft Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:54:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Comment on “Dear President Obama” by pushpendra jain,MD http://blog.srssoft.com/2009/04/%e2%80%9cdear-president-obama%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-15493 pushpendra jain,MD Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:54:59 +0000 http://blog.srssoft.com/?p=192#comment-15493 The key is simplicity in recording patient information—keeping patient information up to date and accurate at the point of care. Patients shall be custodian of the medical records and bring their medical record to the physician who adds to the information and gives it back to the patient in electronic or paper format. The payment system is the biggest impediment to creating a better healthcare system. It needs to be scrapped to make it simple and easily understood in order for it to become implementable in smallest practice or biggest practice with ease. The present system is making doctors, hospitals, allied and ancillary services have to pad their services to maximize their reimbursement so they can stay in business to pay their overhead and stay in business. This system encourages fraud and makes honest people to become dishonest. Governmental agencies then have to create fraud and abuse departments which escalate the costs further. Legal systems make doctors have to practice defensive medicine to cover their backs and lawyers prey on the drug companies, hospitals, and doctors. Lawyers and doctors need to be the fabric of society rather than impediments to progress of better health for it citizens. PKJAIN, M.D. The key is simplicity in recording patient information—keeping patient information up to date and accurate at the point of care.

Patients shall be custodian of the medical records and bring their medical record to the physician who adds to the information and gives it back to the patient in electronic or paper format.

The payment system is the biggest impediment to creating a better healthcare system. It needs to be scrapped to make it simple and easily understood in order for it to become implementable in smallest practice or biggest practice with ease.

The present system is making doctors, hospitals, allied and ancillary services have to pad their services to maximize their reimbursement so they can stay in business to pay their overhead and stay in business.

This system encourages fraud and makes honest people to become dishonest. Governmental agencies then have to create fraud and abuse departments which escalate the costs further.

Legal systems make doctors have to practice defensive medicine to cover their backs and lawyers prey on the drug companies, hospitals, and doctors.

Lawyers and doctors need to be the fabric of society rather than impediments to progress of better health for it citizens.

PKJAIN, M.D.

]]> Comment on Stage 2 Meaningful Use Delayed to 2014: What’s It Really About? by Nick Ivon http://blog.srssoft.com/2011/12/stage-2-meaningful-use-delayed-to-2014-what%e2%80%99s-it-really-about/comment-page-1/#comment-15492 Nick Ivon Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:02:42 +0000 http://blog.srssoft.com/?p=1815#comment-15492 I believe the main reason for the delay was to allow the EHR vendors more time to get their products ready for Stage 2. Stage 2 final rules aren't due until July 2012, and then all providers who have attested for 2011 would be required to attest a full year for Stage 2 for 2013 - this would give the EHR vendors only six months to have their software ready, and CMS, being pushed hard by the all the certified EHR vendors realized it wasn't feasible. I believe the main reason for the delay was to allow the EHR vendors more time to get their products ready for Stage 2. Stage 2 final rules aren’t due until July 2012, and then all providers who have attested for 2011 would be required to attest a full year for Stage 2 for 2013 – this would give the EHR vendors only six months to have their software ready, and CMS, being pushed hard by the all the certified EHR vendors realized it wasn’t feasible.

]]> Comment on Meaningful Use, ePrescribing, and PQRS: Need for Harmonization by Susan http://blog.srssoft.com/2011/03/meaningful-use-eprescribing-pqrs-need-for-harmonization/comment-page-1/#comment-15488 Susan Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:19:13 +0000 http://blog.srssoft.com/?p=1480#comment-15488 Are Residents able to participate in the Meaningful Use initiative if they have an NPI number? I'm not able to locate these qualifications specifically. [From Evan Steele:] Susan, Yes, residents are eligible, assuming that they are not hospital-based physicians (as defined by the legislation) and that they generate Part B allowed charges under their own NPI number. If they bill $24,000, they can earn the maximum incentive of $18,000; if they bill less, their incentive will be 75% of their Medicare charges. As stated on CMS' FAQ website, "For the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, a resident must meet the definition of a Medicare eligible professional, be in the Provider Enrollment and Chain Ownership System (PECOS), with an enrollment status of APPROVED and have Part B allowed charges to be eligible for the Medicare EHR incentives." Are Residents able to participate in the Meaningful Use initiative if they have an NPI number? I’m not able to locate these qualifications specifically.

[From Evan Steele:]
Susan,

Yes, residents are eligible, assuming that they are not hospital-based physicians (as defined by the legislation) and that they generate Part B allowed charges under their own NPI number. If they bill $24,000, they can earn the maximum incentive of $18,000; if they bill less, their incentive will be 75% of their Medicare charges.

As stated on CMS’ FAQ website, “For the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, a resident must meet the definition of a Medicare eligible professional, be in the Provider Enrollment and Chain Ownership System (PECOS), with an enrollment status of APPROVED and have Part B allowed charges to be eligible for the Medicare EHR incentives.”

]]> Comment on 100% EHR Success – A Clinical Approach by Dr. Andrew White http://blog.srssoft.com/2011/11/100-percent-ehr-success-a-clinical-approach/comment-page-1/#comment-15485 Dr. Andrew White Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:44:01 +0000 http://blog.srssoft.com/?p=1805#comment-15485 I am a chiropractor and I have been using my EMR software for about 8 yrs. I am really happy with it. I was one of the first in my state to adopt a full paperless office. Although we do have some papers for intake forms, we scan everything into the package. It saves us money and the speech-to-text software works well. I wish I could afford the most recent version of the software but it is so incredibly expensive for our small one-doctor office. I'll have to stick with old-faithful for a while. I am a chiropractor and I have been using my EMR software for about 8 yrs. I am really happy with it. I was one of the first in my state to adopt a full paperless office. Although we do have some papers for intake forms, we scan everything into the package. It saves us money and the speech-to-text software works well.

I wish I could afford the most recent version of the software but it is so incredibly expensive for our small one-doctor office. I’ll have to stick with old-faithful for a while.

]]> Comment on The EHR Bubble Will Pop – To the Victor Go the Spoils by Dr. Andrew White http://blog.srssoft.com/2012/01/the-bubble-will-pop-to-the-victor-go-the-spoils/comment-page-1/#comment-15484 Dr. Andrew White Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:39:36 +0000 http://blog.srssoft.com/?p=1825#comment-15484 I am a bit taken back by the change in the EMR business. I started using a nice EMR about 8 years ago. It is a great product, a great company and at a great price. I had not updated the software since I purchased it. There was no need; the produce worked perfectly for our needs. Now we are looking at upgrading the product to the newer version and it has jumped in price from $300 to well over $5000 and a $100 monthly fee. I can't believe the price is like that! I blame the certification process. I'm sure it is pretty spendy to get certified in order to qualify for the incentive money and that cost be being passed along to us. Of course the EMR developers think we will all be able to recoop our costs with the incentive money. But we see so few Medicare and no Medicaid that we won't get any incentive dollars. So we are stuck in the system. Meaningful Use and turned into Meaningless Abuse. I am a bit taken back by the change in the EMR business. I started using a nice EMR about 8 years ago. It is a great product, a great company and at a great price. I had not updated the software since I purchased it. There was no need; the produce worked perfectly for our needs. Now we are looking at upgrading the product to the newer version and it has jumped in price from $300 to well over $5000 and a $100 monthly fee. I can’t believe the price is like that! I blame the certification process. I’m sure it is pretty spendy to get certified in order to qualify for the incentive money and that cost be being passed along to us. Of course the EMR developers think we will all be able to recoop our costs with the incentive money. But we see so few Medicare and no Medicaid that we won’t get any incentive dollars. So we are stuck in the system. Meaningful Use and turned into Meaningless Abuse.

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