Challenge of EMR deployment for Small Pediatric Practices

Challenge of EMR deployment for Small Pediatric Practices

Challenge of EMR deployment for Small Pediatric Practices

The use of  Electronic Medical Records  (EMRs) or Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in pediatric practices presents numerous challenges due to the dynamic nature of this particular specially. The reasons for these challenges are myriad and range from the changing nature of the body of children and also the medical care that is provided during childhood. This care can include immunizations, growth tracking, and other critical aspects such as obesity. Another advantage of EHRs is that children over 13 have to record their smoking status which may lead to positive health outcomes. The burden of all this EMR testing and implementation lies with the physicians and their assistance but this is usually possible in bigger settings such as hospitals and small practices have traditionally suffered due to lack of proper EMR facilities. Moreover, taking responsibility of such amount of work in pediatrics is costly as well as time consuming for novices in the field. 

It cannot be denied that there are numerous advantages of EHR implementation in pediatrics and the general medical history of the child can be continuously recorded. However, there are numerous challenges as well and these can range from financial to functional. Physicians are finding it hard to dedicate time updating their EHRs which in turn has dropped the productivity. Another factor is that since pediatric patients have a constantly changing BMI (Body Mass Index) and features, recording this also consume resources in the form of time and money. Hospitals are finding it easier compared to small practices to implement EHRs since they have the groundwork in the form of infrastructure to implements such EHR systems. 

The challenges faced by pediatrics in implementation of EHRs are similar to those faced by other specialties and these may include lack of adequate funding, lack of training, resistance to change and lack of resources. However, the biggest advantage is that there are numerous types of EMRs available in the market and many of these support pediatric services; but, the adoption of such EHRs/EMRs is not enough. The ‘Meaningful Use’ criterion needs to be met in order to qualify for the incentives offered by the government. 

The financial aspect of successful implementation of EHRs is not limited to the incentives provided by the government but is also in the form of increased revenue due to efficient departmental processes. The financial success of the practice depends on a holistic approach by not just implementation of EHRs or EMRs but also through outsourcing such essential departmental processes such as medical billing and coding, interaction with payers, and denial management in addition to other value added services such as pediatric EHRs and research and consultancy that are provided by www.medicalbillersandcoders.com the largest consortium of medical billers and coders in the country. 

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Medical billing to assist Primary Care Physicians in streamlining their practice

The lack of primary care providers in the country is a topic which has been hotly debated among many circles and written about vehemently. Not many medical students are ready to enter primary care due to lack of great financial prospects in the future. This is resulting in even more shortage of physicians and problems when it comes to the reputation of this line of medicine. The remuneration problems along with other difficulties faced by Primary Care Providers (PCPs) is affecting the revenue of PCPs and bringing a disparity between other physicians who practice other specialties of medicine. Here are numerous reasons for the reimbursement disparities for PCPs and some possible solutions for countering this problem. 

One of the reasons for the lesser amount of remuneration for PCPs is that specialists who perform routine procedures such as some specific types of surgeries take lesser amount of time to complete their task compared to a PCP whose case can be of any nature. Another explanation for the comparatively lesser amount of pay of PCPs are that the majority of these are either solo practitioners or work in a small group whereas specialists like surgeons and cardiologists have a chance to work in a big hospital  with even bigger pecuniary benefits.  

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There are many problems that are synonymous with the problems of PCPs and of those faced by solo practices. The burden of supervising all the functions of a small practice along with carrying out the core aspects of medicine is also a hurdle that hampers efficient time and financial management. Moreover, the Medicare rates given to PCPs are causing resentment among PCPs where a group of people have a filed a suit against Medicare regarding their low reimbursement rates to PCPs. Medicare cuts are another problem faced by especially PCPs since they are responsible for treating a large number of elderly patients and act as an entry point for specialties if any particular problem is diagnosed, which is usually a possibility in elderly patients.  

The health reforms have provided a glimmer of hope for PCPs due to many policies that have been implemented. However, compliance of these policies is also a challenge that is faced by physicians and providers along with PCPs. The incentives provided by the government for the implementation of EMR and EHR systems can be a definite financial advantage, especially for PCPs. However streamlining all the departmental process to implement this cutting edge technology is perhaps the most important prerequisite for qualifying for the incentives through ‘Meaningful Use’.  

PCPs can take advantage of companies that provide assistance in the latest departmental processes required for maximizing the revenue and improving the quality of care. Medicalbillersandcoders.com is one such company that streamlines all your processes such as revenue cycle management, denial management and, of course, also performs medical billing and coding. We also provide other value added services such as consultancy and research. 

For more information visit: Medical Billing Companies, Medical Billing Services.

The Crucial Role of Physician Assistants in EHR Implementation and the Reforms

The role of Physician assistants (PAs) is accentuated in a country such as United States where the physician to patient ratio is very low. The recent health reforms have added to the responsibilities of physician assistants due to numerous changes in policies and technologies. The implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) or Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) is one of the biggest challenges that PAs face in the changing healthcare environment. Moreover, since physicians need time for numerous other core activities, PAs are the professionals who handle such important auxiliary functions such as successful implementation of EMRs or EHRs and handle other office based departmental processes. The health reforms also present opportunities for PAs in the country to take on more responsibility as well as prosper financially.

The incentives offered by the government for successfully implementing an EMR or EHR is not just limited to physicians but also include PAs. However, in order to receive such incentives, the PA must work in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Clinic that is led by the PA. The need for PAs is strongly felt as a coordinator between physicians and nurses in order to provide better service to patients. They also take on numerous other responsibilities such as being on call, making house calls, providing therapy, and even prescribing medications in addition to all the work assigned by the supervising physicians and thus PAs have a holistic understanding of the various departmental processes as well as proficiency in the core aspects of medicine. These processes today cannot be carried out without extensive use of EHRs/EMRs and PAs utilize all their knowledge to optimize the EMR/EHR implementation process.

Since PAs work in such a demanding environment, they are most likely to succeed in implementation of EHRs and EMRs due to their knowledge of other aspects of medicine such as some “back-office” or departmental processes. However, for many PAs the workload is continuously increasing due to policy changes and the skyrocketing demand for healthcare services. Some factors that are hampering the handling of EHR systems by PAs are increasing demand for healthcare due to newly insured 31 million Americans, increased scrutiny by the government in the form of HIPAA, and ‘Meaningful Use’ (MU) policy compliance. Although PAs are qualified to handle EHRs and other related processes, it would definitely become difficult for them to handle the core functions involved in health care delivery due to workloads in various auxiliary processes.

The ideal solution for making time and saving money is to delegate some of these processes to experienced professionals through outsourcing. This would ensure that processes such as Revenue Cycle Management, denial management, interaction with payers, accounts receivables, and charge entry, are carried out in a scientific and professional manner. Medical billers and coders at www.medicalbillersandcoders.com not just provide these services but also offer EHRs software that is suitable for almost all specialties and suggest after studying your practice’s processes the software best suited for your practice which would cover the gaps and shorten the revenue cycle. Medicalbillersandcoders.com also offer other value added services such as consultancy for keeping you updated on the changes taking place in the health industry.


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