The United States of America currently ranks highest among developed nations in per-capita healthcare spending. This concerning information came out of a 2019 paper in Health Affairs by a team from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Research.
According to the study’s lead author, Gerard F. Anderson, PhD, the U.S. “remains the most expensive because of the prices the U.S pays for health services.”
Practice management systems provide medical offices with a variety of features designed to improve practice efficiency and positively impact patient outcomes. But perhaps one of the most essential and valuable components of a practice management system is medical scheduling software also known as patient scheduling software.
This post is designed to be a practical guide to medical scheduling software – its key features, some common implementation challenges, and the important benefits that providers should expect to derive after implementing the scheduling software right for their practice setting.
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When the federal government implemented its meaningful use initiative as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, medical groups finally started to move toward electronic health records en mass. By 2015, nearly 9 in 10 (87%) of office-based physicians had adopted an EHR, and over 3 in 4 (78%) had adopted a certified EHR, according to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
However, the dissatisfaction with EHRs continues to rise at an accelerated pace. It has also resulted in physician burnout which in turn can create more patient safety problems. This post addresses the core issue of EHR Optimization and all the facets associated with the process of optimizing an EHR.
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There is no doubt that the transition to ICD-10 forced a lot of healthcare organizations to take a long hard look at their claim processing practices. While that transition is in the past, the importance of medical billing audits isn’t.
Every practice should have a strong understanding not only of the nature of billing audits but also what kinds best fit their individual needs. If you don’t you have a strong grasp on the billing practices, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth in your practice, it might be time for a refresher.
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Medicare reform—specifically the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APM)—is the number one issue affecting physicians in 2016, according to the American Medical Association. That’s because beginning in 2019, physicians must choose to participate in either MIPS or APMs as part of a larger shift away from fee-for-service payment toward value-based reimbursement.
Although 2019 may seem far away, the reality is that many practices need to start researching their options now. Navigating through this complex payment maze takes time and effort.
Just because your practice has survived the EHR go-live doesn’t mean that you’re in the clear. To fully reap the benefits, practices must continually evaluate their goals and needs, improve workflow, and leverage the analytics power inherent in the technology. This article provides several questions that practices must answer as they enter the post-implementation phase of the EHR transition approximately 3-4 weeks post-go-live.
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The ICD-10 transition has gone surprisingly well for many physician practices nationwide. However, the industry is bracing for what could be a flood of denials once payers begin to adjudicate claims. Monitoring certain key performance indicators (KPI) will be critical, says Deborah Grider, CCS-P CDIP CPC CPMA CPC-H CPC-P, healthcare consultant at KarenZupko & Associates. This article identifies three of the most important medical billing KPIs that every practice should monitor now and heading into 2016.
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The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology recently published the final rule setting the 2015 Edition Health IT Certification Criteria for electronic health records. The new rule includes 25 revised elements and 19 new criteria from the previous rule issued last year.
What does it all mean for small medical practices looking to move their digital healthcare programs forward?
We’re providing the low-down on what the new and revised criteria require from software vendors – and what that in turn means to medical practices. In addition, we take a look at exactly what this stamp of approval covers and what it doesn’t, while also providing some insight into how practices need to go beyond merely choosing a certified EHR to succeed.
You can’t stop with the stethoscope. Physicians now need to embrace all kinds of technologies to improve care – and give patients what they want.
Patients, in fact, are all about the use of advanced technology to improve their health these days. More than half of consumers are interested in buying wearable technologies such as fitness monitors for tracking physical activity and managing their personal health, according to the Accenture Digital Consumer Tech Survey 2014.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week released proposed final rules for its Stage 2 and 3 Meaningful Use programs. And, of course, the regulations came through in a lengthy tome that could put the Sandman out of business.
The good news? We’ve meticulously reviewed the revamped rules so you don’t have to. And, the even better news: We discovered that the proposed rules incorporate several modifications that could help small physician practices sigh in relief.
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