EMR Selection | EMR and HIPAA

The Rise Of mHealth And EHR Use, And The World Of Telehealth – Around Healthcare Scene

Written by: Katie

mHealth is on the rise, and it looks like usage of smart phones among physicians is following that same trend. A recent study shows that usage rose about nine percent in 2012, which shows that it is becoming more accepted in the medical world. It will be interesting to see if it increases even more this year (I have a feeling it might.)

Similar to the increase in doctors using smartphones, there has been a jump in EMR and HIE use as well. A survey from Accenture found that over 90 percent of doctors are using an EMR in either their practice or at a hospital, and over 50 percent are using an HIE. This increase was highest among doctors in the United States. Be sure to read more of the interesting facts this survey found about EMR and HIE use in the U.S., and around the world.

Even though 90 percent of doctors are using an EMR at one point or another, only about 55 percent have actually adopted an EHR into their practice. It can be nerve-racking trying to find the perfect EHR. If you are finding yourself at that crossroad, be sure to read these five tips from ADP AdvancedMD on how to have a successful EHR implementation.

Still, some of you may be hesitant to implement an EHR. You may ask, is it worth it? Does it takeaway from healthcare? There is debate from both sides, each with compelling arguments. John believes that technology is overall positive in any industry, and discusses his thoughts, and some of the challenges that faces the industry.

Telehealth and medicine is so huge, it can be hard to digest. Neil Versel recently attended the American Telemedicine Association’s annual conference in Austin, Texas, and saw just how huge this market was. Be sure to check out this video he created from his experience, and to perhaps get a better idea about the many types of telehealth. Similar to the increase in doctors using smartphones, there has been a jump in EMR and HIE use as well. A survey from Accenture found that over 90 percent of doctors are using an EMR in either their practice or at a hospital, and over 50 percent are using an HIE. This increase was highest among doctors in the United States. Be sure to read more of the interesting facts this survey found about EMR and HIE use in the U.S., and around the world.

With summer quickly approaching, it’s more important than ever to stay hydrated. But if you need a little reminder, be sure to look into the Jomi Band. It gives you warnings when you might be on the brink of dehydration, and makes it easy to keep track of how much water you’ve consumed in a day’s time.

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May 12, 2013 I Written By Katie

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Tags:EHR EMR mHealth Telehealth

Will an EMR’s Quality Metrics Differentiate it from Other EMRs?

Written by: John Lynn

In the emerging consumer-centered, value-driven U.S. healthcare marketplace, the EHR vendors that survive and thrive will need to differentiate their brand by successfully competing on the value (quality/price) their product actually delivers to its end users.

-Bob Coi, MD

This is a fascinating look at EMRs and future differentiation in the EHR market. There’s little doubt we could use some EMR differentiation with so many EMR companies still out there. I’m just not sure that the quality of care that an EMR provides is going to be why a doctor selects one EMR over another EMR.

Every doctor I know wants to provide great care to their patients. Every patient I know wants to go to the doctor who provides them the best care. The problem is that most doctors don’t see a direct correlation between EMR use and the quality of care given. Patients don’t either, and the other challenge is that patients have no way to measure the quality of care they’re given anyway. The closest we come to knowing if the doctor provided quality care is that as a patient I know I’m sick and then I get better. I guess if I got better, then the doctor must have provided me quality care.

With this said, I think there’s the possibility that an EMR discovers a way to clearly show that something they do improves the care of the patient. The incremental document management and simple alert notifications that we see from EMR’s today won’t show that clear improvement in care.

No, we have to think much bigger to clearly show that the care provided was better because of the EMR and that the improved care wouldn’t have been possible without the EMR. An example of this would be integrating genomic data into the care provided. What if genomic data influenced which drugs you prescribed so that the drug was perfectly tailored to the patient? This is a great example where it would literally improve the care you provide a patient and it would be impossible without the technology to do the analysis. Assuming this technology was integrated with the EMR, it would be impossible for doctors not to use the EMR.

This is just one example. I’m sure creative entrepreneurs will come up with many more. Showing that EMR improves quality of care is a really high barrier. Plus, changing physicians perceptions on EMR is going to be really hard even if an EMR system does indeed improve the quality of care. Some company will do it and then Dr. Coi will be right that an EMR’s quality metrics will differentiate it from other EMR companies.

New EHR Selector Website

Written by: John Lynn

As long as I’ve been blogging, I’ve been quite interested in the various EHR selection tools that are available out there. For a while, it seems like there was a new EHR selection tool coming out every week. The frenzy of EHR selection tools has mostly stopped and only a few major ones remain. One of those is EHR consultant (Full Disclosure: Has been an advertiser on EMR and HIPAA for many years) which has been doing this as long as anyone and has one of the most comprehensive EHR databases out there. The other that has lasted all this time is EHR Selector. Then, to round out the various EHR selection websites, there are the websites out there like Medical Software Advice and even the AAFP offers a tool to help in EHR selection (only available for AAFP members).

As I suggest in my e-Book on EMR selection, I think you should take advantage of multiple EHR selection tools. I call it triangulating the data since none of them are comprehensive with the EHR world changing so quickly. So, you take all of the data and triangulate down to the best EHR possible.

Many might wonder why I’m talking about EHR selection anyway. Well, if you’re being generous, we’re somewhere around 50% EHR adoption. That’s still a lot of doctors who haven’t adopted EHR. Add to that the number of clinics that are looking to switch EHR software, and there’s still a big need for great EHR selection tools.

The reason I started this look at EHR selection websites is because EHR Selector has rolled out an Open Beta with new features. The best feature they’ve rolled out is that EHR selector is now free for everyone to use. I was pretty harsh on EHR selector in the past for charging doctors to use their service. That business model just didn’t make sense to me. Ironically, Carl Bergman (one of the people behind EHR Selector), has since become a regular reader of this site and we regularly exchange emails about the EHR world. So, I’m glad that he converted the service to a free service for everyone to use.

I tried out the new release of EHR selector and I have some mixed reviews. It is a beta release so that’s partially to be expected. I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of fields I had to complete to get into the tool. I imagine that could be streamlined some to make it a better experience for the user. Although, I expect the data is part of the reason the service can be made free. Plus, the more data you offer, the better customized experience the EHR selection tool can offer you.

What I do love about EHR Selector is that it’s always had a deep set of data available. I wonder if this will backfire for some users thanks to the paradox of choice. Although, as a data lover I really love all the data. Plus, they could help solve this issue with how they choose to display the various EHR and their data with a beautiful UI. I don’t think the UI is to that point yet, but having the data is the first step in that process.

My favorite feature of EHR Selector is the Compare EHR feature. I love seeing the features of multiple EHR’s compared side by side. This is where all the EHR data points becomes really valuable as well. One thing I do wish is there was more than just a check mark for each EHR data point. I’d love to have some qualitative description or images of each data point so you could really compare the EHR features that matter most to you.

One of the other shortcomings of EHR Selector is they haven’t yet gotten the data for all 300+ EHR vendors. No doubt that’s a daunting task and you have to start somewhere. I expect they’ll work to resolve this over time. Plus, they need the support of the EHR vendors to be able to get the data as well (not always an easy task).

Certainly EHR Selector isn’t perfect yet, but with its new Free feature it’s worth taking a look at if you’re in the market for an EHR. It’s another nice data point in the EHR selection process.

One-Fifth Of Physician Practices Might Switch EMRs

Written by: Katherine Rourke

Here’s yet more evidence that this is the year of the “big switch” in EMRs, at least among physicians. A new survey by Black Book Market Research has concluded that about 23 percent of practices with currently implemented EMRs are unhappy enough with their current system to consider switching to a different vendor.

According to a piece in Medical Economics, doctors’ concerns include a lack of interoperability, excessively complicated connectivity and networking and problems with mobile device integration.

The survey, which reached out to 17,000 doctors, found that internal medicine docs had the highest rates of satisfaction (89 percent), followed by family practice (85 percent), general practice (82 percent) and pediatrics.

The unhappiest specialists were nephrologists (88 percent), followed closely by urologists (85 percent) and ophthalmologists (80 percent).

So if a practice is going to switch vendors, what are they looking for? The Medical Economics piece listed five “must-have” features doctors voted for in the Black Book survey:

* vendor viability

* data integration and network sharing

* adoption of mobile devices

* health information exchange support and connectivity

* perfected interfaces with lab, pharmacy, radiology, medical billing partners, and others

Unfortunately, they won’t find it easy to find all of these features in a single EMR. Of course, you faithful editor isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to EMR products (who could be?) but it seems to me that if even pricier enterprise products seldom offer all of these options, it’s decidedly unlikely that ambulatory products will. (OK, vendor viability is a judgment call, but in a world where so many practices don’t like their EMR, it’s hard to imagine that vendors are at their strongest.)

Folks, the truth is that it looks like we’re coming to a market crash of some kind. Physicians aren’t getting what they need from EMRs, but vendors aren’t keeping up, especially in the realm of specialty EMRs.

As if that wasn’t enough, the threat of fines looms for practices that don’t get their Meaningful Use act together, something they may have trouble doing if they’re in the midst of EMR shopping, installation and adoption.

Time is getting tight, and customers aren’t happy. Ambulatory vendors, what’s your next move?

EHR and Mobile Health News Around the Country

Written by: Katie

It may come as a surprise to some, but according to a study by eClinicalWorks, the majority of physicians like EMR-connected apps, and mHealth apps in general. 2,291 healthcare professionals were surveyed, and 649 were physicians. Over 90 percent of physicians feel it’s valuable to have their EMR connected to an app. The study also revealed other interesting things concerning physicians and medical apps.

And EHR vendors may want to consider this when developing and updating their EHR. From the Black Book Rankings, here is a list of top EHR vendors among hospitals. I bet some of these ones definitely have.

On a similar topic, there was a recent study about physican EMR use in the United States. Apparently, they are behind other countries. While usage has definitely increased recently, with 69 percent of doctors using some type of EMR in 2012, it’s still well-below the rates in the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, the U.K, Australia, and Sweden, all that have EMR usage rates above 88 percent.

For anyone that is interested, there is quite a bit of legislation on telemedicine this year across the United States. This chart shows all that’s going on in three different categories — legislated mandate for private coverage, legislated medicaid coverage (primarily interactive video,) and other proposed bills affecting medicaid coverage.

There’s always a lot going on in the mHealth world. Have you heard of FilmArray? It’s a device that was developed by a company in Utah. So what does it do? Well, it can detect 20 respiratory diseases in less than an hour. This will definitely make it easier for people to get their illnesses diagnosed quickly. In other news, HealthTap has released a new program called TipTaps. The program sends tips, created by health professionals, and personalized for a person’s lifestyle.

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February 24, 2013 I Written By Katie

Filed Under: EHR Electronic Health Record Electronic Medical Record EMR EMR Selection EMR Technology Health IT Startups HealthCare IT Hospital EHR Hospitals mHealth

Tags:EHR Electronic Health Records Electronic Medical Records EMR FilmArray HealthTap mHealth TipTaps

EMR Companies, Leveling the Playing Field, and The Eatery: Around Healthcare Scene

Written by: Katie

EMR and EHR

What Really Differentiates EHR Companies?

EHR companies are a dime-a-dozen. So what makes them different? While price is sometimes a big deal to some, it isn’t an indicator of success. Marketing and sales can make a difference as well to some. However, there are a few things that should differentiate EHR companies. This includes the importance of efficiency.

Android’s Advantage Over iPhone in Mobile Health Applications

While many in the healthcare world love the iPhone, Android devices may present more options to healthcare professionals. Android offers more customization than the iPhone, and has more flexibility. It may cause developers more headaches, as the iPhone only requires them to only code their application once to work with most iOS devices. But the benefits are countless.

Hospital EMR and EHR

Level the Playing Field with RACs as They Enter Practice Settings

This article is by Lori Brocato, Director of Audit at HealthPort. She lists four ways that hospitals can do to level the playing field with RACs. These reasons are: knowledge is power, it’s a team effort, connect the dots, and learn from mistakes.

How EMR Vendors and Providers Can Partner Effectively

The LinkedIn HIMSS group posed the question — what does a good partnership between an EMR vendor and a provider look like? This post includes a few of Anne Zieger’s thoughts on this question.

Smart Phone Healthcare

The Eatery: A Visual Food Diary

The Eatery puts a twist on the typical food diary — instead of recording food, you take a picture. The user then can rate their food, and others can too.

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February 10, 2013 I Written By Katie

Filed Under: EHR EHR Benefits Electronic Health Record Electronic Medical Record EMR EMR Consulting EMR Selection mHealth

Tags:EHR EMR EMR Vendors RAC RACs The Eatery

Does Spending More on EHR Mean You Get More?

Written by: John Lynn

There is a really ugly myth out there that I’d like to dispel. The myth is: if you spend more money on an EHR, you’re getting more EHR. From years of experience in the EHR world (Will be 8 years in April), this statement is just not true. In fact, in many cases you can actually get more EHR from a more moderately priced EHR than you can from a really expensive EHR.

A few months back I wrote about how a clinic’s Second EHR Purchase was their Most Expensive EHR purchase. I think this is largely the case because of the myth mentioned above. Once a clinic has a failed EHR experience, the budget goes out the window and the clinic is happy to spare no expense to ensure that the next EHR they purchase is better than their first EHR purchase. Luckily, there are other factors involved in a second EHR purchase which make it more likely to succeed, but I don’t think that cost is one of them.

To be honest, I’m not sure how some EHR vendors get away with the EHR pricing that they do. With more than 300 EHR vendors out there, you can find pretty much every pricing plan under the sun. From Free EHR to High Priced EHR and every price in between. The reality I’ve seen is that there are good and bad EHR across the entire spectrum of EHR price ranges. You can find Jabba the Hutt EHR (see more about Jabba the Hutt EHR’s in this post or this one) at every EHR price point.

EHR price is always a part of every EHR selection process, but don’t let price be the main factor in how you select an EHR for your clinic.

Healthspot Kiosk, Hospital Consolidation, and Trustworthy Apps — Around Healthcare Scene

Written by: Katie

EMR and EHR

Healthspot Full Patient Visit Kiosk at CES

A full-patient visit can be conducted in a kiosk, thanks to Healthspot. This kiosk, which is being featured at the CES and Digital Health Summit, provides medical tools and an online connection to an actual doctor. There are many possibilities with this, such as being used in an emergency room or pharmacy. While there are still some issues that need to be adjusted and worked out, this won’t be the last we hear from Healthspot.

Apps Will Drive Healthcare Cloud Expansion

While only 4 percent of the healthcare community used cloud technology in 2011, that number is expected to grow in the coming years. What once was something people feared because of security concerns, cloud technology might become more mainstream with the increased expansion of mobile health apps. It may not “explode” in 2013, but it is sure to grow.

Hospital EMR and EHR

Hospital Consolidation

Perhaps one of the biggest trends in healthcare right now is hospital consolidation. This happens when hospitals join together to buy practices. This can be a good thing, as it can result in savings and getting goods for lower prices. However, there are also many issues associated with it, such as if a doctor is bought out by a hospital that uses an EHR that the doctor dislikes. There are many unanswered questions about hospital consolidation, but it is definitely on the rise.

Using EMRs To Track Providers

Clinicians are often the targets of discussions concerned EMR use. However, they can also use it to analyze the performance of providers. There are several variables that can be used and measured with an EMR to do this, and Melissa Outlaw from SEERHealth discusses those. Many of them are highlighted in this blog post.

Meaningful Health IT

California HealthCare Foundation CEO Smith stepping down

President and founder of the California Healthcare Foundation is leaving the company this year. Mark D. Smith, who has been an advocate for health IT over the years, has been very influential in his career. He will continue working at the University of California. This post highlights many of his accomplishments and displays how far his influence has spanned over the years.

Smart Phone Healthcare

25 Percent of Americans Trust Apps as Much as Doctors

A study conducted by Royal Philips Electronics revealed some interesting facts. Among the results, the study found that about one-quarter of Americans trust health apps just as much as their doctor. mHealth and mobile apps are getting pretty good, but should they be trusted as much as (or in some cases, more than) a regular physician?

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January 13, 2013 I Written By Katie

Filed Under: EHR Electronic Health Record Electronic Medical Record EMR EMR Implementation EMR Selection EMR Technology Hospital EHR Hospitals mHealth Personal Musings

Tags:Around Healthcare Scene California HealthCare Foundation Hospital Consolidation Mark D. Smith Melissa Outlaw Royal Philips Electronics

Healthcare.gov, EMR Switch, and Flu and RSV Detector: Around Healthcare Scene

Written by: Katie

It was a quiet week around Healthcare Scene, but here are a few of the posts that did get posted. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and this new year will be the best yet!

EMR and EHR

11 Reasons Why Healthcare is So Screwed Up

This list was initially created by GetReferralMD and reposted on EMR and EHR. This post doesn’t go into details about each of the reason, but it provides some interesting food for thought. Some of the reasons on the list include insurance companies, ignorance, and McDonalds. With the upcoming new year, it’s the perfect time for resolutions to be made, and some of these issues to be addressed.

Healthcare.gov

This government-run website has recently been revamped, and now offers a lot more features. It has an obvious mission — to convince everyone to back-up Obamacare, but it has neat options now like an insurance options wizard and tools to help people understand using insurance. It still leaves some things to be desired, but it’s a nice site that doesn’t have the looks of a typical government site.

Hospital EMR and EHR

2013: The Year of the EMR Switch

This coming year appears to be the one where more hospitals will be switching to EMR. This will, obviously, have a huge affect on the EMR sales process. It will include tons of EMR marketing, alternatives may have more of a chance, and market winners and losers will be named.

New Hospital Rockets To Top Of HIMSS EMR Adoption Scale

While many smaller hospitals have been behind the curve when it comes to Meaningful Use and HIMSS standards, one 50-bed Texas hospital challenges that sterotype. Texas Alliance Health has achieve stage-7 of the HIMSS Analytics EMR Adoption Model — something that only 1.9 percent of U.S. hospitals has achieved. This is quite the feat for any hospital, especially a small one like Texas Alliance. It had many factors working in its favor, particularly that it has only been open since September.

Smart Phone Healthcare

UK Company Developing a Biosensor Device to Detect Flu and RSV

Early detection of the flu and RSV can help prevent these illnesses from getting worse. However, early detection is hard to come by, and when the first stages have passed, many treatments are not affective. OJ-Bio, a UK-based company, seeks to change that. A new sensor is in the works that accurately can detect these illnesses, as well as other respiratory illnesses, quickly, early-on, and at home.

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December 30, 2012 I Written By Katie

Filed Under: EHR Electronic Health Record Electronic Medical Record EMR EMR Implementation EMR Selection Health IT Startups Healthcare Healthcare Devices HealthCare IT Healthcare Social Media Meaningful Use mHealth

Tags:EHR EMR HIMSS OJ-Bio Texas Alliance Health

Most Expensive Purchase is Second EHR

Written by: John Lynn

At an event this fall I happened upon an executive at one of the major EHR vendors. We had a brief discussion in the lobby, but he said something that I found really interesting and I think describes the strategy of many of the large ambulatory EHR vendors. Here’s what he said:

“The Most Expensive Purchase is Their Second EHR”

A popular EHR consultant was in on the conversation and he started shaking his head in agreement.

I’ve long suggested that practices usually get their second EHR selection and implementation right. It just makes common sense that a practice would use the lessons learned from their first EHR implementation and be able to do a better job selecting and implementing the second EHR implementation. Although, I have heard of cases where it took the third implementation to do it right.

What intrigued me more was that this EHR vendor executive tied the purchase price to a second EHR. He’s right that price becomes a very different discussion when you are talking to someone who is buying their second EHR. In a lot of cases, price becomes a non-issue for those implementing their second EHR. They will spend whatever amount is needed to be able to get an EHR that they like to use. This is reflected in the quote above. I expect that’s why a second EHR is the most expensive purchase.

I wonder how many EHR companies are capitalizing on this fact. I’ve heard from numerous people that there’s a lot of EHR switching that’s happening right now. So, the idea of a second EHR is not outlandish. For many, the second EHR implementation has become a major reality.

The Rise Of mHealth And EHR Use, And The World Of Telehealth – Around Healthcare Scene

Will an EMR’s Quality Metrics Differentiate it from Other EMRs?

New EHR Selector Website

One-Fifth Of Physician Practices Might Switch EMRs

EHR and Mobile Health News Around the Country

EMR Companies, Leveling the Playing Field, and The Eatery: Around Healthcare Scene

Does Spending More on EHR Mean You Get More?

Healthspot Kiosk, Hospital Consolidation, and Trustworthy Apps — Around Healthcare Scene

Most Expensive Purchase is Second EHR

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