EMRs can Lower Costs, Increase Productivity, and Raise Revenue
There has been a lot of talk lately about the EMR/EHR systems and how they can really raise havoc in a practice. There are certainly some systems that can make it very frustrating but as a whole the movement has many more pros than cons. Here is an article we found that sums it up well with all kinds of statistics!
NOTE: EMR (electronic medical records) & EHR (electronic health records) are interchangeable
Doctors Using Fully Implemented EHRs Report Lower Costs, Higher Productivity, MGMA Finds
By Joseph Conn, Modern Healthcare (April 6, 2011)
Ambulatory-care physicians who have implemented an electronic health-record system are largely satisfied with their purchases, and their satisfaction increases if they have their EHR systems optimized, according to data from a survey by the Medical Group Management Association.
The survey also indicates that financial benefits accruing to the practices tend to follow levels of optimization.
More than seven in 10 practices (72%) that had completed an EHR implementation were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their systems, according to the survey. Those that claimed they had fully optimized their systems were even more pleased—86% were “satisfied” or “very satisfied.”
In addition, the financial rewards of EHR adoption were greater for those who had fully optimized their systems. According to the survey, 61% of respondents who reported their EHR had been fully optimized indicated their systems had 1) increased provider productivity and 2) boosted practice revenue, compared with 37% and 42% respectively, for those practices that had an EHR implemented but were still focusing on getting dialed in with their systems.
Veteran numbers cruncher Dave Gans, the MGMA’s vice president of innovation and research, oversaw the survey project and said that what jumped out of the data for him was that “organizations not only are acquiring electronic health records, they’re embracing electronic health records.” He added: “It’s changing the way they’re doing business. We’re re-engineering healthcare. That’s what’s coming through.”
“(For) the majority of the organizations, they reduce their cost, and increase their productivity,” Gans said. “The popular conception is that electronic health records slow you down, they cost you money, and we wouldn’t want them. And now we have a very large sample of people who say we’ve embraced it, it’s making a difference and we’re satisfied with what we’re doing.”
The MGMA study gleans information from a cross-section of physician group practices, including independent medical practices, 59%; hospital- or integrated delivery system-owned practices, 17%; academic faculty practices, 5%; federally qualified health centers or community health centers, 3%; and more than a half dozen other practice arrangements, representing workplaces of more than 120,000 physicians in total. Data was collected between Oct. 1, 2010, and Nov. 9, 2010. There was a “profusion” of 148 EHR systems in use by survey participants, with no one system capturing more than an 11% share of the systems reported.
More than half (52%) of those practices surveyed reported that they used an EHR system. In comparison, 36% used paper charts and 6% used a document scanning system. Of the practices still using paper records, 63% plan to adopt an EHR system and seek federal incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The survey was open to practices of all sizes, and nearly 10% were one- and two-physician practices; while 23% had three or fewer physicians.
EHR adoption rates in the MGMA survey comport with preliminary estimates from the 2010 survey by the National Center for health Statistics, which found that 51% were using at least a partial EHR system.
But among the practices in the MGMA study that claim to have an EHR system, nearly a quarter (24%) said the system is still being implemented. Only 16% indicated they have completed implementation and believe they have optimized their systems.
Even among provides with fully optimized systems, a lack of EHR interoperability functions could be a barrier to meeting federal meaningful-use criteria and qualifying for federal EHR incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to the survey.
Only 44% of practices with optimized systems reported their EHRs could meet meaningful-use criteria for clinical decision support and exchanging clinical information with other providers. Only 38% of optimizers reported their systems could send clinical quality measures to CMS or to states.
ThinkTank partners with gloStream for an EMR solution
After a lot of research, time spent watching demos, and conversations with people in the medical community to understand their needs, we are proud to announce we have partnered with what we think is one of the best EMR/EHR solutions in the industry today. Our criteria for an EMR and PM solution in the medical community are very similar to what we look for when researching solutions for any of our clients. Any solution we endorse must actually make work easier, improve efficiency, and create an environment where our clients are more productive because they are using that technology. There is nothing more frustrating than spending all your time focused on the technology rather than the actual work you are trying to accomplish.
Not only does gloStream meet our criteria but they are also HIPAA compliant, 2011/2012 compliant, and are certified as a Complete EHR by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an ONC‐ATCB, in accordance with the applicable eligible provider certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The 2011/2012 criteria support the Stage 1 meaningful use measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). To help providers keep track of their meaningful use requirements, which are attached to the stimulus incentives, they have provided a stimulus dashboard within gloEMR so providers can quickly view their performance against all meaningful use requirements. They really have thought of everything a provider would want.
Here are a few of the highlights:
An EMR solution that is easy to implement: Practice Manager Amanda Wood put it best when she said, “We went live with gloEMR on a Monday and four days later we were already up to full patient load.” Stories like Amanda’s affirmed to us that we picked the right partner. Many EMR “solutions” we researched were not easy to implement, and the offices took months to get back to full patient load. A number of clinics never got back to full patient load. gloStream is so confident of their solution they actually guarantee an office will be back to full patient load within 15 business days. No one else offers anything even close to this bold guarantee.
Familiarity: gloStream is the only EMR built on the Microsoft Office platform. Because Microsoft Word and Outlook are embedded in the program, scheduling is very intuitive and forms, memos and charts are easy to create and complete. Those who already use Microsoft Office will feel very comfortable with this EMR solution so the training time will be condensed and more relaxed.
Improved efficiency and productivity: “We’ve been able to streamline processes within our office and that’s led to a level of productivity and efficiency we just didn’t have before we began working with gloStream.” – Dr. Dominick Roto. Many medical professionals would agree that chart chasing and leafing through reams of paper charts to find an answer to a simple question is not the most efficient use of time. Lack of efficiency can also lead to lower “SAT” scores (satisfaction scores) and that can affect stimulus reimbursements. If the EMR/EHR solution can make charting and scheduling more efficient, is not cumbersome to use, and provides patients with better quality of care, it’s a win-win situation for both the patient and the provider. We feel we’ve found that in gloStream’s gloEMR.
We at ThinkTank look forward to working with gloStream to help even more people in Oregon and Washington with their IT needs. ThinkTank has the experience to serve the client’s technology infrastructure needs and gloStream provides the software to serve the client’s EMR needs. Together we will be able to better serve the Portland/Vancouver medical community and, in turn, the community they serve as they provide better health care.