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Fewer lab test sought by docs with HIE access

Physicians who had access to a health information exchange (HIE) ordered fewer lab tests for patients with prior test results after the HIE was formed than they did previously, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. This finding appears to contradict the results of a controversial paper recently published in Health Affairs in early March. In that study, researchers determined that physicians with access to the results of a patient’s previous [...]

 

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How Much Are You Really Paying for Transcription Services?

The price that a HIM department ultimately pays for transcription services can vary greatly depending on the transcription firm’s billing method. In a 2007 study entitled, “A Standard Unit of Measure for Transcribed Reports,” an AHIMA/CDIA Task Force compared three common billing methods – AAMT, ASCII, and VBC. In this study, they compared the actual billing for the same medical procedure using each of these three line billing methods. The study found [...]

 

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Limit the Potential for Liability During EHR Conversion

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) included $17 billion in incentive payments for the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR). The payments began in 2011 and will end in 2016. In 2015, providers who have not adopted an EHR system will face financial penalties. But health care providers should proceed with caution. While the switch to EHR should improve the quality of care and increase [...]

 

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3 pieces of ICD-10 conversion you should outsource -- and 1 you cannot

The timing of ICD-10 may still be up in the air, but eventually, the transition will call for myriad of changes, some of which organizations should consider outsourcing, and some they should not. “We look at it as a matter of scale or skill, and that’s how you make your decisions,” said Mark Williams, partner at PwC. “Scale: it’s arms and legs and the ability to deliver it at the level [...]

 

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Mediscribes a participant of Health Story organization stands by Health Story Members.

March 23, 2012 Louisville, Mediscribes, a leading provider of Medical Transcription Services and document management systems all across the globe, as members of Health Story Organization have vowed to stand by each and every Health Story Member. Health story is an alliance of healthcare associations, providers and vendors through which resources were pooled over a period of 3 years. Rapid development initiatives were taken for producing standards of data for [...]

 

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Technology in The Classroom

In the field of technology, the word disruptive is used for a technology or innovation that brings about a radical change in the way a sector functions by introducing efficiency, affordability and convenience. The technology revolution in the business sector is represented by the extensive use of smarter phones or web conferencing in American offices. However, the impact of disruptive technology on the education sector is much higher. A wave [...]

 

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How Obama Lost The Messaging War Over Health Care Law

The sweeping health overhaul law turns 2 years old this Friday. And as it heads toward a constitutional showdown at the Supreme Court next week, the debate over the measure remains almost as heated as the day President Obama signed it into law. In fact, public opinion about the law remains divided along partisan lines to almost exactly the same extent it was when the law was signed on March [...]

 

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Seamless Implementation and Project Management

In Medical Transcription, accuracy and dedication must meet the global standards and they are the two key factors that can never be compromised upon at any given stage. The field has vast foothold all around the world and to come up with customized implementations that result in expertly managed, effective projects is quintessential. Over the years the field of Medical Transcription has evolved in a massive way and with revolutionary [...]

 

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Addressing Security for iPads, iPhones

A national network of cancer hospitals that has relied heavily on laptop computers for clinicians accessing electronic health records is phasing in iPads and iPhones, taking steps to mitigate the security risks involved. As it rolls out Apple mobile devices, Cancer Treatment Centers of America initially is limiting users to view-only access to clinical information, says Chad A. Eckes, CIO. At first, clinicians won’t be able to use the devices to place [...]

 

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'Meaningful Use' Briefing Available

Federal regulators will host a “national provider call” on Monday, March 12, to provide an overview of the proposed Stage 2 “meaningful use” rule for the HITECH Act electronic health recordincentive program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which drafted the proposed rule, will offer the free informational session 12:30 to 2 p.m. Eastern. Registration will be available until noon, or when available space has been filled. Comparison Available Meanwhile, The Advisory [...]

 

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Obama Names New Federal Chief Technology Officer

President Obama tapped as the federal government’s chief technology officer Todd Park, who had been serving as the CTO at the Department of Health and Human Services. Park replaces Aneesh Chopra, the government’s first CTO, who resigned last month [see Aneesh Chopra Resigns as Federal CTO]. Chopra also had been serving as the associate director of technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, a position Park [...]

 

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Experts: National HIE strategy evolving

There’s consensus that the architecture of a nationwide health information network (NwHIN) is shifting. But there’s less agreement as to whether this change is a favorable development. That’s the upshot of a panel of experts, addressing the issue in a roundtable discussion held this week by the National e-health Collaborative, a public-private partnership established by a grant from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) to foster [...]

 

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VA, DoD discuss steps toward iEHR, VLER

When Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki met at the Pentagon earlier this week, EHRs was one of the topics on the table. The meeting on Monday was one in a series the two secretaries have held on issues of common interest to both Departments. “The vision Secretary Panetta and I share is to provide an integrated, seamless experience to our people across their [...]

 

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EMRs: Your transition from paper

Going to electronic records is more than flipping a switch. Practices must determine what do with old charts — and how long to hang onto them. During the change to an electronic medical record system, the focus for many practices is on how data will be collected, stored and analyzed going forward. But in most cases, there are many years’ worth of historical data in paper files that physicians will [...]