If your radiology practice uses the first generation RIS software, it is very likely that you can reduce your overhead and increase your productivity by switching to the latest RIS software. There have been several advances in RIS software that radiologists have found to enhance the revenue of their practices. In addition, the new RIS software is H7 compliant, which facilitates the sharing of patient health information with other healthcare providers. The use of health information technology to transmit patient information is one of the key objectives that radiologists and other healthcare providers need to achieve in order to receive Stage II incentive payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

While the rate of adoption of electronic medical records (EHR) among healthcare providers is on the rise due to the EHR incentive payments offered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), general practitioners and family practice offices lead in the adoption of health information technology. Based upon the results of a recent survey, experts expect that 80 percent of general and family practices in the United States will have implemented EHR, which is a much higher rate of adoption than that of specialty practices. The primary reason that these general practice are ahead of other areas of medical practice is that until a few years ago, EHR software was not specialized, so it tended to be onerous for specialty practices to customize EHR software.

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) received a mandate to establish an incentive program for healthcare professionals and hospitals for the adopting, implementing, and demonstrating meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR). The reason for this program is to leverage the efficiency that health information technology brings to the coordination of medical treatment in order to reduce both costs and medical errors. The purpose of the incentive payments is to defray the costs of implementing EHR.

Are you satisfied with how well your medical practice is running? The hallmark of any good executive in healthcare is an unwillingness to settle for the status quo, especially when new tools are available to streamline and otherwise improve the way you do business.

When trying to qualify for incentive payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), it is not enough for a provider to demonstrate eligibility for the program and to attest that they are using approve electronic medical records (EHR) software. In order to receive CMS incentive payments, providers must show Meaningful Use (MU) of health information technology. Meaningful use refers to the standards and requirements established by CMS for providers to show that they are using EHR to collect relevant patient health information, sharing it with other providers, and using the information to improve patient health outcomes.

Like other medical professionals whose practices serve primarily Medicare patients, cardiologists are concerned about reduced reimbursements. Adding to the concerns about financial viability is the trend of many insurance companies to reduce the contracted rates that they pay their in-network providers. In this challenging economic environment, cardiologists need to take advantage of the benefits of practice management software so that they improve collection and streamline the claims processes.

Given the multidisciplinary nature of pain management, it is a monumental task to try to do the billing manually. Medical billing clerks do not only have to be able to apply the correct encounter codes for each different professional providing services to patients, but they also the disparities in the ways that third party payers authorize and reimburse for services among the various disciplines. Medical billing software can simply the process of submitting claims for pain management practices.

Healthcare organizations that provide mental health services lag other specialty areas in the adoption of electronic health records (EHR). In 2006, less than 8 percent of the community mental health centers have adopted EHR. While more mental have providers have adopted EHR today, the percentage of professionals using this technology remains relatively low due to concerns about cost and difficulty in find EHR software that is relevant to mental health practices. Fortunately, with mental health EHR software now being offered on a subscription basis, both of these concerns have been resolved.

Electronic health records (EHR's) continue to gain acceptance among both medical providers and para-professionals, thanks to the many benefits that medical records software delivers to both service providers and patients. One of the latest groups to adopt the widespread use of electronic health records is behavioral health professionals; according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, "Forty-six states...are either incorporating or planning to incorporate electronic health records" in both their psychiatric hospitals and community mental health services.

Mental health care has seen a marked increase in demand in recent years. A growth in public awareness, coupled with a decrease in quality care facilities has led many practitioners to find themselves swamped with an influx of new clients, and the subsequent medical records that follow along with them. In addition, the steadily increasing power of both personal and enterprise level technology has significantly shortened the amount of time your average customer is willing to spend waiting for anything related to their own medical care.