Stage 2 meaningful use is the second phase of the incentive program for electronic health records (EHRs). It calls on all hospitals, physicians and medical care providers to increase the interoperability of all health information and adopt standardized formats. It is a giant leap forward towards the secure exchange of medical information between patients and providers. Having the right information regarding a patient is a matter of life and death. The successful operability of stage 1 has led to the advancements towards the development of stage 2.

Adopting EHR Software More and more organizations are beginning to use software to help make their operations more effective as computing technologies continue to advance, with medical practices being particularly prominent examples of this trend. One example of this trend among medical practices is the adoption of electronic health records (EHR), which are composed of the information collected about medical patients and stored in a digital format that enables them to be shared by medical practices using the same database. EHR software can be used to collect the relevant information, access it, and make use of it throughout the medical practice's internal processes.

Establishing or updating to new EHR software can be a daunting task for many practices. Fortunately, Medicare and Medicaid offer an incentive program designed to ease the burden of cost for medical professionals who make 'Meaningful Use' out of the software. Of course, in order to receive the incentive, understanding what Meaningful Use is, how to demonstrate it, what the process is, and related terms is vital to successfully qualify.

Accurate medical records are vital to providing exceptional health care and the advent of electronic medical records has improved the ease and speed at which professionals can access patient information. An added benefit to electronic medical records is the integration of smart systems that can bridge communication gaps between care teams and patients, provide intelligent medical assessment suggestions, save valuable time, and avoid costly mistakes. EHR EHR offers a number of integrated programs designed to improve productivity, access to information, and client care. Designed to be secure, providers and patients alike can gain swift and accurate information to help them with decision making. Communication with the whole care team becomes nearly seamless with its use. CPOE The Computer Based Provider Order Entry (CPOE) is a swift and efficient entry system that provides near instant access to vital patient information across the provider network. Information can be transmitted securely to other medical providers, clinics, and laboratories. This intuitive system is designed to assist with clinical decisions, providing accurate and up-to-date information on potential drug interactions, dosage issues, allergen warnings, and duplicate therapies. Additional Programs In addition to giving solid support to providers, the MedicsPortal designed for patients allows greater access to their medical team; patients can securely schedule appointments, contact their care team, access medical records, and more all from the comfort of their own home. Patient health is doubly protected by MedicsRx, which transmits prescription information directly to connected pharmacies, eliminating possible confusion stemming from handwritten prescriptions. Medics FlowText™ An ongoing frustration with EHR systems is resolved by the addition of Medics FlowText; no longer will it be a challenge to fluidly transmit information from reports and letters to the appropriate fields within the EHR. Doctors and medical staff can create reports and letters using Dragon Medical transcription, handwriting recognition or simply typing and have text flow intelligently right where it belongs. This capacity is a built-in component of the MedicsDocAssistant EHR. Incentives Medicare and Medicaid acknowledge the value of EHR use and offer stimulus packages of up to $63,750 to eligible providers who implement and use these programs. This comes in addition to increased efficiency as providers instantly access patient records from computers and iPhones. The e-Rx capabilities ensure the accuracy and ease patient access to their necessary treatments and the streamlined data transfers mean that access to diagnostic images, lab results, and discharge processes are swift and simple. Key Takeaways EHR features increase efficiency and decrease costs across a medical network. Effective and swift communication between providers, patients, and support is created. Medics FlowText bridges the efficiency gap between reports and medical records. Electronic medical records intelligently support clinical diagnosis and prescriptions. Incentives from Medicare and Medicaid help defray the initial cost of implementation.

A radiology information system (RIS) is a database used to store, change, and distribute copies of the radiological records and images of patients. Using RIS software such as Medics RIS can make for a significant boost in the efficacy of your practice, at least in the operations related to radiological practices. Here are five reasons why a RIS can boost your practice's efficiency: Management of patient flow through the radiological elements available at your practice not only gives you control over those patients but also speeds up their movements by easing the process. Each patient is assigned a place in the flow and is sped through without compromising care quality due to a highly responsive system. Electronic distribution means that individuals using the RIS can get access to the documents and images that they need to carry out their responsibilities. Often, RIS can even speed up the absorption process by only bringing the information that is relevant to those responsibilities, thereby eliminating clutter on the screen. Document scanning means that relevant documents can be uploaded to the database with minimal hassle and maximum convenience. As a result, your practice saves time and labor for both entering the information and incorporating it into existing records. Scheduling and registration means that the RIS can handle much of the labor that goes into organizing your practice's response to its patients. Patients being assigned specific times and places in the flow means that resources can be prepared to handle them, making for faster overall progress due to less time wasted on waiting fruitlessly. Furthermore, scheduling also makes for more thorough operations in your practice, because the RIS is aware of the steps that need to be completed and can alert you if anything is wrong. Documents included in the RIS can be changed by the appropriate personnel as more information comes in, making for a more accurate and comprehensive database. Key Takeaways A RIS makes the radiological elements of your practice more effective at performing their functions. It can do this by handling the registration plus scheduling of patients, handling their flow through those processes, uploading documents, distributing of those documents to your employees, and changing those documents as more information comes in.

Optimize Your Medical Practice Performance With the Help of Practice Management Software The integration of technology in the medical industry has revolutionized the way health institutions carry out their daily duties. Practice management software improves the overall services offered by healthcare facilities. Hospitals without practice management software incur high costs from hiring staff to carry out daily functions. The human resources include accountants, secretaries, health care workers, and assistants. Each of these people would have to play a part in providing quality services to patients. A medical practice management system can help save on time and costs.

Quality patient care often begins and ends with paperwork. EHR software can eliminate the hassle, increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve satisfaction in an environmentally sound way. Patients gain greater access to their care team and are less likely to face challenges stemming from transcription mistakes.

As the treatment of addictions and other psychiatric disorders becomes more complex, so does the process of managing patient records in behavioral health practices. To compound the issue, the requirements for service delivery and documentation differ among the third party payers. In order to avoid potential liability issues and payment recoupment’s associated with missing or incomplete documentation, the majority of behavioral health practices need to adopt electronic health records.