The following is an excerpt from an article by Cliff Bleustein, MD, MBA, of Dell Services. This article originally appeared on www.ehrintelligence.com. Over the past two years, hospitals have invested in modifying applications and workflows to fit the demands of ICD-10. And many have ramped up training on the detailed documentation that the new coding system requires. But a February survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) indicated that only 10 percent of physician practices were prepared for the change, and a lack of familiarity with the new documentation demands was part of the issue. Documentation remains an Achilles heel for many hospital ICD-10 conversion plans.

The following is an excerpt from an article by Andy Arends of Dell Services. This article originally appeared on Healthcare IT News. A February 2014 survey by the Medical Group Management Association indicated that only 10 percent of physician practices were prepared for the ICD-10 conversion, and this lack of provider readiness was a major reason congress pushed back the 2014 deadline. Lacking the expertise in-house and lacking the time and money to seek outside help, many physicians have procrastinated on preparations. To prevent further delays and to ensure a smooth transition to ICD-10, health plans need to actively engage physicians in their testing process. Even if there are no further delays to ICD-10 implementation – and, indeed, a new compliance deadline of Oct. 1, 2015, has been set - a lack of provider readiness will cause major headaches for health plans.

As medical professionals, it’s our responsibility to always strive to do better in how we deliver care to our patients. The more satisfied your patients are, after all, the more likely it will be that they’ll stay with you instead of going with another doctor or another practice. Read on to learn how you can improve your next patient visit in five simple steps.

Each profession has its own unique set of characteristics that distinguish it from other industries, and the medical profession is no exception. One of the benefits of being a member of a professional community like medicine is that you can share common problems and help one another deal with the bad that comes with the good we do each day. Here are four difficult things every medical professional can certainly relate to.

Putting together a great team for your medical organization takes an enormous amount of time, research, tenacity, and luck, and the most-prepared medical practices will be rewarded with the opportunity to hire the best available doctors. When you see a physician operating at the top of his or her game, you can see the greatness in each action, and you should be filled with pride that you have such a talented person on your team. Great physicians are not defined just by the excellent things they accomplish every day. We also make judgments about them according to the things physicians refrain from doing. Here are five things that really great doctors refuse to do.

You and your team have worked long and hard to build up a successful medical practice, and you recognize that it is crucial to maintain high standards of quality in the healthcare services you provide. You also know that it takes time, effort, and good sense of what your patients want to ensure that they will continue to be loyal to your practice. If you don’t know what your patients want, how can you be assured that you are doing what it takes to retain them? With these issues in mind, here are some tips to help you give your patients exactly what they want.

It seems that people are busier than ever these days, with their attention constantly shifting between the requirements of work, family, and other priorities. The busier people are, the less energy they typically have available to devote to cultivating relationships. However, as the owner or manager of a thriving medical practice, you know just how important and valuable each relationship is with your patients. It takes time and effort to begin a relationship with each new person who comes into your practice, and you don’t want to waste that by failing to cultivate it.

The world of healthcare is transforming, thanks to a revolution in computer systems and our capability to network computers with one another, connecting medical practices with insurance entities and other 3rd parties. Health Information Technology is an important topic that your patients should know more about. Your patients may not know much about the technology underpinning their healthcare, or they may have questions or concerns about healthcare IT that you will want to be able to address.

Advanced Data Systems Corporation will be attending AHRA's 42nd Annual Meeting and Exposition held at the Gaylord National Resort in Washington D.C. The event will be held on August 10-13th and will feature about 1,000 imaging leaders and 200 exhibitors. The Association for Medical Imaging Management is the professional organization represeting management at all levels of hospital imaging departments, freestanding imaging centers, and group practices. Top companies and influencers attend this educational event for radiology administration.

Since the U.S. government recently extended the deadline for the mandatory transition to the International Classification of Diseases version 10 from ICD-9, many managers at medical practices and other organizations are breathing a sigh of relief because they weren’t quite prepared to make the change yet. If you’re among their ranks, you will want to take advantage of the additional time to get all your ducks in a row and make sure your staff will be in a good position to implement and use ICD-10. Organizations now have until October 1, 2015 to make the switch to ICD-10, giving them one additional year to get ready to use the latest version of the code, which is developed and maintained by the World Health Organization. In the meantime, here are three things to do while waiting for ICD-10.