CMS Medicaid Incentives

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 by Adrienne Niverson

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has detailed the terms for FFP (Federal Financial Participation) of up to 90% matched funds. 

Three requirements must be met in order to be eligible for FFP matched funds:

1. Administration of Medicaid incentive payments to Medicaid EPs and eligible hospitals;

2. Oversight of the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, including routine tracking of meaningful use attestations and reporting mechanisms;

3. Pursuit of initiatives that encourage the adoption of certified EHR technology for the promotion of health care quality and the electronic exchange of health information.

The full text of the letter sent to Medicaid Administrators for your state is located on the CMS website.

Bradford Scott Medical has a great suite of products that will help your practice meet these requirements; Intergy by Sage Practice Management & EHR Software. Contact us today for more information or to set up a demonstration.

 

EMR Stimulus- Electronic Prescribing

Monday, August 30, 2010 by Carey Fulwider
My husband and I own a 109 year old house that we are restoring. Our current project is windows, insulation, and new siding. This is a huge undertaking, but it is actually going fairly well. We bought 16 new windows this spring to do the project. I made sure that they were Energy Star qualified so we would qualify for the $1500 credit. Well...... completing the paperwork for my Tax credit I find that the windows are .001 UVFR away from qualifying for the credit. Lesson learned, make sure you qualify before purchasing!

Point of the story is dealing with the requirements for tax credits can be tricky. So when you are implementing an EMR System and Electronic Prescribing Software, be sure to fully understand Meaningful Use and all requirements for receiving your EMR Stimulus money.

Bradford-Scott Data Corp not only keeps up-to-date with the changes in Meaningful Use and what that means to our practices, but we also provide a guide to let you know what Meaningful Use means to you. What Electronic Medical Records Features are required for you to qualify as a EHR Systems user and qualify for the stimulus money!

Running

Friday, August 27, 2010 by Mike Beer
This has been a week of running.  My daughter's first cross country meet of the year was last Saturday.  My son's first cross country meet ever was Wednesday.  And I ran nearly 10 miles this week.

What else has been running this week?  Bradford-Scott.  Even though we've had 6-10 service reps in Sage Intergy training all week, we've kept support running on all cylinders, including:


  • Full phone support staff supporting over 200 Intergy, MENDS, and Navigator customers
  • Training staff visiting a pediatrics Intergy customer for a review
  • Update to Intergy v6.0 for one of our largest Intergy medical software Kentucky clients
  • Electronic health records upgrade for a Pediatrics EMR customer
No rest for the wicked.  Bradford-Scott is running to service our customers all the time, and so am I.  Now excuse me as I run off to happy hour!

Cheers,
Mike

Electronic Health Records- Flowsheets

Friday, August 27, 2010 by Carey Fulwider

One of the coolest features in Bradford-Scott's EMR System is the Flowsheets screen. We can customize your EMR system to show the items that you wish to track and also group them together based on condition that you are trying to monitor.

Here are some of the features:
  • Customize list of vitals, findings, and lab results to show on the patients flowchart. in the Patient Records System.
  • Graphing- Display a visual graph of the change in a component of the flowsheet over time. You can graph one item or several items together.
  • Medication Duration- The screen will display the medications that the patient is taking in comparison to the items that you are tracking in your flowsheet. This will quickly show the provider how the medication is affecting the patients findings.
  • Growth Chart- There is a built in growth chart that will plot and child's height and weight automatically.

Flowsheets are just another great feature in Electronic Medical Records that will make it easier for providers to care for their patients.



Continuing EMR Education

Thursday, August 26, 2010 by Carey Fulwider


This week at Bradford-Scott we have a Technical Trainer in to provide additional training on our EMR System and Medical Software System. There are some things we already know and some things that are new to us. It is important to continuously educate yourself on your systems for there might be something that makes your job easier!

Continuing Education is important to our Electronic Health Records, and Medical Software System clients. Bradford-Scott Data Corp provides free classes that can either be attended in a webinar or classroom environment. These classes cover different areas of the software systems. This allows you to take courses on areas that are most needed.

I have a Medical Software client that attends a basic overall training session once a year. This person leaves the class with something new each time. She says that she will continue to come once a year because she has found so many shortcuts that make her day to day tasks easier.





Are You Ready For EMR Adoption?

Thursday, August 26, 2010 by Jennifer Sanders
Times are changing and technology for medical practices is changing toward EMR Adoption.  Some physicians are embracing this head on, while other are more hesitant to take the first step.  Well, now is the time to take the plunge and consider EMR Adoption for your practice for many different reasons:




  • Supported EM Coding using a built in E&M Calculator.
  • EHR Stimulus Money is waiting for you!
  • Convenience of having all your patient medical records at your fingertips.
  • DUR review to notify you of any drug interactions that may occur.
  • Paperless Electronic Patient Charting.
  • Backing of the Medcin Database.
  • E-Prescribing
  • Integrated product with Medical Insurance Billing Software.
Bradford Scott Data Corporation offers Intergy by Sage EMR and Medical Office Billing Software.  In addition to a fabulous product, we can also offer you the VERY best customer service around.  To schedule an EMR Demo for your practice, contact us at Bradford Scott Medical. 


You're the Patient... What Does EHR Mean to You?

Friday, August 20, 2010 by Jessica Andresen
75% of the public supports the movement of electronic health records, but will the technology really make us safer?  Here are my top 5 favorite reasons for thinking that they will....
  1. Less trips to the doctor's office - When we can email our doctors instead of having to set appointments for every little thing, like a prescription refill, we will be saving time and money!  Less time taken off of work, less money spent in gas, and less time spent waiting in the lobby will always be positives in my book.
  2. Access to your medical records on vacation - With EHR technology being rapidly embraced, it's just a matter of time before doctors and hospitals will be able to share our medical records.  If I'm off getting married in Vegas, and I need to seek medical attention, my doctor from the Hoosier state can send my info with a touch of a button.  I don't know about you, but I don't like having to re-take tests and blood work if I don't have to!
  3. No more leaving messages and calling back for lab results - How many times have you called for your results, only to be told to call back later?  Wouldn't it be nice if we could just log on and see the results for ourselves?  Very nice!
  4. No more hauling X-rays and medical files - If we are referred to a specialist, that physician will need our past records, tests, and/or X-rays.  But what id they could just retrieve them like a digital picture?  No more sorting through papers, waiting for faxes, or hauling them yourself.
  5. Prescriptions - When prescriptions are transmitted electronically, the system automatically checks for interactions and correct dosage.  Do you go to more then one doctor for more than one reason?  Now you don't have to worry if the pharmacist will catch it.  Electronic prescriptions have saved millions already, and the doctor gets a kick-back right now from Medicare, what's not to love?

If your physician is not taking advantage of electronic health records, it's time for you to ask why. With the ARRA(Stimulus) incentives that are available, it has never been a better time to make a move.  

EMR Report for the Week

Friday, August 20, 2010 by Carey Fulwider
This week I had a training session on Tuesday evening from 5-7pm on our Electronic Medical Records Software program. Bradford-Scott offers training times during the day and in the evenings to give your practice time to learn the EMR System and not interfere with your patient load. The training session was covering the Provider Desktop and Patient Charting. These are two areas of our EMR product that will be used daily by the clinical staff and providers. 

The Provider Desktop consists of the providers schedule, Open Task, Open Encounters, and Open Orders. Our EMR System starts the provider out on this screen as a snapshot of all the items they would typically want to monitor.

Patient Charting was the next topic covered. There are many items in this area required to receive Medicare Incentives. Tabs represent different areas of the patients chart. Much like the tabs that are in your paper chart. Except these are items are easy to read and update. There is no need to dig around the chart in search of a document, everything is properly stored under it's specific tab as it is entered in the system.

The training session went well the doctors were more than thrilled with the Health Maintenance Screen. He quoted that to be his favorite screen of the system so far! 

Utilize Your EMR System

Friday, August 20, 2010 by Carey Fulwider


So now that you have purchased an Electronic Medical Records System you are having problems adjusting to documenting your patients visit on your new system. You may be feeling like you are so focused on your computer that you are not even looking at your patient. You may feel like it takes you three times as long to do the same amount of patient charting. Here are a few tips to make EMR Adoption an easier process.


  1. Start the visit without your computer to maintain that patient doctor relationship
  2. Face the patient with the laptop or tablet on your lap. This way it is easier to look at the patient from time to time and try to keep that patient relationship strong. 
  3. Practice, Practice, Practice...before going live on the EMR system take a few visits from each day and enter into the system. It may be extra time added to your work day but will make you feel more confident when the patient is in front of you.
  4. Only choose certain visits and start slow. Do not plan on documenting a whole days worth of patients visits your first day, most likely you will get frustrated and quit using it all together.
  5. Do not get hung up on one particular finding that you want to document and cannot find. Write it down and then ask your support team later.
These are just a few of our tips that we offer when implementing an EMR System. Bradford-Scott has been in the business of Medical Software for over 25 years. With our experience we offer the best support in the business.



Electronic Medical Records

Friday, August 20, 2010 by Carey Fulwider

A few years ago you could mention the acronym EMR and nobody knew what you were talking about. Today you mention EMR and everybody knows what it is, and it does not matter if you are speaking with a medical professional or patient. So what is the point of EMR and how can you benefit from implementing your Electronic Medical Records System?

Electronic Medical Records are used to create better tracking and reporting on patient care to ultimately allow providers to better care for their patients. One of the major features is the Health Maintenance piece. This feature will automatically put the patient in a preventative group of health guidelines based on age and sex. It will also apply a set of care condition guidelines based on the patients problem list.

The doctor is reminded of these care guidelines every time a patent's chart is accessed. As these guidelines are satisfied they will be removed from the list until they are due again. This feature is key to ensure that your patients are being treated for everything that is needed for them individually.

There are many other features of Electronic Medical Records that provide better care to patients. Health Maintenance is just one many. Contact Bradford-Scott Data Corp for more information.
 


Bradford-Scott Attending the IMGMA Fall Conference!!

Friday, August 20, 2010 by Jessica Andresen
 Bradford-Scott Data Corporation is attending the IMGMA Fall Conference!!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Renaissance Indianapolis North
11925 N. Meridian St, Carmel, IN

We'll be there to answer your questions about stimulus and EHR (electronic health records), and help you choose the correct solutions for your practice!!  Make sure to stop by!!

Questions of Today:
"To Use or Not to Use?"
"To Integrate or Not to Integrate?"
To Implement or Not to Implement?"

Answers for Tomorrow:
IMGMA Fall Conference

 
 

Symphony

Friday, August 13, 2010 by Mike Beer
Tonight we're going to our first Symphony on the Prairie.  It's Michael Jackson night, so not only do we get to see a fantastic orchestra playing MJ songs, there is also a professional MJ impersonator singing.  My kids are both violin players and my son is a big MJ fan, so it should be a good time.  Oh, and did I mention you can bring beverages in?

A successful symphony relies on many individual people and instruments working together.  Bradford-Scott Data Corporation has been successful for similar reasons.  Our Intergy, Intergy EHR, MENDS, and Navigator customers' success depends on us working together.  As a value added reseller, we have team members that provide training, consulting, programming, system administration, network administration, hardware support, and hardware repair.

Bradford-Scott's best-in-class service and support keeps getting better.  We work together to orchestrate the finest solutions for our customers.  To find out how Bradford-Scott can provide you with Intergy electronic health records and practice management, contact us through this blog.

RIP Michael.
Cheers,
Mike

CMS Incentive payments: 2011

Thursday, August 12, 2010 by Mike Beer
An article at www.healthimaging.com says that during a CMS webinar on 8/8/10, it was stated that eligible health care professionals can receive incentives in 2011.  Just buying electronic health records does not guarantee CMS incentive payments;  meaningful use must be demonstrated.

Here are the three main objectives when defining meaningful use:
  • Use of certified EHR in a meaningful manner (e.g.,e-prescribing);
  • Use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of health care; and  
  • Use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality measures (CQM) and other such measures selected by the Secretary.
Bradford-Scott is proud to offer Sage Intergy EHR to help you on your way to fulfilling meaningful use requirements.  We'll be with you throughout every step of your EHR adoption.  For more information or for an EHR demo, call 317-713-2065.

Cheers,
Mike

Hot!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010 by Mike Beer
This week has been the hottest week yet this summer.  Temps are in the 90s and heat index is in the 100s!  My kids are both in cross country and they've had to run in some very warm temperatures.  So far I've run each evening this week and I plan to do it again tonight.  It's a great way to lose weight (or pass out)!

It's been a hot summer for Bradford-Scott Data Corporation as well.  Sales of Sage Intergy v6.0 and Sage Intergy EHR have been coming in at record levels.  The 'big board' where we keep track of new clients, data conversions, and electronic health records implementations is full.  It's not uncommon for our service and support staff to be working with multiple new customers.

If you haven't joined the Intergy revolution yet, there's still time.  We've got the products you need, but even more importantly, we've got the best service and support in the Midwest.  Click the links for more information, or to see a practice management or EHR demo, reply to this blog.

Stay cool!

Cheers,
Mike

RECs to the rescue

Monday, August 2, 2010 by Mike Bessignano
The government has put incentives in place for Regional Extension Centers (RECs) to assist smaller physician groups in their search for a electronic health records (EHR) system.  The RECs will support and serve health care providers to help them quickly become adept and meaningful users of EHR systems. RECs are designed to make sure that primary care clinicians get the help they need to use EHRs.  

RECs will:
  • Provide training and support services to assist doctors and other providers in adopting EHRs
  • Offer information and guidance to help with implementation
  • Give technical assistance as needed
The goal of the program is to provide outreach and support services to at least 100,000 priority primary care providers within two years.

ONC has funded 60 RECs in virtually every geographic region of the United States to ensure plenty of support to health care providers in communities across the country.

Bradford-Scott Data Corporation is a value added reseller for a nationally installed RECs recognized EHR system for the Midwest.  You can learn more about us at www.bradfordscott.com

 

5 Reasons for EHR Now!

Sunday, August 1, 2010 by Jessica Andresen
 Why consider an Electronic Medical Records System?

• Improved Coding - With better documentation tools, your coding will be more accurate.  Where there is more accuracy, better patient care and, in most cases,  higher reimbursements will follow.

• Storage - Where are you putting those charts?  Keeping them on-site takes up too much space and keeping them off-site takes up too much of your money.  Use your space for another exam room and use your money for whatever you want, not renting the unnecessary.

• e-Prescribing - Did you know that, on average, your staff spends 10 minutes handling prescription refill calls alone?  How many of these calls are they taking each day?  You're paying them how much per hour?

• Malpractice Premiums - Did you know that some insurance carriers offer discounts to those providers using EHR?  It's true...  Some even offer discounts all the way up to 20%, and for you specialty practices out there, this type of saving would more than cover the cost of your EHR.

• No More Chart Pulls - With an average cost of $5 per chart pull, how much money would your practice save?  The average is 30 chart pulls per day, what would you do with an extra $39,150  per year?

If you wait until you are forced to implement an Electronic Health Records system, will you end up with one that you have no control over? Call us today to view a demo of Intergy EHR.  Intergy EHR meets all of the Stage 1 criteria to receive your incentives.

It's not a question of "if", it's a question of "when".

Electronic Prescribing

Sunday, August 1, 2010 by Jessica Andresen
 The use of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) is effectively preventing adverse drug reactions and reducing medical costs, according to researchers from Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  

A recent study, posted in Archives of Internal Medicine, found that 7.3% of e-prescribing attempts resulted in alerts.  Of the 279,476 alerts that were studied, physicians overrode 91.1% of them.  Even though the electronic prescriptions technology was over-ridden in those cases, it still helped prevent 402 adverse drug issues.  Here are more things that those alerts likely prevented:
  • 3 deaths
  • 14 permanent disabilities
  • 31 temporary disabilities
  • 39 hospital admissions
  • 34 emergency room visits
  • 267 physician office visits

This study was taken from only the first half of 2006 Massachusetts prescription data, and it is estimated that the use ofelectronic prescriptions ended with an overall savings of $402,619.

Electronic prescribing is a ARRA incentive requirement.  Sage Intergy EHR V5.5 is CCHIT 2008 certified and includes this feature, and Bradford-Scott also offers a stand-alone version as well.  Contact us today.

Intergy

Friday, July 30, 2010 by Mike Beer
Another big customer has upgraded to Sage Intergy!  One of Bradford-Scott's largest and oldest customers has made the leap and upgraded to Sage Intergy 6.0.  Soon they'll reap the benefits that Intergy has to offer, including electronic prescriptions, integrated claim status, and state of the art billing.

They are also looking into EHR adoption.  Sage Intergy EHR is one of the most successful electronic health records products in the nation, providing solutions to thousands of providers nationwide.

If you're ready to upgrade your office to the best Indiana EHR system available, give us a call.  Bradford-Scott is also a provider of Kentucky EHR, Illinois EHR, Ohio EHR, and Michigan EHR, and we provide the best service and support in the Midwest.  Contact medical sales at 317-713-2065 or reply to this blog for more information.

Cheers,
Mike

Customer Appreciation Week-Mark Your Calendar!

Thursday, July 22, 2010 by Monica Milner

Bradford Scott Data Corporation is hosting Customer Appreciation Week August 23, 2010-August 27, 2010.

Highlights include:
  • Prizes and Giveaways
  • Practice Management Demonstration
  • Electronic Health Records Demonstration
  • Exclusive Client Discounts
  • Customized Training Sessions
  • Personalized Workflow Analysis
Give Bradford Scott Data Corporation a call today to learn more.  We can be reached at 317-713-2065.

Illinois EMR and Practice Management Solution

Friday, July 16, 2010 by Terry Hedges



Bradford-scott Data Corporation is the midwest's largest Practice Managment and EHR vendor and is proud to offer Intergy by Sage as our EHR and practice managment solution. Bradford-Scott proudly serves the greater five state area of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky with practice management and EHR/EMR software. Some larger recent Intergy clients in Illinois include the following:


  • Sage North America today announced that Danville Polyclinic, Ltd., the largest comprehensive multi-specialty clinic in Danville, Ill., has chosen Sage Intergy EHR for its electronic documentation needs across 40 providers.

 Danville Polyclinic, which services as many as 1,000 patient encounters a day, was searching for the following:

  •  Looking to employ an electronic health record (EHR) solution that would improve coding accuracy and reportability

  • They also wanted to streamline workflow processes, ultimately enabling the clinic to enhance the quality of care for its patients.


  • Implementation of Sage Intergy EHR throughout the practice will be complete in May 2010, per Sage.

Sandy Knauer director of Information services states, "We've been very impressed with Sage throughout our history using Sage Intergy Practice Management and Sage Practice Analytics," ... "When we made the decision to roll out an electronic health records system, Sage was the obvious choice; not only from an integration perspective but also for Intergy's ease-of-use and robust features." So if you are a medical provider in Illinois searching for an EHR or practice managment solution why not contact Bradford-Scott about EMR adoption, BSDC will be happy to assist you with your Illinois EMR and practice management needs. For more information please feel free to visit our website WWW.bradfordscott.com or call Monica to schedule a demo at (317) 713-2065 or (800)963-2732.