EMR Software Blog (EHR Software)

Medical Charting Software Is Affordable for small practice doctors.  Part of the Obama economic stimulus plan includes both incentive payments for adoption of medical charting software and eventually penalties for NOT adopting and implementing the software in a doctors office.

What are the benefits of EMR software?

1- Time savings of having a centalized, computerized chart.  No more time spent wasted pulling or looking for files.

2- Reduced number of pharmacy and drug refill requests.  Teach your patients to call the pharmacy for refills and have the pharmacy send you an electronic prescription refill request.  Then check your messages periodically thru the day and reply

3- Ability to enter SOAP notes any way you wish, by: A- Traditional Transcription method which is then uploaded and placed into the appropriate chart; B- Voice Dictation method or C- Template driven method of mouse and keyboard.

4- Ability to accept Lab results automatically into your EMR software.

5- Increase quality of patient care as a result of reduced medication errors and the benefit of having all information at your fingertips.

6- Benefits of a paperless office with Fax servers and document scanning.

Medicare will use both carrot and stick approach to reward EMR\EHR adoption, and to penalize non-adoption.

Incentives include up to $64,000 + for early adopters of EHR Software.  Penalties estimate up to 3-5% of medicare billings.

Four critical aspects of the bill include:
1- Elegibile Professional; (under medicare provisions of the bill, an elegibile professional is a doctor of medicine or ostepoathy; dentists; podiatrists; optometrists; chiropractors).
2- Not be hospital based;
3- Demonstrate “Meaningful Use” of an EHR software.  To be left up to discretion of HHS Secretary, but expected to include e-prescribing, interoperability, clinical reporting,
4- Certified EHR program. - yet to be determined by HHS Secretary, but exptected to include CCHIT certification.

Incentives will be allowed thru two provisions:
1-Medicare incentives
2-Medicaid incentives
But NOT BOTH.  No incentives after 2016.  Up to 10% additional reimbursements for physicians in “physician shortage areas”.

Physicians who demonstrate “meaningful use” in first two years receive a $3,000 bonus.

To learn more about Medisoft Clinical EHR Software Click Here.

Legal Disclaimer - this post represents our own interpretation and should verified with your legal and accounting staff or consultants.