skip to main |
skip to sidebar
"Why is it that societies' smartest people, those who pioneer the use of cutting-edge technology to advance the practice of medicine, are often last to embrace business technology that would make their practices far more efficient?"
Physicians won't hesitate to implement the latest proven diagnostic and treatment tools, the patient benefits are clear and justify the investment. But when it comes to their practice management, physicians are, by and large, technology challenged. Most still take notes with pens and clipboards, double-enter patient information on computers installed years or even decades ago, collaborate via inter-office faxes, and so on (as reported by a recent Rand Study).
Look no further than Congress for evidence that practice management is stuck in an '80s mindset. For years, legislators have been drumming up proposals devised to motivate health care organizations to embrace EHRs. Indeed, multiple bills are winding their way through Congress right now, including HR 2377, reintroduced by Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), which uses tax abatements to encourage health care organizations to invest in HIT, specifically EHRs and e-prescriptions. Congress is throwing money at physicians to adopt a process - digital record keeping - that businesses in general have been using for more than 20 years. Health care's reluctance to modernize practice management and reimbursement systems has reached epidemic proportions. The primary symptom: spiraling health care costs put intensive downward pressure on physicians' revenue while, at the same time, put upward pressure on their costs. The result: another "catch 22" in the health care crisis.
The time has come for physicians to become advocates of IT solutions and services as modern and innovative as their diagnostic, treatment and surgical tools. By reducing costs, improving workflow and streamlining operations, modern management systems and services can help cure what ails the health care field, and resuscitate a struggling industry.
A recent RAND study determined that HIT (Health Information Technology), when properly implemented and widely adopted would save money and significantly improve health care quality, the two biggest issues facing the health care industry. HIT encompasses all aspects workflow, practice management and electronic prescriptions, transcriptions and EHR's. However, most available HIT technology have not provided physicians with realistic solutions. It can cost nearly half a million dollars to install an EHR system, plus around $10,000 a year in staff costs (per full-time physician) to operate, according to the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). And that doesn't factor in the ongoing technical staffing and IT costs, these more complicated systems require. Larger organizations can absorb these expenses, but smaller ones can be crushed by them. Compare that to the $10,009 in staff costs when managing paper records within a practice. No wonder that only 10 to 20 percent of physician's have installed EHRs. However, the web-based technology solutions that most EMR companies are not offering because they want your money, is the only HIT solution that makes sense to the physician.
Solutions: - Outsource models that remove the IT burden from physicians. This is the smartest way to deliver IT solutions to an office that lacks IT expertise. This modular approach is particularly suited for small offices, and saves valuable time and money. Larger offices that have difficulty maintaining skilled staff will also find this approach very attractive.
- Solid functionality tailored to needs and specialty.
- Deep vendor experience in the industry, reflected directly in the software and services.
- Proven financial returns or return on investment.
Our vision at Global MedData is to provide physicians with efficient business solutions and not expensive technology that's outdated as soon as you buy it. We are working towards a full web-based modular system that even the the smallest practice can afford. Our focus is the customer, the physician - providing an easy to use workflow management system, (as easy to use as a Google search so you don't have to spend several weeks training), totally web-based and modular, so you pay for what you need when you need it with no upfront investment costs and no worries about the future and compliance.
The result: physicians will manage their medical offices better, improve patient treatment and increase efficiency. Our transcription module and workflow system is currently available and we plan to launch more EHR modules in the coming months. Please contact us if you are interested in receiving more information.
Global MedData is a provider of digital transcription services and EHR to physician practices and clinics in the U.S. and to the National Health Service Hospitals in the U.K. For more information email us at: info@globalmeddata.net
A new study to be published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that one academic medical center recouped its investment in electronic health records within 16 months. The new analysis counters concerns of health care providers reluctant to invest in electronic medical records systems.
The widespread loss of paper medical records in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina is one of several factors behind the recent push to get surgeons and other health care providers to go electronic, according to David A. Krusch, MD, FACS, of the University of Rochester Department of Surgery and co-author of the study.
"Health care providers most frequently cite cost as primary obstacle to adopting an electronic medical records system. And, until this point, evidence supporting a positive return on investment for electronic health records technologies has been largely anecdotal," said Dr. Krusch.
The study compared the cost of activities such as pulling charts, creating new charts, filing time, support staff salary, and transcription when done electronically in the third quarter of 2005, versus the cost of those same activities performed manually in the third quarter of 2003.
The University of Rochester Medical Center estimated that the new electronic medical records system reduced costs by $393,662 per year, nearly two-thirds of that coming from a sharp reduction in the time required to manually pull charts. Given that its electronic system cost $484,577 to install and operate, it took the University of Rochester Medical Center 16 months to recoup its investment. After the first year, it cost about $114,016 annually to operate the new system.
Global Meddata's iTranscript has near zero investment and no annual maintenance costs because it's Internet enabled and a pay as you go system. Just download your audio files and receive the transcribed documents within hours by e-mail or secure web-based access - ready for integration into your existing systems through our transcription lifecycle workflow management. Studies show savings of up to 40% using iTranscript.
Global MedData is a provider of digital transcription services and EHR to physician practices and clinics in the U.S. and to the National Health Service Hospitals in the U.K. For more information email us at: info@globalmeddata.net
Clinton advocated an electronic medical records (EMR) law in his keynote address at the CTIA Wireless trade show in Orlando, Fla. The former President also referred to a recent McKinsey & Co. study that estimates EMR could cut US$100 billion of administrative costs of the U.S. health care system, on which Americans spend $800 billion per year.That's the number-one thing that can be done right now to make the American health care system more efficient and cut costs, Clinton said. For one thing, EMR would save the cost of patients recounting their medical history every time they change doctors, which can also introduce errors because they may misremember things, he said.President George Bush wants a system of universal health-records by 2015. And Medicare, the government-run health scheme for pensioners, is shifting to a tiered reimbursement system in which it pays doctors more if they go electronic. Employers are also keen on technology, since it promises to curb health-care costs and improve efficiency. And the consumer wants access and portability which most current systems don't allow due to proprietary systems.Technology can improve patient outcomes while saving physicians money. Global MedData's web based transcription module is a key component of EMR and it's based on open standards, portability and inexpensive to implement. Global MedData has consistently achieved 40-60% savings and over 95% accuracy for clinics and hospitals that now no longer need to buy complicated and expensive EMR software systems. Stay tuned, as we'll be bringing more affordable modules as part of a comprehensive EMR/EHR Internet based system.URL: http://www.intergovworld.com/article/9f8d4ba50a01040800f483b495c7a9ef/pg0.htmGlobal MedData is a provider of digital transcription services and EHR to physician practices and clinics in the U.S. and to the National Health Service Hospitals in the U.K. For more information email us at: info@globalmeddata.net
Global MedData's iTranscript™ ASP Web application is the next generation solution providing a high level of facilitation of all activities in the entire transcription management process. iTranscript™ offers a range of customizable features to meet physician clients’ requirements with focus on quality, service, costs, fast turnaround time and seamless integration into existing operational systems from small practices to large medical institutions. Unlike many other EMR solutions costing hundreds and even thousands of dollars, there is no investment cost, no software to buy and no compatibility issues with Global MedData's solutions, making it affordable for physicians in small practices to large hospitals. Modules include: Digital Voice Transcriptor, Transcript Synchronizer and Editor, Integration, Security and Audit Management, Enterprise Transcription Management and Transcript Repository.
Global MedData is a provider of digital transcription services and EHR to physician practices and clinics in the U.S. and to the National Health Service Hospitals in the U.K.
