We have a saying around MediSked that goes:

"We don't have patience for software that calls people patients."   

Too often we see provider agencies evaluating medical or clinical software to implement as their agency wide solution for electronic records.  In almost every case, a provider that implements a clinical EHR to manage their electronic records, workflows, and billing is regretting that choice later on.  You don't provide medical services, or in some cases, even behavorial health services, so why look at software that is certified for managing those types of services?  You shouldn't and here's 4 reasons why.

We have a saying around MediSked that goes:

"We don't have patience for software that calls people patients."   

Too often we see provider agencies evaluating medical or clinical software to implement as their agency wide solution for electronic records.  In almost every case, a provider that implements a clinical EHR to manage their electronic records, workflows, and billing is regretting that choice later on.  You don't provide medical services, or in some cases, even behavorial health services, so why look at software that is certified for managing those types of services?  You shouldn't and here's 4 reasons why.

Over the years, we've found that the education on Agency Management Platforms is most often side-tracked by two words - Meaningful Use.  These two words are very misleading to DD providers as they search for an all-in-one electronic record solution.  It's a carrot that most DD providers will never get, reimbursement on their software platform (Certified EHRs and EMRs) from CMS.  An incentive to get PCPs, Hospitals and CAHs into the 21st Century.  But, CMS has ignored HCBS services in meaningful use as the requirement necessary to receive payments don't match the types of services or professionals that are usually present at provider agencies.  Unfortunately, we see DD providers investing in certified EHRs and EMRs only to find out later that they will never receive reimbursement on their software from CMS.  Remember, the target population for meaningful use is medical professionals.  Therefore, the requirements are very much driven by medical services, workflows and qualified medical professionals.  To learn more about meaningful use requirements, check out their website here: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Meaningful_Use.html 

In recent years, and now more than ever, the push to move health records to an EHR system is radiating throughout the healthcare industry.  Technologies such as EHR systems without a shadow of doubt ease the workflow and storage of records, but recently there has been some concern regarding fraud and abuse of medical claims from EHRs.  OIG has published an executive summary titled “CMS and its contractors have adopted few program integrity practices to address vulnerabilities in EHRs (OCI-01-11-00571)” that cautions the use of EHRs due to the increased ease to commit fraud.  Although the OIG report does raise valid issues among the health information technology space, it doesn’t apply to all EHR systems practices.  MediSked’s Connect platform has controls in place to prevent fraud as outlined by the report.