When looking at different electronic medical record (EMR) software systems, be sure to ask whether or not the systems are HIPAA Compliant. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was created to protect patient health information that is held by health insurance companies and health care facilities. There are serious legal repercussions for companies that violate these regulations, so make sure your facility’s EMR software system provides a HIPPA certificate of completion after training staff members.

All HIPAA compliant software systems should provide guidance in the form of staff training sessions. Online training modes can allow staff members to practice on their own time prior to going live. This will ensure that everyone who will be working with the system has a clear understanding of how the EMR software system works and it also gives everyone a chance to ask important questions prior to implementation. It is imperative that all employees follow the exact HIPAA rules and policies in order to receive a positive audit from the organization.

A reduction in the incidents of healthcare abuse by individuals who file fraudulent claims is one of the major advantages of implementing an HIPAA compliant EMR software system. To accomplish this, the software features built-in safeguards that reduce the risk of unauthorized access to each patient’s private health information and it also encrypts backup files and other data.

In addition, many HIPAA compliant EMR software systems can allow authorized physicians and other key staff members to access password protected patient files from any computer or device with Internet access. This is one of the many huge advantages to implementing a digital recordkeeping system in your facility, as it makes it easier to work from home on patient accounts during emergencies and also when pushing to meet insurance deadlines.

Before choosing a new EMR software system, try to consult with other medical facilities and ask them what software they use, what they like about it and what they would change if they had it to do over again. Also, don’t be afraid to ask distributors if they can let your facility test-drive the software system and schedule product demonstrations in your office so staff members can offer their input. Taking these basic steps will help to ensure that your facility ends up with a software system that truly meets every need and is HIPAA compliant.

Digitizing personal health records may very well be integral in efforts to create better-informed patients, as any real change in the overall health of the general public must stem from better decisions being made by individuals. So how can digitizing medical records create healthier patients over time? It’s simple: by creating a personal health record, patients immediately have more control over their own medical histories, allowing them to work more closely with medical professionals and, ultimately, to make better decisions when it comes to managing their health.

Patients who have a digital personal health record can authorize physicians and other healthcare professionals to access (and add content to) their secure medical histories, thereby making it easier than ever to keep things up to date. Active, engaged patients will not only make better decisions when it comes to their own health, but they will also work with providers to make more meticulous choices than the current healthcare system often does. As a result, costs and surgery rates are likely to decline since records are all in one place, also reducing the chance for medical errors.

The fact that most of our nation’s medical records are not already in digital form seems mind-boggling when you compare it to, say, the way we track our financial records, but the ball is finally rolling to make electronic medical records a reality. Nothing is more important than our health, and keeping accurate, accessible records is essential to proper healthcare management.

The term ‘Connected Health’ describes a healthcare delivery model that employs the newest technology and empowers physicians to provide healthcare remotely. The concept of Connected Health will enable healthcare providers to make the most of available resources, and to give patients a number of new, increasingly flexible ways to interact with doctors and other healthcare professionals. It will also empower patients by giving them increased control over their own medical care.

Connected Health includes the use of programs in remote/home care, lifestyle/disease management and telehealth services. These resources can greatly improve care for chronically ill patients, simply by employing the use of widely available consumer technologies. This is especially true in the United States and the European Union, as these markets enjoy a higher availability of Internet and telephone service than many other parts of the world.

Other services Connected Health can provide include web-based second opinions for patients, monitoring programs for elderly patients and fitness coaching for general wellness. Flexibility is core to the Connected Health concept, and many programs will employ several services at once, such as online communications, cell phones and biosensors to improve the provider-patient relationship. In addition, global positioning, environmental sensors and digital pen technology are playing an important part in Connected Health services today.

Connected Health promises to deliver a variety of positive change for healthcare practices, including a reduction in the cost of care that will total more than $1 trillion per year for the chronically ill, according to the Center for Health Care Economics at the Milken Institute. Advances in communication between healthcare providers and patients will also allow for closer surveillance of both local and global public health, and as a result, is expected to have an impact on the total number of epidemics and infections diseases that exist.

Other benefits to the use of Connected Health technologies include improved customer service for patients, a reduction in medical errors and safer, more productive clinical trials. All of this points to the fact that the medical industry stands on the cusp of a new era, one in which physicians, healthcare professionals and patients will be able to maximize effectiveness and begin to make real strides in improving mortality rates and reducing the spread of chronic disease.

Electronic medical records (EMRs) can help medical professionals and patients in a variety of ways, but to do this effectively it’s important that various EMR software systems maintain a level of continuity in the way they function. To accomplish this, the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) provides guidelines for testing and certifying EMR IT systems.

A non-profit organization, CCHIT announced late last year that it would offer new testing programs owing to the current realities of the healthcare IT market, which was greatly impacted by the funding set aside for such endeavors by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. One of these new programs, known as Preliminary ARRA 2011 Certification, tests EMR software systems specifically for compliance with the limited criteria set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). This certification will help to ascertain which systems meet ‘meaningful use’ criteria, used to determine which facilities will be eligible to receive a portion of the estimated $34 billion in federal stimulus money that has been set aside to digitize heath recordkeeping systems.

In addition, CCHIT will also offer a CCHIT Certified 2011 testing program that will employ a complex set of more than 300 criteria that has been compiled by the organization since its creation. The CCHIT Certified 2011 testing program will most likely closely resemble previous certification programs that have been developed by the organization, but will be adjusted so systems that pass will also meet ARRA criteria.

When it comes to an exact definition for ‘meaningful use’ of EMR software systems, it can be complicated, but CCHIT has worked hard to ensure that certified systems enable healthcare facilities to meet ‘meaningful use’ standards, and therefore qualify for federal stimulus subsidies. Therefore, it is essential for physicians and healthcare providers to take the time to make sure that any EMR software system they are considering meets these guidelines and has been properly certified.

When making the switch to a new electronic medical record software system (EMR), physicians and healthcare facilities must take into account the inevitable workflow interruptions and the ‘learning curve’ that will arise as a result of the software implementation process. By not requiring healthcare professionals to enter too much (or too little) information, systems can achieve a balance for the facility, making recordkeeping systems more effective while streamlining the medical charting process.

Keep in mind that EMR workflow changes will even reach all the way into the actual examination rooms, especially since many physicians are still charting by hand, using symbols and abbreviations that make sense only to them and to their staff. This ‘language’ was originally developed to help doctors save time and space when recording notes, but EMRs will require physicians and other staff members to learn a standardized system and to be more mindful when inputting information. As a result, it’s very important to be selective when choosing the information that will be required by the EMR software system your facility adopts.

In order to determine what information should be required by your EMR software system, take the time to make a definitive list of everything you would like the system to do for you in a perfect world. Then, eliminate the things you could live without. For example, is e-prescribing important to you? What requirements do your specialty have? Do you want to participate in PQRI? Once you have identified the must-have requirements for your facility’s EMR software system, you can work with your software provider to modify an existing system to better suit your specific needs, or to find an ‘off-the-shelf’ product that comes loaded with everything your practice will need.

By taking the time to plan extensively and concentrating on anticipating the future needs of each individual practice or healthcare facility, medical professionals can ensure that the amount of information the EMR software system requires them to input will not slow down medical charting. On the flip side, proper planning will also ensure that enough information must be entered, so physicians and healthcare professionals everywhere will begin to enjoy unprecedented access to comprehensive and comparative data.