Physicians can sign up for the EHR incentive program in January 2011. To begin receiving payments, they must have demonstrated meaningful use of certified Electronic Health Records (EHRs) for 90 days—which means the first incentive payments will likely go out in May 2011.

Now that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its final rule on meaningful use, the agency is preparing the systems that will trigger incentive payments—which physicians will start receiving as early as May 2011.

The CMS will open registration for the incentive program in January. Physicians can begin signing up for the program then.

To sign up, eligible Medicare physicians must have: (1) a national provider identifier and be enrolled in the CMS Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS), which validates and tracks the enrollment of providers and suppliers in the Medicare program, and (2) an active user account in the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), which assigns unique identifiers to health plans and providers in exchanging health information.

To begin receiving payments, physicians must verify that they have demonstrated meaningful use of certified Electronic Health Records (EHRs) for 90 days.

Physicians do not have to inform CMS of which certified EHR system they are using until they submit information verifying they have met meaningful use requirements. As a result, physicians may use an EHR that hasn’t yet been certified but that they expect will qualify for certification by the time they verify that they have demonstrated meaningful use for 90 days.

Related articles: CMS will start incentive payments in May 2011

Physicians wary of adopting an EMR because they think it could get in the way of patient relationships can stop worrying. Designers of today’s best-of-breed EMRs have clearly thought through the natural progression of the patient visit.

As late as mid-2009, the United States still trailed other industrialized countries in regard to physician adoption of EMRs, according to a survey by Commonwealth Fund.

One reason for this may be that older physicians are less likely to use an EMR than younger ones, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control study, but the EMR implementation story involves more than age.

A common fear of EMR adoption is that using an EMR is time-consuming. Many physicians believe that an EMR would interfere with their relationships with patients. A recent Internet Evolution article summarized the problem well:

“Have you ever been ignored by someone who was texting or otherwise engaged in a digital conversation? Did you feel that the person was being rude and unresponsive to you? If your answer to both of these questions is ‘yes,’ then you will understand the real reason why some doctors don’t want to adopt electronic medical records systems (EMRs),” recently blogged an anonymous doctor. “We know instinctively that the human side of medicine—the attentive listening, the visual cues, the continued eye contact, and the careful history and physical exam—is critical to our profession. The problem we have with EMRs is that they often interrupt the sensitive and intuitive parts of what we do. EMRs and other digital ‘tools’ designed to make our work more efficient, may do so at the expense of the human connectedness our patients deserve and need.”

These concerns are valid: It’s every physician’s primary goal to provide the best possible patient care. But EMR use doesn’t have to get in the way of doing so.

“We’re saving time and money, but more importantly, we have much more meaningful interaction with our patients because we don’t have to flip through paper charts…,” says Dr. Thomas Perkins, DO, a partner with the Institute for Athletic Medicine in Auburn Hills, Michigan, which implemented an EMR.

While the fear of altering patient relationships is a good reason to be wary of an EMR, it doesn’t have to be—with the right EMR. An EMR with a highly intuitive interface that requires minimal interaction during a patient consultation, such as gloEMR by gloStream.

“It’s clear to us that gloStream’s product development team really thought through the natural progression of the patient visit,” said Dominick Roto, MD, of Riverview Medical Associates, in Putnam, Connecticut.

Related Articles

• Why Doctors Have Trouble With EMRs
• What Doctors Say

A recent article on medical blog Kevinmd.com lamented the looks and functionality of the average electronic medical record (EMR) in use today, claiming it “looks like it was designed in the 1980s”. He further complains that “nothing is connected: you have to have a mental picture of where information is located within the hidden folders of the EMR to find the information you need.”

Why, the blogger asks, are hardware companies churning out technology such as the iPhone and Android phones and software companies producing intuitive programs such as Google Chrome and Gmail, yet EMRs still “look and act like Windows 95”?

The answer: They don’t have to.

In his blog, Microsoft’s worldwide health senior director Bill Crounse, MD notes that while there are hundreds of EMR solutions on the market, gloEMR, produced by gloStream, “really seems to resonate with a growing list of satisfied clinician customers.”

That, in part, is because gloEMR has an intuitive user interface and information is easily accessible—which addresses Kevinmd.com’s two major complains about the average EMR.

Just listen to what some of gloEMR’s users had to say:

• “gloStream’s electronic medical record software is so intuitive and easy to use.” Amanda Wood RT (R)(M)(BS), practice manager, Center for Women’s Health, Greenwood, Indiana

• “[I]nformation is where we want it and need it.” Dr. John Samani, MD, president, Institute for Athletic Medicine, Auburn Hills, Michigan

While some EMRs may lack in the areas Kevinmd.com discusses, others clearly do not. The key is not avoiding EMRs altogether—but avoiding EMRs that don’t offer the look and functionality you need.

Related Articles

• EMRs Are Ugly, and What The Next Generation of Doctors Can Do
• A Contemporary and Intuitive EMR Solution Built on Microsoft Office
• What Doctors Say

Choosing an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) can feel like a gamble. Are you picking the system that works best for you? Will the provider be around to support it in the long term?

These are important questions. After all, what happens to your data if you want to change EMR providers because you selected the wrong system—or if your EMR provider goes out of business?

Because you’ve made a huge investment in your EMR in both money and time getting information into it, you should have the right to take that information with you if you decide to make a change. But do the EMR vendors you’re considering promise that you can always access your data—and take it with you to another EMR, if necessary?

One thing to look for in selecting an EMR is a system that stores data in a Microsoft-based format. Microsoft technology has been tested for decades, is supported by thousands of technology partners, and will likely be around forever—so data in a Microsoft-based format is portable.

gloStream’s EMR, gloEMR, stores data in a Microsoft-based format—specifically, Microsoft Word and SQL Server.

The result is significant to health care professionals. Not only is your data portable—it’s also easy to use. Since you probably already know how to use Microsoft Word, you’ll spend less time on training, which will increase the time you can spend on other tasks, such as seeing patients. Plus, Microsoft technology is only getting better, since Microsoft spends $5 billion annually to improve its Office suite—and that in turn will keep improving gloEMR.

Related articles:

The Importance of Data Portability and Stimulus Preparation

Any Electronic Medical Record (EMR) vendor should meet some basic requirements, such as meaningful use—but you’ll also want to look beyond these basics when selecting your EMR. For example, can the vendor you’re considering offer on-site, in-person training? Can they provide effective support after your EMR is implemented?

The EMR you choose will be an integral part of your practice’s operation for many years, so you’ll want to select an EMR system that you can learn how to use effectively—from a vendor that will be around to support it.

Of course, it isn’t possible for an EMR vendor to operate in every single location in which it sells EMRs—but it can still offer on-site training and local support.

How? In the case of gloStream, through a unique partner model—a network of local IT businesses that specialize in supporting EMRs for small and medium-sized companies. These partners are thoroughly familiar with gloEMR, gloStream’s EMR system, and are equipped to effectively install, train, and maintain the system on-site.

On-site training is important because getting up and running on your EMR quickly and accurately is important to keeping your practice operating with minimal interruption to service. Support is important because, as with any software, you can expect occasional problems, and your EMR vendor should be available to fix them quickly and efficiently.

The bottom line: Be sure to ask potential vendors about training and local support. Your EMR vendor will be your partner in a long-term undertaking—and as with any partnership, it’s best to get to know your partner well before you commit.

Related articles:

Selecting an EMR Vendor—Look for Local Support

More physicians are eligible for Medicare or Medicaid incentive payments if they demonstrate meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs).

The HITECH Act originally excluded hospital-based physicians on the assumption that they benefited from the hospital’s EHR, not necessarily their own.

But provider associations told the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that physicians working in hospital-owned outpatient facilities should be eligible for incentive payments.

In response, Congress passed a bill, now law, that changed the definition of “hospital-based physician” to exclude only physicians who primarily work in an “inpatient or emergency room setting.”

Today, physicians, dentists, nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, and some physicians assistants who do not work in an inpatient or emergency room setting are eligible, provided that they must have at least a 30% Medicaid patient volume (except pediatricians, who much have at least 20%).

With more physicians available for incentive payments, demand for EHRs will certainly increase. Physicians may want to get started with implementation now, before the rush hits.

Related articles

More hospital-based docs now eligible for HITECH Act reimbursement

Incentive payments for physicians who adopt electronic health records (EHRs) will begin in 2011. To take full advantage, implement your EHR in 2010.

Most physicians know by now that “meaningful users” of “certified EHR technology” are eligible to receive up to $44,000 over a five-year period. Since the government has recently solidified what meaningful use means, it’s imperative that you not wait until the last minute to get started.

According to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, the longer you wait to purchase and implement an EHR, the greater the risk that you may not be eligible to receive maximum incentive funds. That’s because 70% of the funding comes in the first two years—and moving to a new system takes time.

While 2011 may seem far off, poor planning and training can lead to unwelcome results—so implement your EHR today.

The investment you make in acquiring electronic medical record (EMR) hardware and software is significant—but the investment you make in ensuring that the system works the way you want it to is even greater. How can you protect that investment?

Physicians can easily spends hundreds of hours ensuring that their EMR works as it should. Templates have to be developed, macros have to be created. But what happens when these modifications are made to proprietary systems? They may not be transferrable to other applications.

And if that’s not a problem, but what if you someday want a change? Many doctors find the EMR they first selected isn’t the one they want for the longer term. In fact, some industry data suggests that there’s a nationwide de-installation rate of 30 to 40 percent. If this happens to you and your data is “locked in” to your first EMR, you’ll have to recreate everything.

The solution is a Microsoft-based EMR. Not only is it built on a robust system that offers stability and security, it will also protect your investment of time and resources by ensuring you can move your data when and if you need to.

Where can you find a Microsoft-based EMR? It’s not easy. Today, hundreds of EMR providers tout an array of products with many features—but most are built using proprietary technology.

The answer: Microsoft-based gloStream EMR..

To learn more about gloStream EMR software and our guarantees, call us at (877) 456-3671 or send an email to info@glostream.com.

Things change—and change could affect your electronic medical record (EMR). That’s why it’s important to choose an EMR that will qualify for stimulus funding as well as guarantee data portability.

Stimulus funding

Doctors considering an EMR should be certain that the system is certified and stimulus-ready. That’s the case with gloEMR. In fact, we’ll refund the cost of the EMR to eligible professionals who go through our exclusive gloDNA process then find themselves unable to qualify as a meaningful user and acquire stimulus funding.

Data portability

You have an enormous investment in the patient information you’ve created, so you should always have the option of moving it to another system if the need arises – and you can do that easily with gloEMR. We believe so strongly in data portability, we guarantee that your patient information will be stored in Microsoft-based formats, including Microsoft Word and SQL Server, which are supported by thousands of technology partners worldwide.

Consider gloEMR

With gloEMR, you’ll have the tools and knowledge you need to achieve truly meaningful use—and you’ll always have complete control over all of your patient information. We guarantee it.

To learn more about gloStream EMR software and our guarantees, call us at (877) 456-3671 or send an email to info@glostream.com.

More and more doctors are interested in Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), thanks to American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) incentives—but at the same time, they’re worried that in implementing an EMR they’ll lose control over their data.

How can you be sure your data will be stored in a universal platform, will be easily accessible, and will be portable to other systems, if needed?

The answer: Microsoft technology.

In our opinion, Microsoft Office is the best EMR platform because it’s the most widely used business platform in the world. Think about it:  Office was launched more than two decades ago, in 1989. And it’s ubiquitous: According to Forrester Research, 80 percent of companies use it. That’s far too many users for the software to be ever be discontinued.

As a result, Office is also one of the most widely supported business platforms in the world. Microsoft spends billions of dollars in research and development each year to improve the software.

What does that mean for you, an EMR user? Your data will be stored in the world’s most reputable business platform—not a proprietary system developed by a single company that may or may not be in business in five years. And it will be portable to other applications.

Security, accessibility, and portability—that’s why we think you should consider an EMR built on the Microsoft Office platform when it comes time to implement one. In our opinion, you won’t regret it.