BEI HIT Blog
EMR & HIPAA
BEI Commentary: The jury is out on email versus text, but it is important to think about what communications method is best to interact with patients. While we are not there from a HIPAA compliance standpoint, it is helpful to think about this now.
The idea of improving communication in healthcare is always a hot one. For fear of HIPAA and other factors, healthcare seems to lag behind when adopting the latest communication technologies. The most simple examples are email and text message. Both are simple and widely adopted communication technologies and most in healthcare are afraid to use them.
At the core of why people are afraid is because native email is not HIPAA secure and native SMS is not HIPAA secure either. Although, there are a whole suite of communication products that are working to solve the healthcare communication security challenges while still keeping the simplicity of an email or text message. In fact, both of the other companies I’ve started or advise, Physia and docBeat, are focused on the problems of secure email and secure text. Plus, there are dozens of other companies working to improve healthcare communication and hundreds of EMR, PHR, and HIE applications that are integrating these forms of communication into their systems. Read More
Accenture Newsroom, March 4, 2013
BEI Commentary: A key to reforming healthcare is patient engagement and patient access to their own medical records. But there is a question of how much access a patient should have. Accenture published a survey that show the current state of physician opinions. What do you think?
A new Accenture (NYSE:ACN) survey shows that most U.S. doctors surveyed (82 percent) want patients to actively participate in their own healthcare by updating their electronic health records. However, only a third of physicians (31 percent) believe a patient should have full access to his or her own record, 65 percent believe patients should have limited access and 4 percent say they should have no access (See figure 1). These findings were consistent among 3,700 doctors surveyed by Accenture in eight countries: Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Singapore, Spain and the United States. Read More
TIME Healthland, December 20, 2011
BEI Commentary: Open Notes is something that everyone should think about. Our feeling is that over time, it will evolve to be the norm. However, there may be some modifications to the way notes are viewed and interpreted before this becomes maintstream.
The last time you were at the doctor’s office, and your physician scribbled or typed something into your chart, did you wonder what it said? If so, you’re in the majority: according to a new survey, more than 90% of patients said they would want to know.
Not surprisingly, most doctors were less than willing to share. In the OpenNotes trial, conducted at three primary care practices in Boston, Seattle and rural Pennsylvania, 254 physicians were asked whether they would be willing to make their office visit notes freely available to patients in their electronic health records for one year: 114 agreed, and 140 declined. Read More
EHRWatch.com, October 13, 2011
BEI Commentary: Consumer interest in accessing their medical information on EHRs is increasing as expected.
Results of a new study from Manhattan Research reveal that an estimated 56 million U.S. consumers have accessed their medical information on an EHR system maintained by their physician. An additional 41 million consumers are interested in accessing such information, according to the pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company’s Cybercitizen Health U.S. 2011 study of consumer digital health trends.
The findings come from an online and phone survey of 8,745 U.S. adults (age 18 and over) conducted during the third quarter of 2011.
Additionally, the company’s Taking the Pulse study of U.S. physicians concludes that EHR adoption is rising among doctors, and “will likely accelerate as iPads and other tablets facilitate EHR access for doctors on the move throughout the workday.” Read More
iHealthBeat, October 11, 2011
BEI Commentary: Patients are interested in accessing and downloading their medical records. Here is another indication of that with the number of users greatly exceeding initial expections.
On Tuesday, HHS Chief Technology Officer Todd Park announced that more than 430,000 veterans have downloaded their health care claims data via the Department of Veterans Affairs’ “Blue Button” initiative since it launched late last year, Modern Healthcare reports.
Park announced the figure during the FedTalks 2011 conference in Washington, D.C. (Daly, Modern Healthcare, 10/11).
About the Blue Button Tool
The Blue Button system is a tool for veterans to download, store or print medical information. From the MyHealtheVet site, veterans can use the Blue Button tool to download:
- Demographic information;
- Emergency contacts;
- Lists of prescription medication; and
- Wellness reminders. Read More
Healthcare IT News, August 5, 2011
BEI Commentary: Don’t listen to us – here is some good practical information about EHRs and Meaningful Use from a solo practioner.
A 24-year veteran, Patrick Golden, MD, practices medicine in Fresno, Calif. Recently, he successfully steered his solo practice through Stage 1 meaningful use attestation. In the following interview with EHRWatch, he offers guidance to other physicians hoping to receive federal incentives through meaningful use.
EHRWatch: What was your initial reaction to meaningful use?
Dr. Golden: From the very day I heard of the program, I knew we — our practice — were going to do this. Absolutely, there was no doubt. We had purchased the Sage Intergy EHR in 2009, and it has been a wonderful asset to the practice. A robust system is vital to your success. We’ve greatly benefited from the dashboard measuring meaningful use progress and the analytics program used to collate and track data. Those two tools made the entire process so much simpler than it would have otherwise been. Read More
PhysiciansPractice.com, August 3, 2011
BEI Commentary: There are plenty of opportunities to use EHRs, PMs and Patient Portals to improve productivity in your office. And there are things that you can do that do not rely upon technology. The following article gives a good overview of how you can accomplish a lot with minimal effort.
Mastering the ins and outs of patient flow is a delicate balance, but it can be done with a little forethought.
When it comes to managing patient flow, most practices could take a few cues from the House of Mouse. Despite the tens of thousands of visitors who flock to Disney World on a daily basis, the world’s most popular theme park is uniquely adept at funneling patrons into the gate, through the elaborate maze of rides, and past the parade route with nary a bottleneck in sight. “You have to think about your practice as if it were a ride at Disney World,” suggests Murray Cote, associate professor and director at Texas A&M’s Health Science Center. “They’re very deliberate about where you go in and where you go out. You have a clear point of entry, they move you through the line where they provide entertainment while you wait, and they dump you out at the end. The people coming in never see the people going out.” A similar efficiency should be the goal of every private practice, he says. Read More
From: Physicians Practice, June 24, 2011
BEI Commentary: While a portal is not the only method of communication to patients (nor should it be), it can be very effective. Here is some good information from a physician who has thought a lot about provider – patient communications.
Our practice is constantly striving to meet and exceed our patients’ expectations on a daily basis. One aspect of our care that patients continuously rave about is the communication they receive from our office.
Let’s face it folks, if we cannot effectively communicate with our patients, the years and years of reading, studying, residency training, etc. is all for nothing. For new patient visits to our office, I routinely poll them as to why they decided to change the location for their care. I would say that nine out of 10 patients say that their last doctor(s) just did not give them the opportunity to ask questions, did not contact them regarding test results, and so on. Read More
From: Healthcare IT News, June 14, 2011
BEI Commentary: One of the changes that the Accountable Care Act made was to allow people aged 18-26 to stay on their parents policy. Many are taking advantage of this. The following article suggest that those patients, as one would expect, are more interested in managing their healthcare via online access for everything from appointment scheduling to consults.
LEAWOOD, KS – The majority of Americans aged 18 to 26 are taking an active role in maintaining their health by seeing a family physician at least once a year for check ups and preventive services, and would see them more often if they provided conveniences like online appointments, according to a new poll released by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The poll found 66 percent of young adults have a usual source of care and 62 percent of those respondents identified their source of routine care as a family physician. The poll, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the AAFP, obtained responses from 1,273 Americans between the ages of 18 and 26. Read more
