Brendan Flanigan is the regional manager of gloStream, a full service billing, collections, EHR, and practice management company. Here he shares how to use EHR effectively in spine and orthopedic practices and why the switch makes sense. Q: What is the first thing spine and orthopedic surgeons should know about EHR?
Brendan Flanigan: On the clinical side of the EHR, specialists are burdened by rigid "click-through" or template based systems. Just because there is a template that caters to orthopedic and spine specialists does not mean it will cater for ALL orthopedic and spine specialists. The importance of a personalized EHR for spine surgery is critical. Personalization means each physician can practice medicine the way he or she wants to without being forced through a rigid template system. In other words, the more open and flexible the note is, the better the EHR can adapt to the user and not the other way around. The more personalized their note is the more thorough their documentation which supports higher levels of reimbursement justification.
Q: How important is EHR interoperability?
BF: Interoperability enables specialists like spine surgeons to communicate, connect and follow the care of patient through stakeholders involved in the healthcare system. This is critical, given the stage two requirements of Meaningful Use. A connected EHR system will ensure specialists are not on an "island." As a result spine and orthopedic surgeons will be able to view and share information more easily. This includes provider to provider, provider to patient, provider to device, provider to Health Information Exchanges and other agencies. It’s also important for the provider to retain control over information sharing.
Q: Why is it critical to transition to a single integrated practice management EHR platform?
BF: Healthcare regulation and reimbursement rules are pushing providers to one single integrated platform, rather than disparate systems. Payor reform, outcome based reimbursement, ICD-10 and meaningful use all stress the necessity of EHR. Clinical and financial data are becoming increasingly integrated and as a result there is a need for one platform with transparent information flow. We are already viewing outcome based analytic reports and this will become increasingly important to practice medicine while optimizing reimbursement levels.
More Articles on Health Information Technology:
5 Considerations to Ensure a Successful EHR Transition
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Brendan Flanigan: On the clinical side of the EHR, specialists are burdened by rigid "click-through" or template based systems. Just because there is a template that caters to orthopedic and spine specialists does not mean it will cater for ALL orthopedic and spine specialists. The importance of a personalized EHR for spine surgery is critical. Personalization means each physician can practice medicine the way he or she wants to without being forced through a rigid template system. In other words, the more open and flexible the note is, the better the EHR can adapt to the user and not the other way around. The more personalized their note is the more thorough their documentation which supports higher levels of reimbursement justification.
Q: How important is EHR interoperability?
BF: Interoperability enables specialists like spine surgeons to communicate, connect and follow the care of patient through stakeholders involved in the healthcare system. This is critical, given the stage two requirements of Meaningful Use. A connected EHR system will ensure specialists are not on an "island." As a result spine and orthopedic surgeons will be able to view and share information more easily. This includes provider to provider, provider to patient, provider to device, provider to Health Information Exchanges and other agencies. It’s also important for the provider to retain control over information sharing.
Q: Why is it critical to transition to a single integrated practice management EHR platform?
BF: Healthcare regulation and reimbursement rules are pushing providers to one single integrated platform, rather than disparate systems. Payor reform, outcome based reimbursement, ICD-10 and meaningful use all stress the necessity of EHR. Clinical and financial data are becoming increasingly integrated and as a result there is a need for one platform with transparent information flow. We are already viewing outcome based analytic reports and this will become increasingly important to practice medicine while optimizing reimbursement levels.
More Articles on Health Information Technology:
5 Considerations to Ensure a Successful EHR Transition
6 Lessons Regarding Local EHR, HIE Adoption
4 Recommendations for Cloud-Based EHRs' Network Issues