Posted by: AtlasMD

July 18, 2014

What’s New in Atlas.md?

Atlas.md rolled out more updates! In this latest batch, you’ll find more features that help your clinic run more smoothly, details on security measures, and more ways to connect directly with your patients.

HumanAPI integration

Expanding our fitness tracking capabilities, Atlas.md has added support for the Human API, which is a gateway to most of the fitness devices and applications available on the market. We now support devices from Jawbone, Nike, iHealth and Withings as well as applications such as RunKeeper, Moves App and DailyMile.

Easily export basic patient details to CSV

Now you can easily export basic patient information to a CSV file, which can be read by Microsoft Excel, Google Apps and virtually any other application that supports spreadsheets. This also allows you to easily export lists to web applications like Campaign Monitor and Mail Chimp.

Extra security: inactivity logouts

You can now enable the “Inactivity Logout” feature, which kicks users out of the system after 30 inactive minutes. This can be useful for clinics who have shared computers in the office. It’s especially helpful for making sure the system stays secure for when someone forgets to logout, or leaves a computer unattended or unlocked.

Editable dashboard calendar

You can now adjust the calendar that shows up on your dashboard. This is specifically helpful for nurses and staff members who need to keep track of doctors’ appointments instead of their own.

Email notification on task completion

Now when someone completes a task you’ve assigned them, you’ll get a notification email confirming the completion. This closes any possible communication gap, and ensures you’re always in the loop on the delegated tasks.

Critical note for patient records

Atlas.md users can now add critical notes to patient charts. Critical notes are highlighted and fixed at the top of the patient record to ensure they are not overlooked. Critical notes are particularly useful for patients with a specific sensitive condition, allergies, etc.

Billing: expanded communication logs

We now keep track of all email invoices and failed payments for both patients and companies. Users can also add custom notes to the communication logs to help them keep track of other collection efforts made.

Referencing notes inside notes in the patient record

Atlas.md’s macro-autocompleter now allows you to reference other notes inside the same patient record. Just type “#attachment” to reference a previous attachment, “#prescription” to reference a previous prescription, etc.

Posted by: AtlasMD

June 2, 2014

Doctors Are Talking: EHRs Destroy the Patient Encounter

KLAS, a national firm that measures EHR vendor performance, conducts an annual poll of healthcare providers, not only about the quality of their EHRs but also about make-or-break issues such as training, implementation, and support.

The gripes cover three main areas: One, EHRs have made the patient encounter far more annoying and complex than it ever was before.

Two, many physicians feel that EHRs take doctors who were trained to be independent thinkers and constrain their ability to make independent decisions, causing them to feel like data entry clerks, with a computer telling them how to practice medicine.

Last but not least, a large number of physicians feel that EHRs erode the doctor-patient relationship by creating a barrier between the two.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

November 19, 2013

David Do On Why EMR Companies Don’t Care About Usability

In his op-ed blog post, David Do, MD exposes the cold hard truth of EMR failure—their inherent un-usability.
He says, “I overheard nurses praising the pilot of a new technology with the promise of improving communication, safety, and saving on healthcare spending. The innovation: two-way texting. That’s one of the many indicators that hospitals are stuck the technological stone-age.”

Great point. It’s almost embarrassing that these common technologies are BIG NEWS in the healthcare world. You’d think an industry that’s in and of itself a cutting-edge phenomenon (saving lives by doing things that require tremendous education and skillful implementation) would use equally sophisticated tools outside of the operating room. But that’s not the common case. Dr. Do calls out the assumption that new technology will magically make EMR in healthcare automatically better. “In reality,” Do writes, “there’s good and bad technology, and there are good and bad EMRs.”

Sounds about right.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

November 19, 2013

Despite EHRs, Healthcare Still “Buried In Paperwork,” Says Survey

We’re curious what the paperwork verdict’s going to be with the recent ACA enactment. Assuming that people can sign up and that fee-for-service docs accept the new plans, will doctors be overwhelmed by additional paperwork? According to this survey from Anoto, who develops digital pen and paper technology, respondents said that “paper is still too embedded in the culture, that technology adoption is too expensive and that switching to an electronic system requires too much training and disrupts care delivery.”

Interestingly enough, these same survey respondents believed that the paperwork burden would increase once the Affordable Care Act was enacted.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

November 19, 2013

How Will Atlas.md EMR Help You Run A Direct Care Practice?

How Will Atlas.md EMR Help You Run A Direct Care Practice?

In a recent post on Cure MD, the common EHR blog-lytizing was in full effect. As usual, the site claims, “An Electronic Health Record (EHR) system helps a practice in more than one ways [sic].” Then we see the common empty signifiers — improved workflows, improved cash flow, improved patient flow, and, our favorite red tape phenomenon, Meaningful Use! All of this to quote, “Sav[e] time and meet[…] regulatory requirements.” They then list out some more benefits that EHRs offer the fee-for-service doctor. But notice, they never mention what kind of doctor. Just, doctor.

That’s one of many points of comparison we’ll draw with the competitors versus our direct care EMR, Atlas.md. Right off the bat, our product is made for a specific doctor, a direct primary care physician operating a cash-only facility.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

October 22, 2013

Will Medicine Be Walmart-ized?

In his new essay, David M. Cutler prognosticates an intriguing, yet impersonal healthcare future. He says, “the idea that technology will change medicine is as old as the electronic computer itself.” And we agree with his proposal.

However, there’s a lot of information out there, and for the most part, it’s not made available at the right time. Think about it: how many times do we hear about a patient receiving an incorrect dosage or a drug that causes an allergic reaction? And, as more docs “get wired” and adopt EMRs, there will be even more parties contributing to the collective consciousness of medicine. Just look at the numbers. Since the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created the HiTech program, billions of dollars have been allocated for doctors and hospitals to purchase EHR software/systems. According to Cutler, “Since the program was enacted, rates of ownership of such systems have tripled among hospitals and quadrupled among physicians.”

Okay, but what happens when all of medicine gets connected?

Cutler says healthcare will be delivered in a more standardized fashion, with less overall cost, but less of a personal touch.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

October 22, 2013

EMRs Still Not Very Loved

David Carr is on the beat to find doctors who actually like their EMR. We’re in the process of reaching out to him since we’re excited about the new updates to our Atlas.md EMR. However, we also kind of proved his point. He interviewed a Doctor Denton, who said:

“In contrast, commercial EHR software has to be generic enough to work in many hospitals and all specialties. The result is a compromised design that doesn’t serve anyone’s needs really well.”

As a medical student interning at Intermountain Healthcare in the 1990s, Dr. Denton worked with an early electronic medical records system that was custom built for the hospital. He said it didn’t have everything you wanted, but “it worked in a way that allowed you to really do your job better.” However, he clarified, “But… they spent years and years developing it.”

It seems that the big fight in health care, in IT, in primary care, almost everywhere, is for time to make good stuff and to make stuff good. We’re fighting that fight, and here to assist any doctors who want time to practice medicine again. And we’re working on digital software that succeeds by MAKING MEDICINE MORE POSSIBLE, not by rushing to the market to collect Meaningful Use incentives.

Oh the irony, for being rewarded for mediocrity. Ayn Rand must be rolling in her grave.

READ ABOUT DAVID CARR’S SEARCH FOR SATISFACTORY EMR

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 30, 2013

EHR Study Finds Emergency Docs Click 4,000 Times In A 10-Hour Shift

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine conducted research and found that emergency doctors “spend significantly more time entering data into electronic health records than they do with patients.” The study concluded that “improved efficiency in data entry would allow emergency physicians to devote more time to patient care…”

According to the published paper, emergency physicians spent 43 percent of their time entering data on a given day. Only 28 percent of their time was spent directly interacting with patients. And, during a busy, 10-hour shift, total mouse clicks neared 4,000.

Here’s what the paper’s author, Robert Hill, M.D. from St. Luke’s University Health Network in Allentown, Pa., had to say:

“Emergency department physicians spend significantly more time entering data into electronic medical records than on any other activity, including direct patient care.”

He lists out factors that get in the way of efficient EHR usage, including operating system speed, server/mainframe responsiveness, typing skills, user-friendliness of system, interruptions, extent of training, opportunity to delegate tasks, and various environmental attributes. However, in his opinion, “Efficient use of the EMR system will increase physician productivity and hospital revenue.” We couldn’t agree more. If you agree with his thinking, too, you can tweet it right now.

READ FIERCE EMR’S COVERAGE OF THE STUDY HERE

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 29, 2013

Hands Up — Who’s Bringing Their iPad into the Examination Room?

The Direct Primary Care Journal shared findings recently about the prevalence of iPad usage by physicians. According to the report, the most common activity of physicians who use an electronic health record (EHR) and use a smartphone or tablet is “sending and receiving emails.” The second most frequent activity among tablet users is “accessing EHRs (51% daily).” Compare that with just 7% of physicians using their smartphone to access EHRs.

VIEW THE COMPLETE BREAKDOWN OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ON THE DPCJ’S WEBSITE

We’ve highlighted some of the results here:

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

September 25, 2013

‘The Year of the Big EHR Switch’ Confirms Physicians Favor iPad and Mobile Applications

As we know, thousands of physician practices are opting to dump ineffective EHR systems. Nearly one in five physician users indicated the high likelihood of shifting systems after disappointing first vendor results. And it looks like several new EHR mobile apps are being talked about in physician circles.

“A mandate has been issued and progressive vendors are reacting,” reports Doug Brown, Managing Partner of Black Book Research. “A full 100% of practices participating in the follow up poll expect EHR systems that allow access to patient data wherever physicians are providing or reviewing care.” And, as Healthcare Technology Online found out, docs like to be mobile.

READ THE COMPLETE BLACK BOOK RANKING PRESS RELEASE HERE

Check out some convincing stats on which professions are going mobile, and which devices are most popular. Read more