One in Six EHR Users Wants to Switch

Healthcare Technology Online followed up on a poll conducted by Black Book Rankings. Looks like many providers are leaving their current EMR systems for web-based alternatives. That’s not much of a surprise, though. It only takes a mild reading of the social web’s pulse to know docs’ sentiments range from frustrated to complacent with regards to available software.

According to Healthcare Technology Online, “Healthcare providers have never had a ‘romantic’ relationship with EHRs. On the contrary, many physicians despise the technology. However, the HITECH Act and Meaningful Use (MU) incentives did create an environment of unprecedented EHR demand among the provider community. This initiative achieved the desired result of increasing EHR adoption, but it also created an artificial market for dozens of immature EHR products.”

READ MORE ABOUT THE BLACK BOOK RANKINGS POLL

Here are some noteworthy numbers that were extracted from the study:  Read more

Yet Another White House Obamacare Delay: Out-Of-Pocket Caps Waived Until 2015

Remember how everyone’s been talking about that unseemly document, the one that was well over 1,000 pages and included all the details about Obamacare? The details that no single person could fully articulate? These were the details that had us all saving money somewhere, supposedly.

In case you haven’t heard, the cat is out of the bag. It now looks like that maze of text might not even matter, since federal officials secretly passed a ruling that would grant a one-year grace period to some insurers, allowing them to set higher limits, or no limit at all on some costs, in 2014. According to The New York Times, “The grace period has been outlined on the Labor Department’s Web site since February, but was obscured in a maze of legal and bureaucratic language that went largely unnoticed.”

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UPDATE: Dr. Josh’s Interview With The Objective Standard Now Available Online

Head over to TheObjectiveStandard.com to read Dr. Josh’s recent interview with Ari Armstrong. We sent out a PDF copy last week to our subscribers, but if you missed it, you’re in luck. You can check it out right there on the website, or download it as a PDF.

In the interview, Dr. Josh fleshes out his vision of direct care, one that’s taken the interest of influential parties, including patients, doctors, insurance companies, and even members of the state congresses. Yes, direct care sounds utopic, and therefore unrealizable, but if you remove the bias and look at the data and listen to its success stories, it’s clear that healthcare wins when doctors spend time with patients and not paperwork. Of course, direct care doctors see many fewer patients than those operating inside the red tape, and Dr. Josh addresses this issue with honesty and conviction.

Ari Armstrong is the assistant editor of The Objective Standard, and a writer/blogger based in Colorado. Besides purveying the philosophy of Ayn Rand, his book Values of Harry Potter: Lessons for Muggles explores themes contained within J.K. Rowling’s beloved Harry Potter novels. Obviously, Ari’s well-rounded. Thanks to him for conducting such an insightful conversation about direct care.

Posted by: AtlasMD

August 20, 2013

Huzzah! Clayton Christensen Institute Explains EHR’s Inevitable Failure

Huzzah! Clayton Christensen Institute Explains EHR’s Inevitable Failure

The Clayton Christensen Institute For Disruptive Technology is a think tank that understands how different products can actually start small and grow into prominence in the marketplace. You can read their reasoning for why EHR is not disrupting the marketplace here. Their article explain why most EHR offerings are just a more expensive way to do what paperwork is already doing. This fact, coupled with government incentives, makes for what they call a sustaining model, where each year you are offered new, more expensive products that are hardly an improvement from the year before. In the end, it’s a mean game of horse and carrot, and not a “disruption” that improves industry output and “consumer” satisfaction (doctors in this case are the consumers, and the output is more efficient hospital operation). So yes, we are talking theory here. But, the model’s predictions do match the data–which is that hospitals have spent lots of money on software and seen paltry results.

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Study Shows That Too Many EHR Notifications Causing Missed Test Results

Hardeep-Singh-M.D.-MPHA new post from Dark Daily says that a study shows too many electronic alerts cause nearly 30% of primary care physicians to overlook essential clinical laboratory test results. This according to researchers, including Hardeep Singh (pictured left), M.D., MPH, who led the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center research team. Unfortunately, it looks like EHR systems are plagued by ‘alert overload.’ Which is what we’d expect, though, in an industry producing lackluster products.

In total, 5,001 VA physicians were invited to participate in the study, and of the 2,590 primary care physicians (PCPs) who did, some 29.8% overlooked test results from an EHR alert system on at least one occasion. Singh and his researchers’ survey findings suggested three factors that could lead to missed results in EHRs:

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How many staff do I need for a concierge medical practice?

How many staff do I need for a concierge medical practice?

Congratulations if you’ve popped the cork on your “cash-only” concierge medicine practice! From the outset, YOU are the captain of your practice, and the sole reason that it even exists. But we’ve got another question to ask before we get to staff…

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We’re Listening To Both Sides Of The EHR Story

Glen_TullmanGlenn Tullman was the CEO of AllScripts, an EHR company, until his departure last year. We believe his latest op/ed piece illuminates the peril of government inserting itself into business. Sure, they come in with good intentions, but they end up stifling the quality of products on the free market.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

May 29, 2013

Let’s Adopt EHR For Better Patient Care, Not Federal Benefits

Let’s Adopt EHR For Better Patient Care, Not Federal Benefits

Xavier E. Martinez wrote about Why EHR Adoption Rates Vary Across Certain Specialties. A recent joint study from CareCloud and QuantiaMD shows that 82% of cardiologists have adopted EHR software, the most of any specialty. Overall, the article isn’t fully fleshed out. However, it raises an interesting question: Do heart doctors use EHR more widely because of their immersion in technology?

Martinez thinks so.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

May 22, 2013

EPIC Fail in EHR/EMR

EPIC Fail in EHR/EMR

Here’s a quick rundown of factors contributing to EPIC’s EHR software failure.  (Previous link no longer available.)

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FEATURES
Microsoft Word has approximately 1,200 features/functions (this is rough estimate), most of which are ignored by common users. The problem with EHR software, though, is that the market is filled with hoodwinking, one-size-fits-all “solutions” all gimmicking for doctor’s dollars. MS Word has a core base of users (the entire professional, semi-professional and college-educated world) who are familiar with core procedures and who can adapt to new features with each version. EHR/EMR software DOES NOT HAVE THIS ADVANTAGE. Asking people to sift through tens of thousands of buttons and features to “figure out” how to do something is an exercise in futility. Yet it actually happens on the marketplace.

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The EHR Marketplace Is Looking Grim

Sad news in the EHR field. A recent report from American Medical News covers a class action lawsuit filed against AllScripts Healthcare Solutions (AHS).

AHS’ product, MyWay, an EHR software program, was discontinued in late 2012. As a result, another company who provides medical supplies is also suing the company, because the licenses they acquired for $5 million are now defunct.

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