Posted by: AtlasMD

February 24, 2016

Atlas.md Podcast 24 – What’s After Meaningful Use?

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Direct Care continues to sweep the nation. Everywhere Direct Care is attempted in the right way is a smashing success! The interest from patients is definitely there – it just takes the proper implementation on the business end. Brand new clinics opening their doors across the country are proving it! Direct Care isn’t a niche anymore – it’s becoming a standard of care.

Listen to Atlas Podcast 24 here. >

Meaningful (less?) Use.
Dr’s Josh and Doug talk about their reservations about what will come next after Meaningful Use has gone by the wayside. They feel true innovation comes from the ground up and challenge Direct Care docs to be agents of change. Listen in as they discuss how to unleash organic ingenuity in your own community.

If You’re Gonna Do It, Do It The Right Way.
Every step forward we take benefits the next person. And of course, our goal is to propel the DPC movement forward in any way we can. But you don’t have to go around feeling in the dark. Atlas offers so very many resources! Including your very own personal Easy Button named Kirk Umbehr, a community forum, a career center, and a 12-part Direct Care Curriculum.

Beware of the Competition. 
Atlas aims to keep the DPC market pure. Dr’s Josh and Doug discuss what to watch out for in the competition. (Spoiler: certain membership requirements, mandatory third party intrusions, and plain old bad advice.)

The Future Of EMRs: Too Many Clicks And Too Little Savings

Kevin MD might be the honorary ambassador of EMR frustration. He recently wrote about his EMR disappointment. He writes, “It takes me over 50 mouse clicks, all while scrolling through dozens of screens, to document a straightforward office visit for a sinus infection. Refilling a single prescription electronically, which I do over a hundred times a day, takes over 10 clicks.” You’ve heard this story all before, right? It’s what no tech conglomerate making these machines will ever publicize — EMRs are for the most part, epic exercises in mindless clicks. And to make it worse, reports from left leaning publications say that digital health records offer little savings.

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Sure, Stage 2 Meaningful Use Regulations Are Great. That’s Why Providers Want A Two Year Delay In Their Implementation.

Fierce Health IT reports that “nearly 50 of the nation’s most influential provider organizations–including the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and the Medical Group Management Association–are asking for a front-end extension to Meaningful Use Stage 2…” In fact, they sent a letter directly to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius expressing just that. Read more

Man Behind “Meaningful Use” Resigns From High-Ranking HHS Position

farzadAccording to Modern Healthcare, “Dr. Farzad Mostashari will step down this fall as head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at HHS, where he’s had a big hand in guiding federal health IT policy for the past four years, including the challenging rollout of meaningful-use rules for electronic health-record systems.” This might sound out of blue, but there’s a reason we’re sharing this–Mostashari brought the phrase “meaningful use” into existence.

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LINKS: Even With Meaningful Use, EHR Might Break The Bank

“Healthcare Observers Disagree on Cost-effectiveness of Electronic Health Record Systems” | Dark Daily
Along with the researchers at the University of Michigan, other experts have questioned EHR’s promise to deliver greater financial rewards. READ MORE

“If Practices Don’t Change, EHRs Lose Money” | Med Page Today
The average physician lost nearly $44,000 over 5 years implementing an electronic health record system, a large pilot study found, but the technology itself was just part of the reason. READ MORE

A Survey Analysis Suggests That Electronic Health Records Will Yield Revenue Gains for Some Practices and Losses for Many” | Health Affairs (abstract)
This Health Affairs abstract will require membership. However, the title alone should be cause for concern. READ MORE

“Health Insurers Spending Big Dollars to Be Players in ‘Big Data’; Trend has Implications for Clinical Pathology Laboratories” | Dark Daily
With healthcare reform not likely to increase their growth, health insurers are expanding into data management to find new ways to make money. READ MORE

“New Study Predicts that Majority Of Physician Practices Will Lose Money On Their EHR Systems” | Atlas Blog
It appears that government intervention, while useful in certain cases (for instance, monopolies), can impede the marketplace. In EMR’s case it encouraged mediocre products to be bought and sold, costing money and wasting time overall. READ MORE

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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