Advanced Data Systems Corporation Blog

While many of the larger urban area behavioral health centers have adopted electronic health records (EHR), smaller clinics and solo providers have lagged in their rate of adoption of behavioral health EHR. Now that the October 2014 deadline is getting closer for Medicare and Medicaid providers to start using EHR or face a 15 percent reduction in reimbursements, professionals have started taking a second look at behavioral health EHR. Additionally, with security improvements in cloud-based EHR, the cost of entry and ownership of EHR software has decreased significantly.

One of the most time consuming and tedious aspects of any medical practice is submitting claims to third party payers and then sending bills to patients for any remaining balance. Given the detail need to claims correctly, it is almost impossible for even a solo provider to complete the forms manually. Medical billing software ensures claims have the information required for seamlessly submitting and tracking claims so the provider receives reimbursement for services in a timely manner. Given the variety of medical billing software on the market, it is important to find the medical billing tools right for your practice or revenue cycle management (RCM) firm. 

With the third party payers requiring ICD-10 coding to submit claims instead of the DSM diagnostic codes starting in October 2014, it is now even more important for behavioral health providers to adopt electronic health records (EHR). With ICD-10 coding, much more detail needs to be present in the record in order to justify the diagnostic coding and procedure coding. By using EHR software especially designed for behavioral health professionals, providers ensure the assessment, treatment plan and progress notes provide the detailed information required to clinically justify the diagnosis and the services delivered. 

One of the major challenges doctors face is choosing the right medical billing software for their practice. It is essential to make the correct decision since the software has a significant impact on the cash flow of the practice, yet in most practices, the doctor does not use this software on a daily basis. Often physicians enlist the help of their insurance coordinators and their office managers when outlining the features and reporting capabilities required by the practice. Even with this input, the choices offered by the medical billing software companies can overwhelm even the most well-informed decision-maker.

One of the questions frequently asked by doctors in solo and small group practices is whether it is possible to receive a return on their investment in electronic health records (EHR). Some of the reasons for this concern have to do with not only the practice’s investment in the software itself, but also the costs associated with implementation, such as training time and readjusting workflow. The good news is that the research from the past decade demonstrates that practices of all sizes experience a favorable return on their investment in EHR. It is important to note that this includes the time prior to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services(CMS) began their incentive program for the adoption of EHR.

Here is a sneak peek into our whitepaper, "The Beginner's Guide to EHR Meaningful Use." 

When looking for electronic health record (EHR) software, podiatrists and other specialty practitioners should look for EHR designed for their specific area of practice. Specialty EHR software for podiatrists provides templates, reports, and data capturing tools created solely for this practice area. This eliminates the need for customization of the general practice EHR software, which is both expensive and time-consuming. Additionally, the many of the features of specialty EHR for podiatrists can be leveraged to improve patient outcomes and the level of patient satisfaction with service delivery. Third-party payers, accrediting organizations, and certification bodies report they are going to be monitoring outcome data much more closely in the near future. 

While podiatrists can certainly benefit from the streamlined administrative functions offered by electronic health records (EHR), the use of this form of health information technology  provides a means of capturing and transmitting various clinical quality measures. In addition to being one of the requirements to meet Stage II meaningful use requirements to be eligible for incentive payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the American Board of Podiatric Surgery (ABPS) now requires podiatrists to report variety of clinical quality measures as part of their Maintenance of Certification program.   

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there were more than 95,000 diagnostic imaging centers in the United States in 2008, which is the last year that data is available. With this degree of competition, radiologists need to be vigilant to establishing and maintaining their network of referral sources. While some imaging centers advertise their services to the public, private insurance companies and third party payers require referrals for diagnostic imaging. Even though a patient can request a particular radiologist practice, most referring physicians will send patients to the practices with whom they have a relationship. The long-term viability of a radiology practice depends upon the relationships the practice has with referral sources in the community.