CDIA

CDIA and AHDI submitted a joint statement on Feb. 25 to the Health IT Policy Council in response to its public comment period on proposed Stage 2 updates and changes to the "meaningful use" definition. Working closely with the Dewey Square Group, the associations drafted a response that powerfully advocated for the inclusion of narrative capture in the meaningful use technical specifications criteria. In addition, the associations targeted new proposed inclusions for defining common document types by promoting the work of the Health Story Project, promoted the innovative solutions of this sector around codified narrative, and spoke to new criteria for integrating patient-driven health information (i.e., personal health records) into the evolving EHR landscape. Pushing EHR policy makers and stakeholders to recognize the importance of preserving an information-rich health story was at the heart of the associations' message in their Comments Regarding Meaningful Use (Stage 2) and will likely serve as the foot print for advocacy being shaped for the CDIA/AHDI Advocacy Summit on Capitol Hill in May.  READ MORE

Documentation and Audits: The Dynamic Duo

Advance

Clear and concise documentation in the medical record is essential for many reasons. For physicians, it is their way of knowing, clinically, what is happening with the patient. For payment purposes, it is the itemized invoice for the insurance company to indicate the services provided in a detailed manner. The decision for payment to be made is based on the medical necessity of a service. Unfortunately, if a service is not documented well, the insurance company will consider the service "not medically necessary." The reason or thought process for each service provided must be documented clearly to indicate why the service is necessary. READ MORE

American Medical News

For all the high-tech security work that physician practices do so that no outsiders get unauthorized access to their patients' data, one very low-tech cause of data insecurity often is overlooked: plain old forgetfulness. READ MORE 

Health Story:  The Gentle Path to Meaningful Use

Health Story

Over a billion clinical notes are created by physicians in the U.S. each year. These notes contain the lion's share of the clinical record and will continue to do so, even with Electronic Health Record (EHR) system adoption. These notes document procedures, operations, consultations, diagnostic imaging, discharge summaries and more. They also contain findings that are critical for compliance with the Final Rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Meaningful Use of EHR systems (Meaningful Use), and they supply critical context for the data elements. READ MORE

Study puts a price tag on EMR implementation in small practices

Did you know InHealth also offers these services?

Efficiency in Practice 

InHealth Consultants

InScript Dispensing Services

MD Tech Pro

Know someone who may be interested in this newsletter?

Forward this newsletter to a colleague using the above link and ask them to subscribe using the link below.