June 2011
REC Bulletin
In This Issue
REC Member Profile
Provider Education
Technical Tip
Meaningful Use Corner
News & Resources




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REC Over Halfway Towards Goal

Over 1,000 primary health care providers have joined the REC--marking the program's halfway point toward assisting 1,958 health care providers in meeting federal Meaningful Use requirements. This is an exciting milestone for the REC and demonstrates the commitment within the health care community in Arizona toward realizing the benefits of EHRs and health IT toward creating a safer, more affordable and cost efficient health care system for Arizonans. Thank you to each and every REC member for your leadership!

REC Member Profile:

Dale Ann Dorsey, Nurse Practitioner, Scottsdale  


This month REC feature member is Dale Ann Dorsey, NP, of Arcadia Well Woman in Scottsdale. She began her practice with an EHR system and joined the REC for assistance in reaching Meaningful Use. She does not deny the challenges, but knows the price is worth it.

 Dale Anne

Why did you decide to go into medicine?     

Interestingly, my first major in college was fashion design. During my second year of school, my great grandmother became ill with terminal cancer and I went to live with her to assist with her care. I was so moved by the compassion and comfort that the hospice nurses provided, that I decided to change my major to nursing. 

 

Why did you decide to use an EHR?      

I wanted to go paperless from the start of the practice. There is so much technology out there that allows for information at your fingertips. When I walk into an older existing practice, there are racks and racks of paper charts. You need to consider the extra space needed for storage and the cost associated with that. Also, it is a more "green" way to conduct business and we save a lot of money on paper and toner.

 

How do providers benefit from going electronic?

The provider benefits the most. Having a patient's chart available anywhere you have Internet access and never having to look for a "lost" chart is very valuable and improves efficiency.

 

What have your challenges been with EHRs?        

Creating efficient workflow--It has been quite a challenge to learn and utilize all the functions of the program and create a workflow that is as quick as when I would write my notes on paper.

 

Why did you join the REC?                 

I became involved with the REC first in outreach, to help other providers learn about the service. Then I realized I would be the perfect client. Navigating through the maze of regulations and requirements for Meaningful Use is daunting. I felt I needed assistance.

 

What has your experience been with the REC?          

We have worked with our technical assistance support and they have been great at keeping up with the government rules and regulations and keeping us informed and on track. 

 

Want to see your practice featured here? Have something exciting to share with fellow REC members? We'd love to hear from you! Please email ashley.siegel@azhec.org for more information.

Provider Education

Content Provided By

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Exploring the Meaningful Use Menu Set: Clinical Lab Test Results  


Stage 1 Meaningful Use requires the Eligible Professional (EP) to meet 15 core measures and five more from a menu set of 10 options. Deciding which five measures to defer requires some careful consideration. This month, we will look at the objective that deals with laboratory results.

 

One of the menu objectives states that providers will incorporate clinical lab test results into the EHR as structured data. To meet this measure, the EP must submit a report demonstrating that more than 40 percent of all clinical lab test results ordered by the EP are incorporated in the EHR as structured data. Having lab results as discrete data points is a big workflow enhancement because the results can be incorporated easily into office notes, graphs and clinical decision support tools that enhance patient care.

  • If you already have a functional bidirectional lab interface, this is a simple decision for you and a great objective to include in your menu set of five. Congratulations for doing the work necessary to build this complex interface and alter your practice workflow to review incoming results electronically.
  • If you do not yet have an EHR, consider asking if a lab interface is included in the products. Some EHR vendors can "flip a switch" at the corporate level and incorporate lab results into your system very easily. Other vendors require you to negotiate and build lab interfaces with your common lab vendors separate from the work they do to implement the EHR. Given the time-sensitive nature of meeting Meaningful Use Stage 1 requirements, you might elect to choose an EHR vendor with a corporate or existing lab interface.
  • If you have an EHR and do not yet use this functionality, plan the electronic workflow carefully before turning on this feature in your certified EHR. Lab interfaces can be complex to build and test, so make sure you have an adequate project plan that includes lots of time to redesign workflow and test.

Technical Tip

Content Provided By

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Are You Ready for January 1, 2012?  Version 5010 of the HIPAA Standards Becomes a Requirement for Conducting HIPAA Electronic Transactions    


January 1, 2012 is a significant date for health care providers. This is the day version 5010 of the HIPAA standards becomes a requirement for conducting current HIPAA electronic transactions.  Practices that fail to meet this deadline risk claim rejections and interrupted cash flow. The 5010 HIPAA Standard also paves the way for the October 1, 2013 implementation of the new ICD-10 code set. What steps must you take to make sure that you are ready for the January 1, 2012 deadline?

 

If you are already on an integrated EHR system, take these steps:

  • Speak with your practice management and EHR software vendors to determine when software updates will be installed on your system.
  • Speak with your clearinghouses, billing service and payers to determine when they will have their upgrades completed and when you can begin testing with them. 
  • Take time to identify any workflow changes and staff training needed to accommodate the change to 5010.
  • Conduct internal testing to verify that sent transactions will be generated in 5010. 
  • Conduct external testing with your clearinghouses and payers to verify that you can send and receive the 5010 transactions.

If you haven't started down the EHR path, here's what you need to know:

  • If you currently submit paper claims, you will not be required to switch to electronic transactions.
  • Practices with a practice management system should contact their vendor regarding any 5010 upgrades needed for their system. Verify 5010 compliance with your clearinghouses or billing service if you use either one.
  • Verify 5010 compliance with health insurance payers.
  • Identify any changes to data reporting requirements, as well as existing practice workflow and business processes.
  • Recognize staff training needs.
  • Run tests with your trading partners such as clearinghouses and payers. 
  • Prepare a detailed budget and allocate funds to cover implementation costs associated with system changes, resource materials, consultants and training.
Meaningful Use Corner

 

Panel Endorses Delay of Meaningful Use Stage 2

A panel developing clinical and process measures for Meaningful Use endorsed the delay of Meaningful Use Stage 2 for one year until 2014. If these recommendations are approved by ONC and then accepted by CMS, providers would have three years through 2013 in which to verify they have met Meaningful Use Stage 1 requirements. The delay proposal is designed to avoid timeline challenges that would result from the publication of the final rule for Meaningful Use stage 2 requirements just months before the provider reporting period would begin. Read full Government HealthIT report.  


Free Access to Health Information with MedlinePlus Connect from NIH

MedlinePlus Connect has been launched nationwide by the National Institutes of Health, giving free access to health information on the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus.gov website. Along with free accessibility to patients and providers using EHRs, the service can also help providers meet one of the Meaningful Use criteria required to be eligible for EHR incentive payments. Any health IT system that uses the HL7 info button standard can use MedlinePlus Connect. Read the release from HHS.


American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Selected as ONC-Approved Accreditor (AA)

ONC selected ANSI as the ONC-AA for the Permanent Certification Program to accredit organizations to certify EHR technology and perform other responsibilities under the permanent certification program.

News & Resources

 

Higher Profits for Hospitals with Advanced IT Systems

A recently released Fitch Ratings report found that for not-for-profit hospitals with advanced IT systems or those who have received quality awards are more profitable than other hospitals.  Among the findings were that hospitals with quality awards and advanced IT had 30 percent more unrestricted cash and investments than the overall hospital and posted 1.8 percent more annual revenue than expenses between 2005 and 2009. You can read more about the findings in the Modern Healthcare report.

 

Health IT Competency Exams from ONC

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released a set of competency exams created to more easily identify expert-level IT professionals. The exams became available May 20, 2011 and cover six primary roles: clinician/practitioner consultant, implementation manager, implementation support specialist, practice workflow and information management redesign specialist, technical/software support staff and trainer. Additional information about the tests is available at HHS HIT Pro exams website.

 

More than 27,000 health IT professionals, including those who trained in the ONC's Community College Consortia health IT training program, are eligible to take an exam free of charge. The cost without a voucher will be $299 for the first exam and $199 for each additional one.

 

VA Awards Open-Source Vista contract

The U.S. Veterans Affairs Department has awarded a one-year contract to The Informatics Applications Group, a information technology consultant, to set-up and operate an open-source development project to improve its largely self developed Vista EHR. The contract is worth just under $5 million.

 

CMS Proposed Changes to eRx Incentive Program

The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Systems has proposed rule changes to the Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive program, including modifying the existing 2011 eRx measure to address the technological requirements of the Medicare Incentive Program. Also proposed is providing additional significant hardship exemption categories for the 2012 eRx payment adjustment and extending the deadline to request a significant hardship exemption for the two hardship exemption categories to Oct. 1, 2011. View the changes and submit comments. 

 

Pima Community College offers Health IT Training

Pima Community College is offering short-term training for well-paying jobs in the Health IT sector through a federal HITECH grant aimed at creating a workforce to implement and support electronic health records systems. Training is ongoing, with new classes starting every week and the program lasting up to six months. Contact Sharon Macias at (520) 206-7278 or hitech@pima.edu for an application or to learn more. 


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