News 7/9/13
From Gloria: “Re: EMR features. Can you please help me understand if there is any major difference in EMR features for practices depending on the number of providers? For example, how would an EMR used by a solo physician differ from an EMR used by a large practice of 41+ physicians? Do both of them not do the same thing..namely treat the patient for conditions?” I am sure many readers can answer this better than me, but here are a few thoughts. While most EMRs include the same basics, such as the ability to track patient history and capture clinical notes, EMRs used by larger groups tend to include more features and functionality. For example, many EMRs catering to small primary care practices have less developed templates and rely more on free-text data entry. Larger groups have a greater need for care coordination, especially if patients are seen by multiple providers within the same practice, and will likely seek a variety of bi-directional interfaces to automate high volumes of orders and results. The architecture behind an EMR is also important since a program designed for small offices may not scale beyond a handful of users. Beyond features and functions, many EMR vendors don’t have adequate training and support resources to satisfy the demands of large groups. Readers, please offer additional insights.
The medical director for 70-provider South Texas Medical Clinics says its recent implementation of EMR has allowed the practice to “substantially” reduce its percentage of medical errors below the national average. I assume that STMC uses eClinicalWorks since it is part of Memorial Hermann Medical Group, a large eCW client.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology plans to implement an eye disease patient database that will enable ophthalmologists to statistically review and analyze their own care and compare it to benchmarks and peer physician performance. The Intelligent Research In Sight Registry (IRIS) will be populated with de-identified data collected from practices’ EHRs and serve as a PQRS EHR submission vendor.
HIMSS Analytics recognizes 31 Bon Secours Health Systems (VA) ambulatory clinics with the HIMSS Stage 7 EMR Ambulatory award for its implementation of Epic.
Almost one-third of physician executives participating in an ACPE survey believe that healthcare costs go up when hospitals buy physician practices.
The doctor shortage and an improved economy has led to an increase in physician recruitment activities. A quarter of practicing physicians report receiving 24 to 40 job solicitations a month.
The article about Pediatric Associates in CA has a nugget with a potentially outsized impact: the implication that VFC vaccines…