A Black Book Research survey showed that poor technical services and support are hampering EHR user satisfaction

January 16, 2020 – Eighty-four percent of EHR users are dissatisfied with the technical service and basic software account support from current EHR and HIT vendors, according to a 2020 Black Book Research survey.

Since the HITECH Act was signed into law in 2009, EHRs have not only been more prevalent, but they have continued to change and evolve. However, technical service from EHR vendors hasn’t kept up with the constant change, according to high-level hospital tech managers.

“Healthcare software support is on the cusp of change, and as healthcare technologies evolve and improve, they are reshaping the very nature of what client services and tech support are,” said Doug Brown, president of Black Book Research.

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Cloud-based EHRs not only have the ability to save health systems money, but they are also more secure and promote interoperability.

By Christopher Jason

January 27, 2020 – Cloud-based EHRs are becoming more prevalent in the healthcare field, raising debate about how effective they are compared to other types of EHR solutions.

According to information published by HIMSS Analytics, two-thirds of IT leaders from health systems and hospitals reported that they currently utilize the cloud-based technology.

Thirty percent of practices that house more than 11 clinicians are looking to replace their EHR system by 2021, according to a 2018 Black Book report. Ninety-three percent said a top priority was cloud-based mobile solutions for easy access to data.

“Traditionally, it’s been the smaller and solo practices with the highest dissatisfaction ratings for electronic health record applications but we confirmed also that the smaller the practice, the less likely they are to use advanced IT tools and that is where EHR frustration among small practices is generally focused,” Black Book Managing Partner Doug Brown said in a statement.

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Most MIPS eligible clinicians will receive a positive payment adjustment, although this may be because performance thresholds were lowered, CMS pointed out.

By Christopher Jason

January 07, 2020 – Ninety-eight percent of eligible clinicians participating in the Merit Based Incentive Payments System (MIPS) will receive a positive payment adjustment in 2020, a five percentage point increase since MIPS began, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

This comes as the MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs) are set to launch in 2021, a change to the original Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) that CMS says will streamline quality reporting and “cut government red tape.”

With MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs) set to launch in 2021, CMS announced the preliminary participation data from 2018 for eligible MIPS clinician participants.

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Efficient vendor, staff and organizational management are critical to a new system roll-out.

Staying fit is a great new year resolution, but how much activity, nutrition and rest does your body require to remain healthy?

By NewsGram Desk

Staying fit is a great new year resolution, but how much activity, nutrition and rest does your body require to remain healthy?

Exercise

1. At least 30 minutes of exercise is required every single day. As per guidelines, people should exercise five days a week, be it Yoga, brisk walk or swimming or any other exercise form. Try walking 10,000 steps but positively complete at least a minimum of 5,000 steps each day. — Neha Pathania, Senior Dietitian, Paras Hospital.
2. It is advisable to combine cardio and strength training exercises over the course of the week and break up your exercise routine into smaller bursts (at least 10 minutes of each). Avoid sitting for long hours as sitting reduces our metabolic rate. — Dhara Tanna, Senior Vice President at Fitternity,

Water and food Intake 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day.

“Energy intake (calories) should be in balance with energy expenditure. To avoid unhealthy weight gain, total fat should not exceed 30 per cent of total energy intake . Intake of saturated fats should be less than 10 per cent of total energy intake, and intake of trans-fats less than 1 per cent of total energy intake, with a shift in fat consumption away from saturated fats and trans-fats to unsaturated fats , and towards the goal of eliminating industrially-produced trans-fats. Limiting intake of free sugars to less than 10 per cent of total energy intake is part of a healthy diet. A further reduction to less than 5 per cent of total energy intake is suggested for additional health benefits.

WHO adds that keeping salt intake to less than 5 g per day (equivalent to sodium intake of less than 2 g per day) helps to prevent hypertension, and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in the adult population (8).

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July 2018 – MTBC (NASDAQ: MTBC) (NASDAQ: MTBCP), a leading provider of proprietary, cloud-based healthcare IT and practice management solutions, today announced that New York based Universal EHR Solutions, also known as MD Charts, will be connecting to MTBC’s blockchain, marking an early milestone in MTBC’s effort to build a national healthcare blockchain network. Universal EHR Solutions will also be partnering with MTBC’s development team as Universal EHR Solutions progresses toward Meaningful Use stage 3 certification.

“Last month, we announced the release of our new healthcare blockchain technology and today we’re pleased to announce that Universal EHR Solutions will be joining as a premier member of our healthcare blockchain network,” said A. Hadi Chaudhry, MTBC President. “Our vision is to create a comprehensive network that will support the secure and efficient storage and exchange of electronic patient data and we’re very pleased to have Universal EHR Solutions join this initiative. We also look forward to supporting them as they prepare for Meaningful Use Stage 3 certification and integrate our revenue cycle and practice management system with their platform.”

Aaron Wachspress, Universal EHR Solutions’ Founder and Chief Technology Officer, said, “We have been providing leading-edge healthcare IT solutions to New York based providers since 2002, and look forward to incorporating blockchain technology and Stage 3-related functionality in our EHR. These developments will allow our clients to have the latest security technology available, therefore affording their patients the best possible care, and we are very pleased to be partnering with MTBC.”   

As previously announced, MTBC has incorporated blockchain technology into its electronic health records (“EHR”) platform and seeks to build a network that will enable the secure storage and sharing of patient medical information, reduce interoperability issues that have plagued the digitization of healthcare for years, and provide patients with the control they need to decide who can access their health data. Universal EHR Solutions is the first EHR vendor to commit to connecting to MTBC’s blockchain, and the parties expect the blockchain connection to be in production by Q4 2018.

In addition to providing blockchain network access and revenue cycle management services to Universal EMR Solutions providers, MTBC will be advising Universal’s engineers regarding Meaningful Use certification. The partnership is a strong strategic fit, leveraging the two companies’ respective strengths across three main areas: MTBC’s revenue cycle management services, MTBC’s innovative blockchain network, and Universal’s EHR solution. 

About MTBC

MTBC is a healthcare information technology company that provides a fully integrated suite of proprietary web-based solutions, together with related business services, to healthcare providers. Our integrated Software-as-a-Service (or SaaS) platform helps our customers increase revenues, streamline workflows and make better business and clinical decisions, while reducing administrative burdens and operating costs. MTBC’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the ticker symbol “MTBC,” and its Series A Preferred Stock trades on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the ticker symbol “MTBCP.”

June 2018 – MD Charts completed the acquisition of Universal EMR, a leading EHR and Practice Management solutions provider with a strong focus on dermatology, cardiology, and OBGYN practices.

Universal EMR – privately owned with its headquarters in New York – was founded in 2002. Among its most popular products was Physicians Solutions, perhaps best described as one of the industry’s first “Smart EMR” systems, which adapts to the individual physician’s preferences, making the software work for the practice rather than the practice working for the software.

December 2018 – The annual MIPs scorecards are in, and dermatology practices utilizing MD Chart’s DermCharts software scored an average of 92 points!

The new scores reflect a 1.8% increase in overall rating across all of DermCharts’ dermatology practices.

Below is one of the many testimonials and recommendations DermCharts received as a result of the latest MIPs scorecards:

“DermCharts’ customizable system and dedicated support team helped us keep track of our MIPs performance and encouraged dermatologists and medical assistants to provide better care for our patients. With the new MIPs rules for 2018, we are expecting a 4-6% improvement next year.” – Veronica G., Chief Medical Biller.

November 2018 – MD Charts, the New York based EHR, Practice Management, and Revenue Cycle Management solutions provider has entered into partnership with Healthix in order to help providers….

The new collaboration will ultimately help patients get access to better care by….

January 2019 – MD Charts, the New York based EHR, Practice Management, and Revenue Cycle Management solutions provider has received confirmation that its 2015 ONC certification is now in its final stages.

MD Charts is estimated to be in the elite group of 18% of EHR solution companies that applied for the rigorous certification.

About the ONC Certification program:

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Health IT Certification Program (“The Program”) is a voluntary certification program established by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to provide for the certification of Health IT. Requirements for certification are established by standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria adopted by the Secretary. The Program supports the availability of certified health IT for its encouraged and required use under other federal, state and private programs. The Program is run as a third-party product conformity assessment scheme for health information technology (health IT) based on the principles of the International Standards Organization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) framework.

Health IT Certification Program Overview [PDF – 498KB]

ONC launched The Program in 2010 to support the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). While the EHR Incentive Programs continue to require the use of certified health IT, the use of certified health IT has expanded to other government and non-government programs. Similarly, the Program has evolved and now also supports other health IT adoption, interoperability, and care quality improvement initiatives. This evolution has been demonstrated as the Program has released several editions of certification criteria and expanded program requirements. The most recent editions of certification criteria include more robust functional and interoperability requirements, ONC-ACB in-the-field surveillance expectations, and cost transparency and disclosure requirements for health IT developers’ certified health IT. The additional disclosure requirements have been adopted to ensure users of certified health IT are fully informed about certain types of limitations and additional costs associated with the ability to implement or use certified health IT in a manner consistent with its certification.
 – www.healthit.gov

November 2018 – MD Charts begins work to integrate patent-pending Biopsy Mapping™ Technology into its EHR system.

After months of collaboration with leading dermatologists in the New York and New Jersey regions, MD Charts’ DermCharts division has started the ground-breaking work of integrating a new, patent-pending, technology to more accurately mark biopsy regions.

The new technology will help dermatologists by….

The technology is slated to be rolled out in the fourth quarter of 2019.

MD Charts has partnered with CommLife Solutions to provide their SaveLifeID™ service to every MD Charts patient.

Medical events happen every day. Patients, caregivers and payors must be better prepared. CommLife Solutions was founded to harness innovative technologies to develop products and services in order to save lives, reduce costs, and improve the quality of healthcare. For instance, people need to have access to their medical profiles and test results, instantly, particularly in emergency situations.

This critical need was recognized by our experts in the fields of electronic health records, emergency medical services, hi-tech, and nursing home and assisted living management. The power of their combined experience in their fields and in software, wireless telecom and defense electronics, led CommLife Solutions to develop the SaveLifeID product.

CommLife Solutions has built a strong team to create the next breakthrough in healthcare technology. Years of industry experience. technical expertise, influence, and involvement on boards of companies and associations servicing the healthcare industry; gives them insight into patient’s needs and the eco-system that supports their medical care.

They understand the challenges and the opportunities to create solutions to such critical problems as delivering specific, current information to medical providers so they get an accurate medical picture resulting in better and more cost-effective patient care.