Physiatry Practice Management Resources

EMR systems are available as either stand-alone or web-based systems in which data is transmitted over the Internet to a third-party server.

The drawbacks to consider as consider implementation are: potential costs of a stand-alone system, the amount of education your staff will need before the become proficient, and possible incompatibilities your system will have with other EMR systems. Web-based systems may present security and privacy concerns, and information retrieval could be hampered if your web service suffers communication difficulties.

Some EMR systems allow allows physicians to electronically enter patient information onto an electronic chart without filling out a paper form, thus increasing efficiency. Such systems can allow the physician to electronically chart progress notes and generate printouts of instructions and prescriptions for patients.

Advanced EMR systems reduce your costs for copying medical records, transcriptions and storing paper files. They can improve the accuracy of your coding by linking appropriate codes to your observations of a patient's condition. That documentation can boost your reimbursement rates.

The Nurse Practitioner Advantage
Efficiency and patient satisfaction may seem like incompatible goals as doctors struggle to balance patients' desire for personalized attention against the pressures to keep their practices profitable. One way to balance these pressures is making use of nurse practitioners, registered nurses with advanced academic and clinical training.
In most venues, nurse practitioners can diagnose and manage common and chronic health conditions as part of your medical team. The attending physician must always perform the initial work up on patients, NPs can often perform follow-up care and prescribe medications.

In primary care situations, NPs can also obtain medical histories, conduct physical exams, perform preventive screenings, order tests, and modify care plans if necessary. Used in this way, NPs can remove some of the every day clinical burdens and permit you to see more patients without compromising the quality of care.

Preparing for HIPAA Implementation
The rules and regulations emanating from the HIPAA law represent an aspect of medical practice that will assume greater importance in the immediate future.
Consequently, you must organize your practice - through a committee or a work group -- to outline a plan to achieve HIPAA compliance. As most physicians and medical office managers know, HIPAA is the 1996 law that created new rights of privacy for patients' medical records and requires health providers (as well as health plans and health clearinghouses) to transmit health information and transactions in a secure, electronic format.

Your HIPAA committee should include employees from every department so that all aspects of compliance - privacy, security, and electronic transactions -- can be discussed. Set up your group with a committee chairperson who has a comfortable grasp of the entire practice. Also included should be someone designated as your privacy advocate: this person will be intimately involved with HIPAA compliance and should be well versed in aspects of these regulations.

Depending on the size of your practice, the following areas of expertise should be represented on your committee: a legal and regulatory expert, a computer specialist, medical personnel, billing personnel and a manager who can track the flow of all health information handled by your practice. The committee should develop clear lines of responsibility for all aspects of HIPAA and formulate easily understood policies for all employees.

Although the future cannot easily be predicted, HIPAA is a well-known and significant change in the operation of the medical profession and health care industry. Its implementation must be carefully planned for in order for your practice to meet the privacy and security requirements of the law.

Written by: Debra C. Cascardo