EHR Alerts … and more!

Pew: Patient safety demands more robust testing of EHR usability

Healthcare IT News
Pew Charitable Trusts says not enough attention is being paid to electronic health record usability from a safety point of view. And given that federal certification requirements don’t address two key safety factors, it’s offering EHR developers and provider organizations a toolset to help boost patient protections.  READ MORE

Few execs believe healthcare IT security tech will be disruptive

HealthITSecurity
Only 7 percent of executives surveyed by Reaction Data believe that healthcare IT security technology will have a significant disruptive impact on healthcare. Twenty-nine percent said that telemedicine will be the biggest disruptor, 20 percent said AI, 15 percent said interoperability, 13 percent said data analytics, 11 percent said mobile data, 3 percent said cloud, and surprisingly only 2 percent said blockchain would be the biggest disruptor.  READ MORE

Hackers favor using vulnerable web apps to beat security perimeters

Health Data Management
For many organizations, vulnerable web applications may be their weakest link when it comes to an effective data security strategy. About three-quarters (73 percent) of successful perimeter breaches in 2017 were achieved using vulnerable Web applications, according to Kaspersky Lab’s analysis of penetration tests it conducted on corporate networks that year.  READ MORE

HIMSS: Stark Law hinders care coordination, health data exchange

EHR Intelligence
The Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly known as the Stark Law, places unnecessary administrative burdens on providers while hindering care coordination and health data exchange, according to a letter from HIMSS to CMS Administrator Seema Verma. In response to the federal agency’s June request for information (RFI), HIMSS advised CMS to change Stark Law regulations to ensure they do not prohibit or interfere with health data exchange and care coordination.In its letter, HIMSS emphasized that alternative payment models (APMs) require a flexible regulatory framework to succeed.  READ MORE

How blockchain could solve 4 major problems in healthcare

Health Data Management
The healthcare IT industry faces a host of challenges today, including silos within hospitals that restrict information sharing, integrating artificial intelligence into clinical practice, to solving the opioid crisis. While distributed ledger technologies such as blockchain won’t mitigate all of them, this technology can resolve a number of significant pain points associated with routine business processes.  READ MORE

Medical Document Services of Kansas, LLC (MDS) is a Wichita, Kansas healthcare document service specializing in Medical Billing, Medical Transcription, Scribe Services, and AzaleaHealth EHR.   We provide efficient, accurate, affordable quality services for hospitals, clinics, and facilities of all sizes.   Call 866-777-7264 today, or visit our website for more information.  We have education programs in Medical Scribe Specialists. #MedicalTranscription #AzaleaHealthEHR #RevenueCycleManagement #MDSofKansas #MedicalBillingService #MedicalScribes

Azalea Health EHR 2.1 Earns ONC-HIT Certification for all 64 CMS Clinical Quality Measures

Azalea Health EHR 2.1 Earns ONC-HIT Certification for all 64 CMS Clinical Quality Measures

ATLANTA, GA – (November 18, 2015) – Azalea Health’s solution, Azalea EHR 2.1, is one of a select few EHRs to achieve certification on all 64 CMS clinical quality measures (CQMs). Eligible providers are required to report on CQMs to demonstrate meaningful use and receive an incentive payment under the Meaningful Use Stage 2 rule. The provider can select and report on nine from the list of 64 approved CQMs for the electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs.

“Our healthcare system is evolving rapidly towards quality and outcomes-based payments so it’s imperative for Azalea to ensure we offer the most innovative, flexible and functional EHR as well as quality reporting platform for physicians and other care providers,” said Baha Zeidan, CEO of Azalea Health.  “The three main pillars of our company are innovation, partnership and leadership and this CQM certification embodies those pillars as we navigate our customers successfully through the future of healthcare.”

The Azalea 2.1 EHR includes fully integrated electronic health records, practice management, interoperability services, patient portal, personal health records, telehealth, and the AzaleaM mobile platform integrated with Apple® HealthKit, as well as revenue cycle performance services.

Azalea Health helps reduce the complexity of operating a medical practice, enabling physicians to spend more time with their patients. Azalea’s cloud-based solution is simple to implement and easy to use, streamlining administrative workflow while maximizing a practice’s resources and revenue cycle.

Certification Details

This Complete EHR is 2014 Edition compliant and has been certified by an ONC-ACB in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.

Vendor name:  Azalea Health

Date Certified:  10/8/2015

Product Version:  Azalea EHR 2.1

Criteria Certified:  170.314 (a)(1‐15); (b)(1‐5, 7); (c)(1‐3); (d)(1‐8); (e)(1‐3); (f)(1‐3); (g)(2‐4) Certification ID Number:  10082015-3440-5

Clinical Quality Measures Certified: 2v4; 22v3; 50v3; 52v3; 56v3; 61v4; 62v3; 64v4; 65v4; 66v3; 68v4; 69v3; 74v4; 75v3; 77v3; 82v2; 90v4; 117v3; 122v3; 123v3; 124v3; 125v3; 126v3; 127v3; 128v3; 129v4; 130v3; 131v3; 132v3; 133v3; 134v3; 135v3; 136v4; 137v3; 138v3; 139v3; 140v3; 141v4; 142v3; 143v3; 144v3; 145v3; 146v3; 147v4; 148v3; 149v3; 153v3; 154v3; 155v3; 156v3; 157v3; 158v3; 159v3; 160v3; 161v3; 163v3; 164v3; 165v3; 166v4; 167v3; 169v3; 177v3; 179v3; 182v4

Any additional software relied upon to Certify:  DrFirst Rcopia

*Price Transparency: Azalea 2.1 EHR – Monthly software subscription fee and one-time set-up & training fee.

*Azalea EHR 2.1 may require one-time costs to establish interfaces for reporting to immunization registries and public health agencies.

See the full press release at www.marketwired.com.

About Azalea Health

Azalea Health is a leading provider of fully integrated, technology-enabled healthcare solutions and managed services for practices of all sizes and most specialties. Azalea’s comprehensive portfolio includes integrated electronic health records, practice management, electronic prescribing, interoperability services, personal health records, patient portal, telehealth, AzaleaM mobile platform integrated with Apple® HealthKit, as well as revenue cycle performance services. The Azalea platform also provides tools and resources to help customers meet their Meaningful Use and ICD-10 requirements as well as strategies to navigate accountable care and alternative payment models. To learn more, please visitwww.AzaleaHealth.com, call (877) 777-7686 or connect via social media on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:  Lynn Hood, lynn@crackerjack-marketing.com, 678-974-2623

Medical Document Services of Kansas, LLC (MDS) is a Wichita, Kansas healthcare document service specializing in Medical Billing and RCM, Medical Transcription, Pre-Certs with AzaleaHealth EHR.   We provide efficient, accurate, affordable quality services for hospitals, clinics, and facilities of all sizes. Call 866-777-7264 today, or visit our website for more information.  We have education programs in Medical Scribe Specialists. #medicaltranscription #azaleahealthEHR #revenuecyclemanagement

EHR Buyer Trends for 2014

Recent research reveals new trends among EHR buying.  Take a look at the data on top EHR buyer trends of 2014 provided by Softwareadvice.com.      #EHRtrends2014

Key findings when analyzing 385 interactions with EHR buyers reveal their primary reasons for evaluating new software, and their most desired features and applications, include:

  •  Mobile support topped the list of desired capabilities, with 40% of the buyers requesting this feature, followed by e-prescribing (24%) and lab integration (20%)
  • 85% of buyers overwhelmingly prefer a web-based over an on-premise system
  • The majority of buyers (89%) aren seeking an integrated system, that includes applications such as billing or scheduling

AzaleaHealth is certainly at the cutting edge in addressing buyers’ needs.  Azalea Health enhances the workflow of your practice, giving you the power to connect the medical side with the financial side. It is a true cloud-based solution so you don’t have to worry about maintaining servers and software. We take care of it. The fully integrated solution enables physician and specialty practices to afford a sophisticated technology that meets all their practice management needs at a fraction of the complexity and cost.  #azaleahealthEHR

Azalea Health’s integrated EHR and billing solution has the flexibility to accommodate multiple specialties of any size practice. The company provides Electronic Health Records (EHR), Practice Management (PM), Revenue Cycle Management Services (RCM), mhealth app, and a Patient Health Records Portal.Print

Recently the company announced its merger with EHR provider, simplifyMD. The merged company, with their combined skills and products, will be able to offer expanded services and product options, as well as the tools and resources to help customers with meeting their Meaningful Use and ICD-10 requirements. The company will continue to be dedicated to simplifying the life of physicians and administrators byproviding a complete solution that is easy to implement and use. #azaleahealthmerger

Implications for EHR Vendors
Mobile support topped the list of requested EHR features, with nearly 40 percent of buyers in our sample requesting support for tablets and/or smartphones. With practices increasingly integrating mobile devices into their charting workflows, mobile support will be a key determinant in EHR purchasing decisions for buyers in 2014. Products that offer mobile applications will be well positioned to win business this year.

Vendors should also highlight their products’ meaningful use-mandated elements; e-prescribing and lab integration ranked highly on the list of requested features, thanks in no small part to their inclusion in MU requirement criteria.

Additionally, integrated suites are the future of EHRs. Nearly 90 percent of buyers explicitly requested to evaluate a system that integrates EHR with other applications (such as billing and scheduling). With nearly a quarter of the buyers replacing existing EHR solutions doing so because of a lack of integration, it seems the days of the standalone EHR are numbered.

Implications for EHR Buyers

Most of the buyers in our sample wanted to implement their new EHR software within three months. However, the climbing percentage of buyers replacing existing systems due to dissatisfaction suggests buyers would be well served by dedicating as much time as needed to the evaluation process.

Researcher Commentary

“We’re seeing significant demand for mobile solutions that allow users to access the EHR on tablets, or even on smartphones while on-the-go. Mobile devices are increasingly being integrated into practices’ workflows, and buyers need solutions that facilitate the efficiency those mobile devices can offer.”

“The percentage of buyers replacing existing implementations continues to rise. With so many buyers beginning their research with rapid-fire implementation timelines, I expect that proportion to continue growing. My advice to buyers is this: don’t impose a hard deadline on your evaluation process. Find a system that truly addresses your needs before making a purchase, rather than adopting a system and attempting to make it suit your purposes once in place.”

Methodology

Software Advice regularly speaks on the phone with medical practices seeking new EHR software. For this analysis, we randomly selected 385 of our phone interactions from Q1 2014 to analyze. Buyers were asked about their reasons for evaluating systems, the most critical features required and deployment preferences, among other criteria.

Emily King
Media Relations

Software Advice

Medical Document Services of Kansas, LLC (MDS) is a Wichita, Kansas healthcare document service specializing in Medical Billing and RCM, Medical Transcription, and AzaleaHealth EHR.   We provide efficient, accurate, affordable quality services for hospitals, clinics, and facilities of all sizes. Call 866-777-7264 today, or visit our website for more information.  We have education programs in Medical Scribe Specialists and Healthcare Documentation Specialists. #medicaltranscription #azaleahealthEHR #revenuecyclemanagement

Next-Generation EHR | Comprehensive Cloud Solutions

Clinical documentation has a direct impact on Revenue Cycle Management.  As ICD-10 gets closer and closer, clinics, hospitals and physician offices will need to carefully examine their documentation.  The long-term financial stability can be devastating if not done correctly.  Physicians, coders and healthcare document specialist will need to combine efforts, but most importantly, have the right EHR in place.   Comprehensive Cloud, Next-Generation, EHR is imperative moving forward!  This year, 2013, has been quoted as being the “year to change EHR systems.”  However, the predictions for 2014 do not look any better as dissatisfaction is on the rise for physicians and administrators.  With today’s change in health care, it is more important than ever to have an EHR that meets your needs.

If your EHR  is not meeting your needs, you are not alone.  According to KLAS, 50% of ambulatory practices are looking to switch EHR systems.*  Top reasons to make the change include an inability to achieve Meaningful Use, a lack of support, and unfulfilled promises from the vendor.

“The American Journal of Managed Care has now weighed in on the impact of electronic health records and health IT with a special issue devoted to research on the subject. The issue is highlighted by an introduction by guest editor and former National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari, M.D., now a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institute. Mostashari notes that this latest round of health and payment reform is different because of the new tools and data that EHRs and other health IT offer.”  Read More

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Medical Document Services of Kansas, LLC (MDS) is a Wichita, Kansas healthcare document service specializing in Medical Transcription, Revenue Cycle Management, AzaleaHealth EHR, and REAL-TIME solutions.   We provide efficient, accurate, affordable quality services for hospitals, clinics, and facilities of all sizes. Call 866-777-7264 today, or visit our website for more information.