Resource Centers:(News, information, and tools to support your practice)
September 2010
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EHR is the wave of the future
By Paul B. Bindell, DC
Success in your practice is mostly measured by the number of patients and net income. Over the past 30 years, there have been radical changes to scope of practice laws — including how you can bill, what you can bill for, and how you must document the services your provide.
At this time, in most states, it will take at least 15 minutes per patient per SOAP note to enter everything by hand that the board of examiners requires. This is where electronic health record (EHR) computer software comes to the rescue — by maximizing your profit margin and empowering you to collect and keep the greatest amount of income in your pocket.
EHR on solid ground
EHR enables you to keep up with all of the legal requirements (state and federal) and the insurance company demands while continuing to treat a significant number of patients without getting bogged down in paperwork.
True EHR systems combine office management (scheduling, billing, e-claims, marketing, statistics, etc.) with documentation (SOAP notes and narratives). With this, you have a single system in which your notes generate your fees and duplicate data entry is no longer needed. EHR is paperless and offers audit and collection protection.
But not all EHR systems are the same, so consider all of your options. EHR systems can run the gamut from free to $60,000 — with the most expensive not always being the best and not always including functions and features of those in the less-expensive category.
EHR programs are critical to provide and coordinate the best care for every patient and insure accurate billing with thorough documentation. The patient data needs to be safe, secure, and always accessible to you and your staff.
Appointments and billing and insurance claims are produced, monitored, and pursued efficiently and rapidly by EHR systems. The bottom line is that the success of your practice depends on having a fully functional EHR system. EHR improves the efficiency of your office by freeing staff from mundane tasks — 90 percent or more of paper filing is gone, so staff productivity increases with more recalls, collections, and practice building.
Travel cards and fee slips become relics of history. Bigger and better collections are the result of a system that never forgets, and EHR documentation makes sure you have all the material you need to successfully get through an audit.
Although it may be possible for someone to find and break into the data in your office or steal your computer system altogether, storing
When your patient data is stored in your office and you are concerned about hackers, you can shut off the Internet, shut down the computer, and install hard (modems and routers) and soft firewalls (anti-virus, spam filters, etc.) in addition to using strong passwords to protect your data.
By maintaining control of your data, you have the advantages of both a hard and soft firewall and the ability to disconnect at will. Data on a local computer keeps the control in your hands over who has access to your system
Up in the clouds
While storing your data on a local computer may be reliable and secure, another option does exist — “cloud computing.” Cloud computing is the latest technology where you place your data on some other company’s computers, located away from your office.
In other words, take your patient data, financial records, and everything you consider personal and confidential, and put it out in the “cloud.”
While some may benefit from cloud computing, there are still concerns — as with any new technology — you should be aware of.
The cloud is a bank of computers spread around the country and possibly the world. Your data could be in several different places at once, each with its own risks, and only available over the Internet — so if the Internet goes down you may have no access to your patient data.
Other concerns with cloud servers include privacy and security issues. The September 2010 issue of Maximum PC includes an article on page 12 by Quinn Norton titled, “Every Silver Lining Has Its Cloud.” She states that data stored in the cloud is “not covered by the same laws about privacy and access … that it is when it is in our houses or on our own computers.”
In addition to the concerns expressed by Quinn Norton about those with “legitimate” rights to access your data, there is also the challenge of how the cloud maintains hacker-proof security of the data while allowing you full accessibility to your data.
It is common knowledge in the technology world that people with the right technical skills and tools may be able to break into supposedly secure data as long as they have an Internet connection.
Norton and McAfee and other companies provide “soft” security for computers. Through these security companies, it was discovered that there are malevolent persons constantly finding ways to break into even the newest programs and “secure” data.
Those companies now provide daily updates due to the quantity and frequency of malicious attacks. On a daily basis computer security is compromised, data is stolen, and then used for nefarious purposes.
The bottom line is that your continued success depends on having and using a reliable system, with minimal risks — whether it’s on solid ground or up in the clouds. So get and benefit from a system that keeps you and your practice secure.
Paul Bindell, DC, is the owner of Life Systems Software, a software system designed so chiropractors would have computer programs based on real practice. He can be reached at 800-543-3001 or through administration@LifeSystemsSoftware.com.
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