Vivo

EHR Buyers Beware! What’s Really Behind Unhappy Physicians’ Dissatisfaction?

Recently, Emma Schwartz, Staff Reporter, Huffington Post I-Fund reported on the growing concern over the Federal ARRA funding going toward unvented, and seemingly unstable EHR software vendors. In her article, “Shopping for Health Software, Some Doctors Get Buyer’s Remorse”, the author also cites failed implementations and lack of vendor accountability among the complaints doctors share, post-EHR implementation. http://tinyurl.com/y9ezdbf.

It is abundantly clear that government intervention is needed as one of the first steps to mediate this growing concern in the EHR Software space.  Certainly, the thought of ARRA funding going to a fly by night vendor leaves us all with a bad taste in our mouths.  However, more must be done now to inform and educate the Primary Care Physician practice on the process of EHR software selection.

Nowhere in a physician’s studies  is there a course on what to – and more  importantly what not to do – when  buying EHR software.   It is understandable why – without the aid of a strong EHR consulting partner – it is easy to rely solely on the vendor’s claims.  However, the small upfront investment of time and money spent on such “ombudsmen consulting services”  will pay for itself within the first year of operations as the Primary Care Physicians practice gains an understanding and appreciation for of its true feature and work flow requirements, which vendors best serve its practice size and specialization, and most importantly,  the disclosure of objective and unbiased facts regarding the  EHR vendors performance and implementation pitfalls.

In the “Buyer’s Remorse” article, Ms. Schwartz reports on one practice whose EHR implementation costs totaled well over $400,000.00.  Certainly if this practice knew of simple steps it could have taken prior to commencement of the implementation, it would have seized the opportunity.  Government intervention will not solve this growing problem alone, – we  need trusted consulting partnerships with those in the HIT market space that can step up now to assist the Primary Care Physician practice – partners  like Vivo!

(HealthNewsDigest.Com), VP of Healthcare Informatics at Vivo Inc., Dr. Steve Nitenson discussing the revolutionary changes for healthcare policy in the U.S.

The use of IT technology in medicine is a requirement and not just an option.  Read the full story here.

A year ago if someone had told us our Healthcare IT Practice had any home on Twitter, or any other major social media forum, we would have — and probably did — laugh at the thought  Yet, the recent legislation, the national push toward EMRs and EHRs, and the growing debate over ARRA and how to interpret “Meaningful Use”, has us tweeting along with the best of them.

Last week, the Meaningful Use Interim Rule was published. And, well, it’s confusing.

What is it and why do we care? Simply put, if money is “candy”, then Meaningful Use rules, when finalized, are the keys to the candy store, and more importantly, the instructions on how to fit the keys in the keyholes. What must a doctor’s practice do to comply with and take advantage of the ARRA/HITECH regulatory “rules of engagement to qualify for the money? What minimum requirements must be met, and what form of compliance reporting should be used to qualify for Meaningful Use reimbursement.

Why are pundits, practitioners and physicians tweeting about it? We have a unique opportunity to give feedback before this Interim Rule is made final.  But, let’s face it, it’s 556 pages.  Do you want to read it? http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-31217_PI.pdf.  The “Standards & Certification Interim Final Rule: Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology” otherwise known as the EHR certification requirements is another 136 pages. Available here.  We simply must rely on thought leaders, the data they cite, their interpretation and their analysis, if we’re going to be a part of creating a workable (dare we say “meaningful”?) rule.

What should you do? Well, if you’ve read all 692 pages and are ready to provide feedback, the US Government has made that super easy to do. Just click here, and search for the regs by number.  For the rest of you who are not ready, or have the time to ready the regs, we have some easy suggestions for you.  First off, thanks for reading our blog. Please check back often, we promise to try to get you the real-time data that will help you interpret these and other confusing rules.  Follow us on Twitter as well! People much smarter than we are blog and Tweet all day. We are committed to the timely and accurate flow of information and promise to retweet the informative and useful ones.

You are also welcome to call and e-mail us. We know this all seems confusing, but it is not as bad as it appears — as long as you have someone you trust at your side that understands which “keys” open the door to the Candy Store.

According to Healthcare IT News, a recent report by the Center for Studying Health System Change showed that EMRs are not as helpful as hoped in enabling the exchange of information across physician practices and care settings. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/study-finds-gap-between-emr-vision-reality

The study suggests a major disconnect between policy makers’ expectations and doctors’ experiences with their EMR and EHR technologies.  In a nutshell, this article found what Vivo has been sharing with its clients all along – despite software vendors’ assertions, technology alone is not the answer.  What is needed is a redesign of care processes and work flow; clinicians will also need to adopt new ways of working and communicating within practices and across organizations.

This is precisely why practices are calling Vivo. With our unique Workflow Process Analysis and Report of Findings Phasing Process, we walk our clients through simple, structured changes they can make within their medical practice to ensure EHR/EMR expectations are met.

For more information contact us at info@vivoinc.com