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Many physicians have little to no experience with EMRs and implementation, so the process tends to overwhelm most of them.  In response, the regional extension center (REC) was created to provide accurate information on availability, cost and quality of health information technology services to physicians and purchasers.  With 77 locations throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, RECs are independent regulatory agencies who promote informed decision making and plan for the health system needs of the physicians who practice in that state.

From a vendor’s point a view, the regional extension center serves as a great tool to connect doctors with EMR vendors.  Bizmatics appears on 30 of the 77 REC site lists, says Anthony Bates, Bizmatics sales rep.  Using the state of Maryland’s Health Care Commission website as a prime example, prospective buyers can view and compare vendor product pricing, security policies and case studies related to electronic health care record systems.  “All our competitors have to have to meet the guidelines set by that regional extension center,” says Bates.  The vendor guidelines vary from state to state; for example, a state may require prospective vendors to already have a certain number of customers in their state to get listed on the website.  REC sites work great for vendors, claims Bates, if the vendor meets requirements and the EMR software is certified, they get listed.  However, some REC sites chose to remain vendor-neutral.

Receiving assistance from an REC actually improves the doctor’s chances of choosing the best EHR and successfully meeting meaningful use.  Some physicians started on paper charts and need the extra guidance; the REC holds their hand in regards to demos of EMRs the doctor is looking at – they set up the interface between the doctor and vendor.  “Doctors really need someone in their state that they can rely upon and not pay an ungodly fee,” says Bates.   “The role of the REC is to be someone neutral that has the doctor’s best interest in mind – that’s why the pricing matrix is for all vendors, so they get to see the cost up front.”  Physicians reap the benefits by having all this information on a website and it provides an assessment for their practice.  The REC is paid grant money to work with the physicians and therefore, the physician gets to engage with someone neutral that doesn’t have ulterior goals in mind.

Physicians are increasingly feeling the pressure to adopt an electronic medical record. Some look forward to it with the goal in mind that it will allow them to have more timely access to accurate information and better decision support. However, some look at it is as a ghastly spectre that is continuously haunting them; threatening to plunge them into the unknown and interrupt the daily routines they have honed over their many years in practice.

Bizmatics sales rep Kemp Stephens believes this dreaded latter view is brought on by the fact that many EMRs expect users to adopt all features within a certain short period of time, causing everyone involved to have a nervous breakdown.

Stephens offers these handy stress-reducing steps to ramping up before going live:

Choose 3 New Patient candidates from tomorrow’s schedule:

This sets a nice limit so that you don’t have to stress out. Continue working with all other patients the way you always have. Your chosen EMR may have other “easy yet useful” features to consider using first, but the idea is to just practice and build up your confidence with your 3 candidate patients until you feel that you can take on the World, which will be surprisingly fast!

Start using features that are both easy and useful to you:

Scanning – Faxing

Most EMRs have the capability to allow scanning of paper and receiving of digital faxes.

Let your staff get used to categorizing and attaching these new, incoming documents into patient’s charts, such as labs, radiology and consult letters. At the same time, they will also be able to notify you with a message in your in-box – get used to reviewing these documents in your in-box as well as learning how to retrieve them directly from a patient’s EMR chart.

Communication

Practice taking phone messages, sending and replying to internal messages between you and your staff, using the internal e-mail that your EMR provides.

Electronic Results

If electronic results from labs and radiology facilities are available to be turned on, do so and test them before you “go-live”.

E-Prescribing

Get familiar with sending e-prescriptions and processing refill requests.

Basic Documentation

Don’t get slowed down by unfamiliar templates. Most EMRs should allow you to breeze through the ROS and physical exam with minimum mouse clicks. For the more subjective areas such as HPI, or your assessment and plan, be prepared to try out your handwriting recognition, voice recognition or typing, until you become familiar with or have customized the templates to your liking.

Choose ICDs and CPTs:

Consider very minimal documentation – or skipping it entirely – by simply choosing the appropriate ICD and CPTs from your EMR’s electronic charge slip and then close your visit. Your biller should immediately see the charges, quickly approve and then submit as a claim.

Building confidence from the beginning with your EMR, in a non-stressful way through these essential features, is vitally important for your implementation. Otherwise, you risk leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouth for the system’s useable life in your office.

Selecting an EMR software solution is half of the uphill climb to implementation. Now, the other half of it involves transferring the data into the new system. If this thought stops you dead in your tracks, you’re not nearly the only one. How to thoroughly transfer data, according to Bizmatics sales rep Kemp Stephens, is one of the most commonly asked questions about implementation.

Physicians and office managers are often curious about the best way to transfer data to their new EMR system. Practices who already have an EMR system want advice regarding transferring the data from their old system to the new one. Unfortunately, data transfer does not have a one-size-fits-all answer. Make sure all information not searchable – discreet data – as Stephens calls it, gets transferred over. This includes faxes and other scanned data. Vitals are also important to keep an eye on, as not all EMR data entry formats are the same. “It helps if your current EMR is certified,” explains Stephens, “certified offers a variety of methods to transfer data.” Certified EMRs use nationally-known databases approved by the AMA for allergies and medications. Another key to your conversion success may also depend on your previous vendor: “It always helps if you have the cooperation of the old EMR system.”

Sweating those small details saves your practice both time and lawsuits. Transferring data shouldn’t be a step to take lightly. “You have to be cautious because of the liability factor,” Stephens warns, “you want to make sure your new EMR understands what was in the old EMR.” Meaningful use requires certified EMRs to have some interoperability, aimed to help the conversion process. Incomplete data transfer results in raised liability, as data may not convert well to the new system or might have been entered incorrectly in the old one. Certain patients have alerts that should be triggered; you need to make sure the new EMR gives you the proper alerts at the proper time. In the event that your new system doesn’t alert because of the new format, you run the risk of serious mistakes being made.

Thorough data transfer also benefits continuity of data in patient care. Files can be converted according to relevance rather than alphabetically. By checking the schedule a day ahead, you can focus on getting those patients transferred into the system. “The first time the doctor uses PrognoCIS, they can receive patient history electronically,” says Stephens. “You can pick up where you left off and continue on without skipping a beat.”

The Electronic Medical Record revolution is on. As more and more doctors join this EMR revolution, let’s not forget the practices that have an EMR currently in place, but are looking to make a change.

Some typical reasons a medical practice may change EMR vendors:

• Medical providers have grown beyond the technical capabilities of their current EMR solution
• Poor customer service and technical support from the current EMR vendor
• Medical practices merging or selling out to the hospital and must fold into a different EMR
• EMR product being used becomes “sun downed” (“phased out” or no longer supported) by the manufacturer after an identified date
• The EMR company goes out of business

The list provided is intended to show some of the most typical reasons for leaving an EMR software program. If your practice is in a similar situation, an important question needs to be addressed: “How do I get my electronic records from my current EMR to a new EMR program?”

In an effort to maintain a health summary standard or Continuation of Care Record (CCR), the exploration with prospective EMR vendors must be addressed and verified. Typically, the current information can be transferred, but with some restrictions and computer programming to be agreed upon.

Before you begin, follow these easy steps:

1. Check with your current EMR company regarding their preferred way to extract your data.

• Will there be a financial cost for data extraction?
• How is your patient data prepared, supplied, and in which format can you expect it?
• What is the timeline from notification to extraction and delivery?

2. Confirm with your prospective EMR company regarding your preferred way to receive and input your data.

• Will there be a financial cost for bringing the data into the EMR?
• Has your prospective EMR vendor worked with your current EMR in the past?
• Was the data import successful?

GE Centricity is the latest EMR vendor to call it quits for the small-sized physician medical practice. Currently, PrognoCIS EMR is working on a special promotional package to help current GE customers transfer their patient records in a CCR-compliant fashion to PrognoCIS EMR. Please call (877) 693-6748 for your complimentary consultation.