From the December 2011 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Patients can benefit tremendously from meaningful use and EHRs. There’s not one thing in meaningful use that is bad for the patient from a medical standpoint. Meaningful use will help us provide improved health care and become better doctors, and will provide us better processes to achieve it. Patients are getting better care. Doctors are much more likely to manage their care more efficiently. An example of this is when there is a drug recall. All we have to do is pull the information out of the system and notify those on the drug. When we had paper records, this would have been an impossible task.
My advice for those trying to achieve meaningful use is to get people comfortable with your EHR system. Your doctors must be involved in the process from day one. They must be engaged and involved in learning the system and using it for it to be successful. They need to have a vested interest in learning the system. It can be a lot to learn. If possible, try to develop an in-house expert who will manage the technological aspect of the system from implementation to its day-to-day operation. This is a long-term investment and, if conducted properly from the beginning, it can significantly improve the health and viability of your practice, clinically and financially.
Be patient and flexible with the process. You’ll never attest if you don’t remain a bit flexible during the transition. You have to be willing to change and see the positive in Meaningful Use and your EHR. The data we’re now able to track through the system is incredible. That alone has been worth the change.
Dr. Patrick Golden is board certified in internal medicine with specialties in cardiology and bariatrics. He is the sole practitioner for his practice in Fresno, Calif. He is a graduate of the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine and completed his internship and fellowship training through the University of California San Francisco-Fresno Medical Education Program.
Dr. Golden uses Sage Intergy EHR and has recently met the meaningful use criteria and successfully attested to CMS for Stage 1 Meaningful Use of her.Back to HCB News
