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Monday, January 31, 2011
Medical transcription outsourcing: Helping healthcare facilities operate successfully
Medical transcription services have been around almost as long as healthcare services, documenting the patient- healthcare professional encounter. Though medical transcription has been around for a long time, these services have evolved from mere typing or data entry services to sophisticated services that contribute to the smooth running of healthcare facilities using the right technology, the right people and the right processes. One of the main factors that have been instrumental in this change has been due to the evolution of outsourced medical transcription service providers specializing in this service.How do outsourced medical transcription services aid in the successful running of healthcare facilities?To be successful and profitable, healthcare facilities have to basically concentrate...
More on Hospital Executives' Disproportionate Pay
Local US news media brought some more striking examples of disproportionate pay given to health care organizational leaders. Carolinas HealthCare System: Corporate-Style Compensation for a Public Hospital CEOCarolinas HealthCare System declares it is "the largest health care system in the Carolinas and the third largest public system in the nation" in its membership blurb for the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. That association describes its members thus, Since the establishment of the first public hospital in the United States in the early 1700s, safety net hospitals and health systems have been an essential part of our nation�s health care delivery system.In the 21st century, safety net hospitals continue their long tradition of quality and...
Food Allergy Friendly Massachusetts
Beginning tomorrow, February 1, Massachusetts restaurants will be required to have a certified food protection manager on staff. This staff member must must have completed allergen-awareness training through a state program and certification must be renewed every five years.In addition, restaurant managers in MA must make sure their staff is trained and educated in the area of food allergy and the manager must deliver the meal to the table of the food allergic diner.Yeah Massachusetts!I've been saying for years, if Disney can make food allergic diners feel comfortable, so can other restaurants. MA is the first state to enact this type of...
PQRI XML Submissions Required for Certification
One of the challenging aspects of Complete EHR Certification is the PQRI XML needed for submission of quality measures to CMS.There are 15 required hospital quality measures but the 2 Emergency Department measures are stratified for reporting and must be presented in 3 different ways, so a total of 19 PQRI XML files need to be generated for Complete EHR Certification of hospital systems.Each of the files uses identical XML. The only parameters that change arepqri-measure-number which is set to the NQF measure being submitted such as NQF 0435 (see the graphic above for the list of NQF hospital measure names)eligible-instances which...
Basic Health Tips Can Keep Out Trouble In School
Hand washing is the basic step towards maintaining a healthy body. The teachers should teach the students the importance of the hand wash.According to a study, it has been found that lack of hand washing and improper food can cause gastrointestinal trouble. In a confined classroom, area where the students study the virus of gastrointestinal sickness can spread very quickly. This study was published in 2010 issue of the Journal of School Health, which dealt with the food processing in various schools and universities.A gastrointestinal illness is short-lived. The symptoms are cramps, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. It does not need medical treatment....
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Medical transcription: Establishing a policy for continuous quality assurance
The importance of documenting the patient encounter is manifold as it helps in many aspects that contribute to the smooth running of healthcare facilities, besides being a statutory necessity. As healthcare services are critical it is important that the process of documenting the patient- healthcare professional encounter be subject to certain norms. The patient – healthcare professional encounter can be documented by various means, one of the most preferred being medical transcription; a process which converts dictation to text.As medical transcription has an important supporting role to play in the process of healthcare, a best practices guide titled “Healthcare Documentation Quality Assessment and Management Best Practices” has been jointly created by AHDI, MTIA and AHIMA. One of the highlights...
HITECH and Funding Cuts: The Battle Begins
At "US House of Representatives Proposes to Defund Largest Non-Consented Medical Experiment in U.S. History: HITECH" I predicted this:... I have no financial conflicts of interest regarding HITECH or health IT to weep about. Others do, and it's not hard to predict their financial interests will push them to oppose repeal "by any means necessary."The next few months should be an interesting time in the politics of healthcare IT.A replacement HITECH act that's "HI" on research and caution, but not so "HIGH" on stealth, coercion and euphoria (i.e., as on mind altering substances) would be welcomed.The battle's already begun. At "Meaningful Use incentives jeopardized by GOP bill", Jan. 28, 2011 by at Dan Bowman at FierceHealthIT.com, views exactly as I expected have begun being proffered...
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Medical transcription outsourcing: Reduces the burden of the support staff
The process healthcare cannot operate in isolation; being dependent on various sources for inputs and support. Healthcare services are built on the premise of good quality inputs in the form of skills of healthcare professionals and other associated services like the medical equipment manufacturers, the pharmaceutical industry, laboratory services etc. for the smooth running of the medical and operational aspects. On the commercial and legal aspects, healthcare facilities have to coordinate with insurance providers and other statutory regulatory authorities.To run a healthcare facility successfully is a huge effort requiring quality personnel to coordinate all the activities. One of the vital inputs that contribute to several aspects of successfully running a healthcare is information...
US House of Representatives Proposes to Defund Largest Non-Consented Medical Experiment in U.S. History: HITECH
In a new bill in the House of Representatives, the ��Spending Reduction Act of 2011�� (link - PDF), it is proposed to cut unobligated funds of, among others, division A of the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009":Spending Reduction Act of 2011... TITLE III�RESCISSION OF UNOBLIGATED STIMULUS FUNDS AND REPEAL OF CERTAIN STIMULUS PROVISIONSSEC. 301. RESCISSION OF UNOBLIGATED STIMULUS FUNDS.Effective on the date of the enactment of this Act, there are rescinded all unobligated balances of the discretionary appropriations made available by division A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111�5).SEC. 302. REPEAL OF CERTAIN STIMULUS PROVISIONS.Effective on the date of the enactment of this Act, subtitles B and C of title II and titles III through VII of division...
Cool Technology of the Week
The iPhone and iPad have provided a remarkable platform for mHealth, empowering consumers to manage their wellness, communicate with clinicians, and support treatment workflow via smartphones.One of the coolest examples is Walgreens new application which supports automated medication management.Each medication dispensed or sold at Walgreens has a bar code. After registering the application to your nearest/preferred Walgreens pharmacy, you simply scan the label using the iPhone/iPad camera and it automatically uploads to the Walgreens you�ve chosen. There are alerting functions for all parts of the prescription life cycle. You link your transactions to a credit card on file, drive up to the Walgreens pick up window and they dispense your prescription. The pharmacist asks if you have...
New Study for People With Peanut Allergy
If you live in the West Hartford, Connecticut area, you may be interested in a new study being conducted by the New England Food Allergy Center. It is a desensitization program whereby small amounts of peanut protein are given to a peanut allergic individual over a period of time. The study starts with visits to the Center and are continued at home. Unfortunately most insurance companies won't cover the costs, which will be in the $3000 range. It may be worth checking with your insurance though. Don't be afraid to escalate this to the medical director of your insurance carrier, who can often over-ride what customer service representatives are told to tell calle...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Medical transcription: Establishing a process for continuous quality improvement
The importance of documenting the patient encounter is manifold as it helps in many aspects that contribute to the smooth running of healthcare facilities, besides being a statutory necessity. As healthcare services are critical it is important that the process of documenting the patient- healthcare professional encounter be subject to certain norms. The patient – healthcare professional encounter can be documented by various means, one of the most preferred being medical transcription; a process which converts dictation to text.As medical transcription has an important supporting role to play in the process of healthcare, a best practices guide titled “Healthcare Documentation Quality Assessment and Management Best Practices” has been jointly created by AHDI, MTIA and AHIMA. One of the highlights...
