Medical Records Jobs Exploding In Popularity

In July 2010, the Obama administration released a five-year plan to convert healthcare providers and hospitals from paper to electronic medical records. Benefits include lower costs, streamlined service, and increased safety. Under the plan, providers who do not comply by 2015 face fines and reduction in Medicare payments. This paved the way for medical records jobs to take off in popularity, which they definitely have.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that jobs in this field will grow by 20 percent from 2008 to 2018. Providers and hospitals who do not make the conversion to electronic medical records will find it more difficult, and more expensive, to get claims approved. This fact alone puts the career of the medical record technician in the spotlight. Skilled professionals are needed to tailor and install software, map the conversion process, and train medical staff to use the new systems.

Technicians bear the responsibility of organizing patient health records in an electronic format. This includes details regarding demographics, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, testing, exams, and prescriptions. They oversee entry of this information into software and ensure that it is accessible, complete, accurate, and secure. Doing this requires excellent organization skills, knowledge of electronic medical records software, and familiarity with medical terminology.

These individuals are finding jobs in primary care and specialist practices, hospitals, health departments, and clinics. Ultimately, they are responsible for making sure that the electronic health records are accurate and complete and that medical staff and providers know how to use the software. Communication with healthcare providers and medical staff is required for clarification regarding diagnosis, conditions, treatment, tests, medication, and related aspects.

Obtaining a certificate in health information technology is the most common way to obtain the fundamental knowledge required to perform this job. Community colleges offer this and are now beginning to offer associate’s degrees in the field. As electronic medical records software evolves due to new technology, so will the role of the technician. This requires that individuals in this role keep abreast of technology and regulatory requirements within the healthcare industry. Continued learning is expected, as this career is relatively new and is expected to change as we near the deadline for compliance. 

At this point, certification is not mandatory for medical record technicians but many employers prefer candidates who have it. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) offers the certification considered the most relevant, the RHIT- Registered Health Information Technician. Individuals must have graduated from a two-year education program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). They also must pass an exam administered by AHIMA.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that medical records jobs pay an average of $30,610 annually, with the typical range being $20,440 to over $50,000 annually. Individuals performing a relevant role for the federal government command the highest annual salary but hospitals and nursing homes are other top payers. This career is one that allows individuals to work within the healthcare industry without having direct exposure to patients.

By: Conrad Wysor

Should You Consider Switching To Electronic Health Records?

If you make a living in the healthcare industry, chances are that you have been hearing the term electronic health records thrown around a lot lately. Many practices are currently moving to this advanced record keeping software, but you will need to carefully consider whether or not this system works for you.

Those that have already used it will swear by this advanced system while others will say that there are a lot of issues still to be corrected with the software. Before you make a decision as to whether or not electronic health records can provide real benefits to your practice, recognize that knowledge is king, and you should seek it whenever possible.

There are many advantages to going to electronic health records. For instance, many systems include automation features that correctly code procedures. This may decrease the number of errors in your documentation, while speeding up the documentation process. Additionally, since electronic medical records are simpler to manage and fully access, if there is ever any question about your billing practices or patient care, an auditor will be able to easily go through your documentation.

Benefits for Practices with Multiple Locations

Frequently, patients may need to visit satellite offices or various outside medical providers that are at a different location. The adoption and use of electronic health records enables easy transmission from one office to the next. The ability to have this information so easily available will prove to be extremely beneficial not only to providers but also to the patients that are seeking care or diagnosis from a physician, dentist or surgeon.

Despite the fact that benefits abound when it comes to installing an EMR system, this decision is key. Know how it will change the functionality of your practice and what it will take to implement the new system. At the same time, also remember that there are real benefits, such as decreased costs and improved use of office space.

Additionally, if you have a smaller practice a good EHR system could end up saving you money on everything from transcription services to part time staff and overall office supplies. Depending on the kinds of care that you offer in your office, you could also find that electronic health records applications can be very helpful as a way to safeguard patient privacy.

Make It Easy On Yourself

When choosing a system for your medical office, ensure you have a product that is easy enough for your staff to really work with. Maintenance of the program should never seem unwieldy and upgrading should be very simple. If you choose the right software, everything from billing, to reporting and invoicing will be easier to do, and will greatly improve your productivity.

Once your staff has been effectively trained, you should also see that your staff takes well to the simplicity of such an electronic records application. By running a potentially paperless practice, you can help to improve functionality in terms of billing, accounts, scheduling and much more. Many doctors who have already switched over to an electronic health records system will say that it was the best choice they could have made and that they can't imagine working without it.

By: Carl J Hardy

President Obama And Electronic Health Records - 7 Reasons Why He Is Right

A central component of President Obama's health policy is investment in electronic health records so all medical records are digitized within five years. This will include plans to strengthen the security and privacy governance arrangements for health information currently in place, ensure that health information cannot be sold or passed on without patient consent, and increase the range of penalties for those who do not protect health data appropriately. Many are already calling for serious reconsideration of introducing a national patient identifier for healthcare as part of this initiative. The President's healthcare initiative is essential to move the American healthcare system of care into the Information Age, and has the potential to dramatically improve the way all Americans are treated whether they are in or out of hospital for years to come.

We need to examine the many positive reasons why electronic health record implementation is so important for Americans, and not get lost in detailed philosophical or technical arguments that so often muddy this topic. Americans will receive gains in seven main areas through the introduction of a national electronic health record system:

1. We are in the Information Age, and healthcare, which is an Information Industry, needs to be modernized just like the banking, communications and media industries, and made more efficient, through the more effective use of health information. Electronic health records have been extensively studied and have been show to increase the overall quality of care, and to reduce medical errors. 

2.The Internet and its associated multimedia environments are here to stay. Their existence will facilitate the development of an entirely new information infrastructure for healthcare, incorporating electronic health records, and numerous other multimedia environments and analytic tools. Investments in health are likely to continuously move away from bricks and mortar to bits and bytes, and the Obama plans will kick start this approach. 

3. The Internet is already widely used by consumers for healthcare. 10 million Americans search online for health information about themselves or a loved one every single day - a total of 140 million Americans have already undertaken such searches. People trust their doctors and like to discuss information they have found on the internet with them. Health consumers are increasingly accustomed to the idea of their personal information being maintained online, and currently assume that much of their health information is already electronic. Major companies, such as Google and Microsoft, have illustrated this change in attitude by introducing their own personal health record systems. 

4. A well introduced national health electronic information infrastructure will lead to better security and privacy than we have with our current paper records. Our present records have minimal capacity to be audited for inappropriate access by those who should not be seeing them, and are probably accessed much more than we realize. 

5. Electronic health records will allow us to leverage new technologies such as virtual reality environments, telemedicine programs, multimedia applications, genetic databases and increasingly sophisticated search and decision support tools. We currently only use these tools sporadically, but in future, as we move to an increasingly personalized consumer focussed health system, they will be used routinely. 

6. With the simultaneous move to some kind a national health insurance initiative, another goal of President Obama, the existence of electronic health records is simply essential to be able to provide care to the current 47 million Americans who are estimated to be uninsured. 

7. Among the most essential solutions to the American healthcare crisis is the need to promote and enhance disease prevention, health promotion and chronic disease management. These approaches to care are much more effective if good quality information on both individuals and communities is already available electronically.

The need for national electronic health records is essential to allow us to improve the American healthcare system, and to make our healthcare services more personalized and consumer focused as we move increasingly into delivering healthcare in today's information age. We need to support President Obama in this important initiative.

By: Peter Yellowlees

Personal Health Records: What Are Your Options

Most of you have probably seen your chart when you visit your doctor's office. In fact, you may need to visit several doctors' offices and may have charts at all these offices. To keep track and maintain all this information it makes sense keeping your own records. So what kind of information goes into personal health records? Here's a list of possible information that could go into these records.

1. Your name, blood type, date of birth and emergency contact details.

2. The date you had your last physical.

3. The dates you had some tests and screenings on, as well as the results.

4. Major illnesses you have suffered with dates.

5. Any surgeries you may have had, with dates.

6. A list of medication you are on along with the duration you have taken them.

7. Any allergies that you may have.

8. Any chronic disease that you may have.

9. Medical history of your family members. 

One factor that distinguishes personal health records is the platform used to deliver it. There are various platforms such as paper, portable devices, the internet and personal computers. Let's look at some of these platforms.

Paper-based PHRs

Paper format is used to record and store your personal health information. This could be your printed laboratory records, any health history you may have created, and photo copies of notes provided by your clinic. The advantages of this method are that it is reliable, low cost and can be accessed without a computer. The disadvantage of using this method is that records may sometimes be difficult to update, share and locate. These records could get lost or damaged especially in times of a natural disaster.

PC-based PHRs

Personal computer- based software is used to record personal health information. This allows one to easily print, encrypt, and import data. Creating a backup also becomes easier as compared to paper-based records. Some PHR products can be easily copied on to mass-storage devices such as smart cards, USB flash drive and CD-ROMs. Data stored here could be lost if the personal computer is damaged.

Internet-based PHRs

A web browser can be used to access and edit health information. The advantage of using an internet-based system is that it can be accessed from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. The PHR system can be interactive and data in such a system is not on the user's local machine but on a remote server. Backup becomes easier. However personal health records stored in this manner makes it easier for unauthorized people to access it.

By: david hess

The Benefits Of Using Electronic Health Record & Electronic Medical Records

With the popularity of computers and the ability for them to sort through information within a short time frame it is no surprise that this system would be applied to the medical files and information. Health records have been around for many years and it wasn't until recently that they have become computerized. There are many benefits of electronic health records that make finding information easily accessible for medical professionals as well as the medical staff to help patients in their treatment.

An electronic health record includes an array of information that includes the past medical history of the patient and can be used to transfer important files to providers from the convenience of their computer. Such information includes demographic data, medical history, medications, allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, other tests results, radiology imaging and billing information.

Not only do the benefits of electronic health record help with the process of patient care. It helps also ensure that everyone helping the patient is on the same page, so there is less room for confusion. This type of electronic system also helps increase the care provided by the physician as well as cuts expenses and promotes generalization of care.

Another benefit of using electronic medical records is that it saves space. The office will no longer have to be filled with filing cabinets full of patients’ paper records. Since it doesn't take very long for the patients care giver to place new information onto the patients electronic record, it also saves employees time. The reduction in use of paper is also a money saver. Not only do doctor's offices and hospitals save space and use much less paper, the insurance companies also reap the benefits of electronic medical records. Because the doctor's office can send records immediately to the insurance company, any claims are handled in a much quicker way.

Because some patients may have multiple medical problems that cause them to see several different types of physicians the electronic system allows each doctor to keep track of what is happening in the patients all around treatment process.

By: josephfooster

"why Should Physicians Embrace Electronic Health Records?"

HIMSS defines Electronic Health Records (EHR) as a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. The information includes patient demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports. Electronic Health Record software not only automates and streamlines the clinician's workflow; it also has the ability to generate a complete record of a clinical patient encounter - as well as supporting other care-related activities including evidence-based decision support, quality management, and outcomes reporting.

Electronic health records not only improve the quality of patient care and decrease medical errors, but also help increase revenues and reduce administrative costs. Physicians can realize competitive advantages and improve the profitability of their business which is more important than ever before.

Qualitative Benefits

Since measuring return on investment (ROI) on EHR implementation is not very easy on account of an overwhelming number of qualitative benefits, most literature is filled with enumerating the qualitative benefits of EHRs. These include, but are not limited to: 

Built-in error detection mechanism enhances patient safety and improves quality of patient care

Ability to ePrescribe from within EHR software

Instant access to key patient data from anywhere

Highly secure due to role-based access to clinical information

More efficient tracking of patients and costs

Better documentation and improved audit capabilities 

Avoidance of repeating expensive tests and more time spent with patients

Optimized workflow and less errors across the whole patient care cycle

Easy integration of EHR software with several clinical systems due to HL-7 compatibility

Optimizes reimbursement process due to accurate coding and fewer rejected claims

Quantitative benefits 

Improves charge capture: In a case study (Nick Fabrizio, July 2005, QIO Presentation quote), a family medicine physician while seeing same number of patients increased revenues by $3000 per month due to timely visit documentation and automated charge capture.

Helps maximize billing: When using paper charts, to be on the safe side of the law, many physicians down code (use a lower billing code), rather than use an appropriate level of code. Medical Economics magazine has estimated that physicians, who routinely down-code to avoid audits, lose an average of $40,000 annually.

Reduces Transcription costs: According to Medical Economics (March 2002), physicians spend between $15,000 and $25,000 over the course of a year for transcription-related services.

Reduces Storage costs: A case study revealed that a 12-physician practice saved $5,000 a year in storage space after converting to EHR. In another study, a major medical center in Boston seeing 750,000 patients a year, estimated they will save $6 million annually by reducing their dependence on paper records.

Reduces liability and malpractice insurance premiums: In a 2005 survey by the Medical Liability Monitor, a four-state average of the highest liability rates for OB/GYN was $230,919. With a two to five percent credit from malpractice insurance companies, clinics would save $4,600 to $11,500 per provider, per year, if they implemented an EHR.

By: Mark Robs

Electronic Medical Records More Prevalent Now

The medical industry has changed significantly over the past decade. One of the major changes is that many medical offices are moving from paper to electronic medical records. There are also a number of practice management software packages available to medical practitioners. This makes their lives easier, but what does it mean for patients? To understand the answer to that question, it is first important to understand what an electronic medical records system is.

Generally EMRs, electronic medical records, and EHRs, electronic health records, are synonymous. These systems keep track of medical information. These systems keep medical records stored in a central location so that they can be made available to pharmacies, specialists and other providers. What this means for the patient is that medical care is becoming more portable.

President Bush created the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in 2004. This office was headed by David Brailer in the beginning. Brailer addressed interoperability issues and established a National Health Information Network (NHIN). Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) have been established under the ONC in many states for the purpose of promoting the sharing of health information. Currently, Congress continues to create legislation to increase funding for these programs and programs like them.

Moving from paper systems to EMRs is a process that is still in the beginning stages within the medical community. It is a work in progress. Many concerns exist, and privacy is one of those concerns. While a moving to an EMR would potentially give many providers, pharmacists and other medical professionals access to a patient's records, these records are kept very secure. The adoption of electronic medical records systems is clearly what the future holds, from a technology as well as legislative standpoint. In the end, the patient benefits because it is easier to fill prescriptions, transfer records and receive consistent care than with paper systems.

While the public and the medical community waits for all paper records to be transferred to EMRs, there is an online resource available to help patients manage their own health records and be proactive about their healthcare. According to Google, Google Health “puts you in charge of your health information.” The service, which is safe, secure and free, enables patients to “organize all health information in one place,” “gather medical records from doctors, hospitals and pharmacies,” “keep doctors up-to-date about your health,” and “be more informed about important health issues.” This is all part of a larger trend in which patients are becoming more pro-active in managing their health.

As medical records systems continue to move from paper to electronic, look for the ability of systems to communicate with each other to also become important. As the patient, you will benefit because of the portability of electronic health records and you will no doubt benefit from the increased continuity-of-care that they can offer.

By: Michael.Young

Deciding On Electronic Health Records Software

Electronic health records software is meant to make keeping patient records easy to use, easy to access and easy to update. Ideally Electronic health records software will include claims filing, claims printing, patient charts, patient statements and patient updates. To be really effective Electronic health records software will include patient specific date also. This data in an electronic format may include the patient progress, any problems the patient has had, and the medications the patient is on or has been on, any vital signs taken during recent visits and also historical vital signs so the physician has a track record so to speak. It should also include the following to form a complete electronic picture of the patient. It should include the patients past health history, immunizations they have had, any pertinent lab data, and any pertinent radiology data.

If a physicians medical practice has a records software program that contains all of that data then it would be very easy to access it at any point from any of the practices computers and have a full picture of the patient that is in the office at the moment. Of course to get to a point where there is virtually a paperless patient record keeping takes several things to happen. First the medical practice has to go out and analyze the different health records software that is available. Then they have to make some decision as to what their budget is for this project and can they afford every part of the entire program. If they can t then they have to find a program that can be purchased in modules or segments that is also upgradable if choose in the future to add to this software program.

Before a medical practice can make this decision they also have to know the complete cost of such a program including any training, installation costs, end purchase costs, ongoing fees and any other fees that might be encountered. In addition they have to find out something about the software vendor to make sure they will be in business when the medical practice makes the decision to add to their software or make any changes to the program. They also have to make sure the software program is the right fit for the particular medical practice. This includes how any training will take place especially if the program is rather complex to learn initially.

When a medical practice is thinking about adding some form of health software programs to its computer system then it also needs to evaluate its current needs and what the believe their future needs will be. There are some programs that have other components besides health records and that may include patient billing software, claims billing software, e-prescribing of prescriptions, referrals that are made or received. There are many different program components that could go a long way to getting a medical practice paperless or perhaps less paper oriented. This also reduces storage costs and results in better documentation for the medical office staff.

By: Johm Milling

Nutrients Accelerate Wound Healing

Nutrition plays a major role in wound healing process, although dependent on the severity of the injury suffered. Therefore know what nutrients are needed to accelerate wound healing.

Wound healing process is complex and through several phases:

1. Inflammatory phase
In this phase, the first narrowing of blood vessels to ensure the formation of clots. Afterwards, prostaglandins and histamine in the blood will begin to dilate blood vessels to increase blood flow to the wound.

2. Phase prolifetarif
During this phase, the matrix of new blood and skin cells begin to form, as well as functioning fibrolast produce collagen also formed.This process is influenced by lactic acid, ascorbic acid and factors affecting oxygen such as iron, copper and pyridoxine.

3. Maturation phase
At this stage, wound closure occurs in the skin, the skin began to renovate even if not closed completely.

To support this third stage, there are several nutrients that play a role, as quoted from Lifemojo, Monday, 10/10/2011), namely:

Vitamin C
This vitamin acts as a cofactor in the production of collagen, and prevent the outbreak of the wounds had healed. The source can of tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, spinach, oranges, strawberries, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.

Vitamin A
Its role is to promote collagen synthesis and fibroblast differentiation and control of infection. The source of green leafy vegetables, fruits, yellow and orange, fortified dairy products and animal hearts.

Vitamin K
Blood clotting is the first phase of the process of wound healing, and vitamin K plays a major role in this process. Vitamin C with calcium produce thrombin (clotting main agent of the body). The source of green leafy vegetables, broccoli, grapes, avocado and kiwi.

Zinc
Zinc helps the various types of enzymes in the body to perform its function, because many enzymes involved in wound healing, especially the production of collagen. Besides helping the process of cell division that allows the body to use a particular protein. The source of seafood, lamb, red meat, cereals. asparagus, cabbage, peas, miso and sesame seeds.

Iron
In the process of collagen synthesis, iron is required for the hydroxylation of proline and lysine. If the iron deficiency (anemia) will interfere with wound healing. Source can be from turmeric, green beans, aspragaus, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, scallions, seaweed, beef and deer.

Copper (copper)
Copper helps the enzyme lysyl oxidase to produce collagen and elastin, which serves to promote wound healing faster. The source of tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, ginger, mustard greens, eggplant, asparagus, sunflower seeds, peppermint, radish, crimini mushrooms and tempeh.