The Growing Requirement of NextGen Electronic Health Records

EHRs or Electronic Health Records can readily collect and even organize patient information generated at hospitals, physician's offices, pharmacies and also other medical vendor facilities. This technology can improve outcomes by enabling diagnostic accuracy, when using better coordination across different providers, remote access, reason for care and mobile access.

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Lately, there's been a fast change in healthcare. For this reason, they have focused attention on the crucial progression of a NextGen Healthcare Records system to support transformation, and providing effective patient centered care. Currently, the Department of Veteran Affairs is developing some plans for the NextGen Healthcare software or Electronic Health Records to guide better care delivery for injured soldiers and veterans.

So that you can understand the necessity for an EHR, some clinical and informatics leaders were interviewed about their vision. According to these leaders, there was many priorities for development in certain areas of data synthesis, cognitive support, communication, teamwork, data availability, interoperability, customization, usability and data management.

These priorities to combine different healthcare initiatives can be valid proof to the growing need of Electronic Health Records. According to the findings of your research, the Department of Veteran Affairs' believes that some great benefits of EHR far outweigh the functioning of traditional recording system. Because of this, why Electronic Health Records happen to be the need of every medical facility nationally.

Benefits of Using an EHR

Just like another form of documentation, transitioning from physical and paper filing systems in the medical industry to computers can create greater efficiencies either way patients and healthcare companies. However, greater efficiency just isn't the one benefit. Electronic Health Records offer much more towards the healthcare industry, and patient care.

Patient Participation - Healthcare providers and patients who share access to Electronic Health Records can certainly take part in informed decision making. Patient participation is really important in treating and managing chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity and asthma.

Better Diagnostics and Patient Outcomes - With quick access to accurate and complete information, healthcare agencies may offer better care to patients. EHRs can improve a medical facility's capacity to diagnose ailments, and even prevent or reduce medical errors. This improves patient outcomes.

Improved Care Coordination - Medical professionals work in teams. Every member of the c's will have limited, specific interactions with patients. Due to this, the healthcare team's check out the patient may become fragmented into clusters of symptoms and disconnected fragments. Electronic Health Records make certain it is all totally recorded in a single device to aid medical expert formulate a greater strategy.

Efficiency and price Saving - A great deal of nurse practitioners have pointed out that EHRs might help increase practice efficiencies, save costs and improve medical practice management.

Electronic Health Records have already been improving patient care nationwide. Currently, the medical industry is on its way to system which will allow hospitals and doctors across the nation to securely store and share patient records. Thus, whether your patient is over vacation or in your house, if he's injured or ill, crucial details about his problem (including allergies and medications he's been taking) will probably be open to you or another physician for proper diagnoses and treatment.

Do Electronic Medical Records Improve Patient Care

With quick access to accurate and finished information, healthcare providers may offer better medical care to patients. Emr (EMR) will help patients by improving to be able to diagnose ailments, preventing or / minimizing medical errors. It also allows healthcare providers to enhance patient outcomes.

EHR Vendor Selection

Having an electronic health record system is essential; the question is finding the right EHR vendor to suit your needs. The right EHR system can help increase organization, information security, and productivity. A faulty EHR system could result in lost files or worse, a breach of security. Fortunately, there are professional EHR vendors who specialize in working with a range of clients. Before signing a contract, consider the following important factors. http://www.delicious.com/Incerio/EHR

How to Planning Your NextGen Version 5 8 Upgrade Guide

In addition to your regular upgrade planning steps, NextGen’s Version 5.8 application upgrade contains some new features that require additional thought – here we’ll review Advanced Audit and the NDC ID Lookup trigger and how these features can benefit you.

Advanced Audit As you may know, the Advanced Audit utility was introduced a little while ago but it was an optional feature. Beginning with 5.8, NextGen requires that Advanced Audit be installed, and it also satisfies Meaningful Use Stage 2 EP Core Measure 9. If you haven’t previously set up Advanced Audit, you’ll need to add this task into your upgrade plan. Be sure to allow yourself time to review the documentation and requirements, install it, set security rights, and test it. In addition to helping you meet the MU requirement, Advanced Audit can be very helpful when you have questions such as who deleted a medication or accessed a specific template.

NDC ID Lookup Trigger Version 5.8 introduces a new popup trigger, “NDC ID Lookup”, which makes it much easier to use the NDC Library, a feature that was introduced in 5.7. The NDC Library allows all NDCs to be maintained in File Maintenance, but in order for the NDC to be attached to the CPT code, the user previously (in 5.7) had to either manually attach the NDC in the Procedure Module or attach it in Charge Entry after the charge was submitted (or create template customizations in order to allow the NDC to be selected, attached to the CPT, and submitted directly from the templates). So if you’re upgrading from a pre-5.7 version or simply did not opt to use the NDC Library in 5.7, you’ll want to take a look at setting up and using this feature in 5.8. Modifying templates to include this new trigger saves your staff time and the extra steps of selecting the NDC from the NDC Library in either the Procedure Module or EPM Charge Entry. For example, you can use this new picklist trigger so that when your staff is documenting and billing for an injection on a template, they can launch a picklist of NDCs available in the library for that CPT code and select the code from the list, then simply click the “Submit to Superbill” button and send the CPT code with the NDC attached, into EPM to be pulled in and processed by billing staff.

To add this functionality to your templates, contact Incerio – your NextGen template experts.

NextGen EHR Template Customization

Incerio not only specializes in modifying and customizing existing templates, but also specializes in creating custom EHR templates to fit the need of any practice, even if your specific practice or field has no current pre-made templates currently available. http://incerio.com/ehr-template-development-and-customization/

Meaningful Use Stage 2 with NextGen Healthcare

If your group is trying for your Meaningful Use Stage 2 Attestation, please read this quick article on how we can help you meet the different requirements. http://incerio.com/meaningful-stage-2/

NextMD Patient Portal – Sending Documents and Forms

NOTE:  To send documents and forms to the NextMD Patient Portal, NextMD must be installed and activated in the database and the patient must be enrolled in NextMD. 
To Send Documents to NextMD Patient Portal
The enrolled patient’s chart must be open to send documents.
Open a patient’s chart in EHR by selecting the Patient icon from the toolbar, conducting a search and clicking Open.

Send a Single Document

1. Access the encounter in the patient’s history where the document was generated.
2. Click on the document and right click for the menu options. 
3. Select Send to NextMD.
   

Send Multiple Documents

1. Go to File
2. Select NextMD in the menu
3. Select Documents in the sub-menu
4. Select Send EHR Document.
   
5. Place check marks in the box beside each document to send. 
   
   To select all documents for one encounter, mark the checkbox beside the encounter date and time.
   
   
   To add documents from outside NextGen, access the External Documents tab.  This allows a search for documents from outside of NextGen to be added and sent from folders on shared directories and/or personal directories.  External Documents may include items such as practice specific patient education or wellness flyers.  This option is available, but is not used as often.
6. Comments may be added to the notification received by the patient regarding the documents being sent.  To add comments, select the Comments tab and enter the text in the right side window.  This may be free text, from the customized responses or a combination of both.
   
   
7. Click OK.
8. A notification will show when documents have been sent.

Send Online Forms to NextMD Patient Portal

The enrolled patient’s chart must be open to send online forms which are templates which can be completed through the Patient Portal.
Open a patient’s chart in EHR by selecting the Patient icon from the toolbar, conducting a search and clicking Open.

1. Go to File
2. Select NextMD from the menu
3. Select Online Forms from the sub-menu
4. Select Send Online Form
5. Review Patient name to ensure the correct patient has been accessed.
6. Highlight the name of the form set to select the form(s) to send and click OK.

Multiple form sets can be sent by highlighting each set to send.  If all sets are to be sent to the patient, click the first in the list then hold the Shift button on the keyboard and click the last set in the list.  To select a few from the list, but not all, highlight the first set to send then hold the Ctrl button on the keyboard and click the additional sets from the list to send.  Click OK.
7.    A notification will show when the forms have been sent to the patient.

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NextMD Patient Portal – Enrollment Process

NOTE:  To enroll a patient in NextMD Patient Portal, NextMD must be installed and activated in the database.
The Patient Enrollment dialog box can be accessed from either EMR or EPM.  The patient must have an existing chart in order to be enrolled in the NextMD Patient Portal.
Access the Enrollment Window in the Patient’s Chart in EPM

1. Open a patient’s chart from Chart Lookup in EPM.
2. From the patient chart, click the Open Menu button to the left of the patient name
3. Select NextMD
4. Select Manage Enrollment from the sub-menu

Access Enrollment Window in Patient’s Chart in EHR
While in a patient’s chart in EHR
1.    Select File
2.    Select NextMD from the menu
3.    Select Enrollment from the sub-menu
4.    Select Manage Enrollment



Access the Enrollment Window from a Patient Lookup in EHR or EPM
1.    Click on the People Lookup or Chart Lookup in EPM or on the Patient Look up in EHR.
        

2.    Enter the search criteria for the patient and click Find.
3.    Right-click over the patient’s name and select Manage

NextMD Enrollment.

Enroll a Patient in NextMD
On the NextMD Enrollment window, the patient's data is displayed:

1.    Review or enter the patient's email address in the E-mail field. An email address must be entered for a patient’s enrollment to be completed.  Email addresses entered in the patient’s demographics window will show here.  NOTE:  Changing an email address in the enrollment window will update email addressed in the patient’s demographics.
2.    Click the Print… button to print a copy of the welcome letter and Patient Portal website logon instructions for the patient.  The letter will contain the Enrollment token number needed for the patient to complete the setup in the website.
3.    Click OK.

The token number is used for enrollment in the NextMD website and provides a secure login key for the patient.  After the enrollment process is completed, this token is no longer available in the Management NextMD Enrollment window in NextGen.  It is very important to give this information to the patient at the time of initial enrollment. 
If OK is clicked before the notification is printed or if the patient misplaces the token, clicking the New Token button will generate a new number.  Click Print… to print the welcome letter with the newly generated enrollment token and click OK to close the window.

EHR Work Flow/Inbox Configuration

Work Flow/Inbox Layout

1. Click on the Inbox icon from the toolbar to launch the Work Flow module.  
   
2. Right click on the blue bar at the top of the Work Flow window and select Window Configuration.
   
3. Set the Layout and Pane Configuration

Layout

Depending on your job function, you may only need access to one or two items such as Appointments and Tasks.  If so, then select one of the Layout options with only two panes – either one above the other or side by side.
If your job function also includes viewing an Email Inbox or NextMD (Patient Portal) Notifications, select one of the Layout options which include the “Inbox” pane.

Pane Configuration

The Pane Configuration is set by selecting what you would like to view in each of the panes.  The pane numbers in the Layout options do not change and correspond to the pane numbers in the Pane Configuration section. 
In the example above, the Patient Appoinments will show above the To Do Tasks when the Work Flow module is opened.
After selecting the configuration, click OK to return to the Work Flow.

Appointment List Preferences

1. Click the Provider/Resource Icon to select the appropriate resource for the user.  Select one or multiple resources depending on your needs. 
   
2. To configure the Appointments window, click the button to the left of Appointments.
   
   
   If you would like to view all appointments, including those which have been cancelled for the day, click on Show Cancelled Appointments to turn on this function.  Cancelled appointments will show in the appointment listing with a line drawn through the appointment information.
3. Select Preferences
   
   

The Appointment Preferences window allows selection of colors to correspond with the statuses in the Appointment list and set an automatic refresh of the list.

To update a color, highlight the item in the list and use the drop down to change the color.  Click the Update button to place the change in effect.
To add a new status and color, type the status exactly as it appears in the appointment list then select a color from the drop down.  Click the Add button to place the addition in effect.
Refresh Appointments
For the system to automatically refresh the appointment list instead of closing and opening the Work Flow module to refresh, check the Refresh Appointments every x minute(s) check box and enter a length of time.  One (1) minute is the minimum length of time which can be entered.
Click OK to return to the Inbox window.

Tasking Preferences

1. Click on the Task icon to the right of Task in the Work Flow module.
   
   To view only tasks assigned to you or a workgroup in which you are included, make sure Show Completed Tasks, Show Deleted Tasks, and Show Tasks Assigned to Someone Else are all unchecked.  
   
   If you would like to review any tasks you have created and sent to someone else for completion, access the Task setup at any time and check the Show Tasks Assigned to Someone Else to review these.
2. Select Preferences. 
   

The Task Preferences window allows selection of colors to correspond with the statuses in the Task list and set an automatic refresh of the list.

To change the colors of each task status, use the drop down beside the status to select a new color. 

Refresh Tasks

To refresh the task list manually and only when the Work Flow module is opened, select the Window Open radio button.
To have the system automatically refresh the task list, select the Timeout Every x minute(s) radio button and enter a length of time.  One (1) minute is the minimum length which can be entered.
If you have access to multiple practices and/or enterprises in the NextGen database, check the Task List by Enterprise/Practice check box.  This will show only those tasks assigned within the enterprise/practice in which you have logged in.  Leaving this unchecked will show all tasks for all enterprises/practices.  Those tasks not within the current enterprise/practice will show in italics.

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NextGen, EMR, EHR, consulting, development, templates, editing, labs, interfacing, NextMD, Intuit ePortal, support, go-live, upgrades, KBM.

Mobile trends in the EMR market

Why the need?

In the health industry, communication and efficiency are vital. A failure to communicate in a timely manner, in a thorough manner from provider to provider, or to communicate the correct information can mean the death of a patient, health complications that could have been avoided, lawsuits, and precious time lost. Lack of efficiency can result in drastic mistakes or oversights, wasted money for practices and hospitals, and poor patient turnaround, leaving other patients waiting too long to be seen and leaving patients unhappy with their care.

As EMR (Electronic Medical Record) solutions replace paper charts and forms, the potential for improvements in communication and efficiency is there, and doctors are seeking ways to make their chosen EMR system work for them.  Currently restricted to access/data entry from a desktop PC, many EMR users are seeing the need for increased mobility and instantaneous access to / communication with the EMR system that they use.  As this need becomes evident, it’s easy to see how the mobile trend that seems to overtake every market will spread also to the EMR world.

What’s out there?

Just because it’s not the standard, doesn’t mean it’s not out there.  Software makers and third party developers are already looking ahead, anticipating the need for a mobile solution to EMR systems as the number of EMR users increases dramatically due not only to the need for more efficient record-keeping in general, but also due to new government mandates and incentives pushing EMR solutions for all medical practices and hospitals.  EMR providers such as PracticeFusion,  Epic, and Greenway Medical focus on the Apple iOS platform, offering mobile access to clients for varying monthly subscription fees, often through secure remote access utilities like Citrix.  Though the direct window to the EMR system and its capabilities is hugely beneficial, once clients are ‘in’ to the system, the sophistication and simplicity that many users love about the iPad is lost, and for some HCPs, that’s a huge drawback.   There are native iPad apps that are, in themselves EMRs.  Though there aren’t a lot of these options out there just yet, apps like Dr. Chrono and Nimble can be attractive to those wanting to take full advantage of the iPad’s smooth functionality and interface. It’s a tradeoff, though, as current native iPad EMRs lack the complexity and functionality of more robust on-site EMRs.   Currently, the most popular solution seems to be web-based EMRs that allow access from any web-enabled device.  Most EMR providers have some sort of web-enabled or mobile optimized access as an option to their users.  This is a start, though can pose problems as it depends on a secure internet connection.  Without internet connectivity, access to the records are usually limited if not completely restricted.

What’s not out there yet?

Out of all these options, what HCPs need that doesn’t seem to be out there yet are client server-based systems that work as a native application to the tablet operating system, whether that’s Apple, Android, or Windows based tablets, that also allow complete mobile access to the EMR system that the client has chosen.  Many HCPs have already invested anywhere from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars in their current EMR system, and are eagerly awaiting a sophisticated mobile solution.