Through the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal government has been encouraging healthcare providers to adopt EHR systems and adhere to the standards of meaningful use. The primary goals are to improve services for patients and reduce costs for medical treatments. To that end, both offices recently released a progress report on the current state of their various programs and initiatives. In the report, the offices described participation as “robust.” Approximately 388,000, or 73 percent, of healthcare providers in the U.S. are registered for the incentive plans offered through Medicare and Medicaid. By March 2013, 233,000 of these medical professionals had received at least one incentive payment [cont...]

A recent announcement of Java 7 security vulnerabilities coupled with broader HIPAA patient security rules have many healthcare professionals asking, “What does Java 7 have to do with healthcare?”  The answer is: More than you think. Numerous cloud-based software products, including practice management and EHR systems, utilize Java 7 to access practice information and patient records.  Java 7 has been under scrutiny the past few weeks since Polish research firm Security Explorations identified three vulnerabilities. These types of vulnerabilities could allow an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable system, according to the National Cyber Security Division of the Department of Homeland Security. What many medical professionals don’t know is that there are two different ways that cloud-based [cont...]

Let’s face it — we’re all a little bit afraid of change and uncertainty. With a number of new regulations in the pipeline that will impact medical practices, many physicians are uneasy, perhaps rightly so. The most recent ruling establishes October 2014 as the deadline for ICD-10 compliance. The ICD-10 diagnosis code set will replace ICD-9, and expand the number of codes from 17,000 to approximately 141,000. With this announcement, many physicians and medical personnel are bracing themselves for what they fear is a complex labyrinth of documentation. Please take a look at our short animated video, “Big Challenges for Medical Practices” and review the findings from our national survey, “Attitudes Toward the Transition to ICD-10 and ANSI-5010.” We’d like [cont...]

As an innovative software company, it goes with the territory that many of Nuesoft’s employees are considered your quintessential “techies”. But it’s not just the techies anymore that are interested in gaming. Gaming transcends all genders, ages, ethnicities and lifestyles of American culture. With so many Americans interested in this interactive activity and the nationwide push for adoption of healthcare IT, the stage is set for gaming to be more than a trend. Gaming has the potential to change the way we view healthcare by allowing patients to better participate in their own health and doctors to improve on their medical training. The term gaming includes video games, virtual reality games, games played on computers, and mobile applications.  Within healthcare, [cont...]

Those who own a smartphone, tablet PC or other mobile device can handily cite the ways it impacts how they access information, interact with others or even manage their day. This is also true in health care settings, where smart phones are expediting decision making and decreasing time providers spend on administration, thanks to a new real-time link to critical data. Counter to the stereotype that health care providers are slow to embrace technology, doctors are leaps and bounds ahead of the mobile curve. A recent Manhattan Research study shows that doctors are using smartphones at more than five times (81%) the rate of the general population. The move toward mobile health and, in particular, the way that it is [cont...]

Most people alive today would be hard pressed to remember the world before television. In the near future, the same may be true for a healthcare system before mobile technology. Mobile is quickly becoming an integral part in how doctors and patients interact. Because of the growing impact of mobile health technology, better known as mHealth, it may very well be the next disruptive technology in healthcare.   Disruptive technologies displace existing technology by introducing a new innovation to society that offers greater efficiency, ultimately lowers costs and over time may radically transform a market. mHealth encompasses a broad array of technologies, from computers to patient monitors and telecommunication tools, but it is the growing use of smart phones and [cont...]

I recently wrote a guest post for Scrubs & Suits about how a physician can use Facebook and Google Places to promote his or her small practice. Scrubs & Suits is a new “independent destination for ALL healthcare industry professionals to connect, teach, learn and discuss issues we face in our careers.” Thanks to Angela from ScrubsandSuits for the opportunity and for reviewing the post! Read the full article here or below.

Meaningful use incentive checks are beginning to make their way to physicians who have met the specified criteria. Check out these numbers regarding EHRs and certification. Currently, there are 6 operational ONC-ATCBs. There are more than 393 Certified HIT List Product (CHPL) vendors. 18,000 providers have registered for the Medicare and Medicaid “meaningful use” incentive programs as of February 8, 2011. 37 percent of physicians keep records entirely in electronic format. 69 percent of patients want their doctor to use an EHR.

The Internet has become more than a place to merely search for the latest news story or write on your friend’s Facebook page; it has become a trusted destination for consumers to find health information. A recent Pew Research study shows that 80 percent of Internet-users are searching for health information online, making it the third most popular activity behind e-mail and use of search engines. It is important, now more than ever, to ensure that your practice has an online presence.   “Creating an online presence for your practice is going to help you get found by consumers that are actively searching for information,” said Mike Volpe, chief marketing officer at Hubspot Inbound Marketing. “You will begin to be [cont...]

Interactive technologies are gaining a stronger foothold in the healthcare. More doctors are using mobile devices (tablets and smart phones), video and online interactive technologies to assist them in running their practices more efficiently. Take a look at some of the technology innovations being used in healthcare today. Patient Portals Portals are online sites designed to encourage patient/doctor communication. In a recent poll by Information Week, 73 percent of respondents said they wanted online communication with their doctor’s office. Having a two-way communication channel with your patients is becoming more important. It can reduce the amount of time a patient spends in at the practice and younger patients will feel more comfortable using online systems like these. Video Games Gaming [cont...]