Due to the intricate nature of specialty physician practices, dissatisfaction among these doctors is often rooted in the implementation of a solution that’s not fit for their specialty or practice. With 77 percent of specialty physicians attesting to this issue, it’s no surprise that a recent survey conducted by AmericanEHR Partners and the American Medical Association (AMA) discovered EHR satisfaction is trending in a negative direction. Compared with a report in 2010, satisfaction among physicians has decreased from 61 percent to just 34 percent satisfaction in 2015.

Trying to organize your schedule of patient appointments can be a lot like driving with a cup of hot coffee between your thighs—it can be a refreshing pick-me-up when the cup is filled to a proper level. If the cup is too full, however, you’ll more than likely just get burned (not to mention you’ll have to spend the day with coffee stained pants). Okay, on second thought, that might not have been the best simile for this particular situation.

We’ve had a lot of discussions on this blog about how to keep your practice’s computers safe and secure. While performing regular cybersecurity tasks (such as keeping your antivirus software up-to-date) is undoubtedly important, there are also some other routine PC maintenance tasks that you should be performing in order to keep your practice’s computer running smoothly and efficiently.

When Meaningful Use began for eligible professionals (EP’s) back in 2011, the physicians who chose to participate in the government program rushed to implement electronic medical record solutions in order to meet Stage 1 requirements and receive the maximum incentive payments.

Healthcare spending in the United States is estimated to have hit as much as $3.1 trillion in 2014. That roughly calculates to about $9,700 spent on healthcare for every person in the country. Compared to 2013, healthcare spending among Americans experienced a growth of 5.5 percent last year. This is the first time since 2007 that growth in healthcare spending has gone above five percent.

Technology continues to grow and expand its reach throughout the industries of society. Perhaps technology’s greatest impact is being felt in today’s healthcare world as the increased implementation and use of electronic medical records has revolutionized how physicians and patients are involved in their healthcare.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have ‘upped the ante’ when it comes to Meaningful Use audits in 2015. Figliozzi and Company were the sole auditors for Meaningful Use until 2015. This year, however, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) is performing its own round of Meaningful Use audits, which differ slightly from the Figliozzi and Company in that they are focusing on certain measures over a three year period. Figliozzi and Company reviews all of the Meaningful Use measures for a single attestation period. The OIG has the following main goals behind their audits:

For specialty healthcare practices, patient engagement is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s a key differentiator. Practices that empower patients to take an active role in their care consistently see better outcomes, fewer missed appointments, and stronger loyalty, as indicated in a recent study published by the Journal of Patient Experience.