July 23rd 2025
Private practices face mounting challenges, from staffing shortages to reimbursement pressures. If your software can’t keep up, it may be time to reevaluate.
July 10th 2025
Complete our three-question survey and rate your EHR for a chance to win one of five $20 Amazon gift cards.
January 20th 2025
Your weekly dose of wisdom from the Physicians Practice experts.
May 2nd 2024
The need for integrated patient care to help reduce medical errors, a $20B plague for U.S.
December 6th 2023
Can the next generation of EHRs solve the problems of the current generation?
The Dire Need for Healthcare Interoperability
Our fragmented, disconnected, crisis-based medical system where doctors bear no consequence for cost, but liable for everything, is a wasteful money pit.
Documenting Patient Data in the EHR
The ability to document in the EHR is a blessing and a curse. My fear is to produce a note that has a lot of words, but says nothing of substance.
Stage 3 Proposed Rule Establishes Single Stage After 2017
Under the proposed rule, all providers, regardless of prior program participation, would attest to Stage 3 in 2018. Here's what that means for physicians.
Stage 3 Proposed Rule: The Most Challenging Measures
Here are a few of the objectives and measures in the Stage 3 proposed rules to meet meaningful use that could be most challenging for physicians.
Six Things to Know About Stage 3 of Meaningful Use
Have you had a chance to read through the proposed rule for Stage 3 of the government's EHR incentive program? If not, we've got you covered.
Ongoing Staff Training is Essential to EHR Success
Once implemented, EHRs don't run automatically. You have to train staff prior to and after integrating a new system to ensure a smooth transition.
Finding the Right EHR for Meaningful Use Attestation
Your current EHR may not be the best for meaningful use, so you may need a new system. Here's how to re-train your staff and physicians if needed.
The HealthIT Data Hogs of Healthcare
Data hogs from hospitals to EHR purveyors should take the investor's creed much more literally: "Pigs get fed but hogs get slaughtered."
Assessing ICD-10 Readiness and System Testing
An important part of ICD-10 readiness is ensuring all hardware and software is evaluated via a systems inventory.
Medical Practice IT Risk Assessment
Conducting an internal health IT risk assessment is a HIPAA requirement, and also protects your patients' data. To get started, use this security matrix.
Protect Your Practice Data Against a Breach
Don't question your data security after a breach. Here are six strategies to keep protected health information safe.
Securely Disposing Medical Practice Equipment
Giving away your practice's old computer equipment is not the best solution. Here's what you should be aware of, before you pitch it out.
Four Common Tech Slowdowns at Medical Practices
Technology can benefit medical practices, but it can also slow them down. Here's how to avoid some common pitfalls.
Study: EHRs Slow Down Smaller Medical Practices More
EHRs may have an unintended side effect for smaller practices; namely, the disruption of existing communication patterns.
Solving Problems that Arise Due to EHR Use
How can we combat some of the problems that are arising due to EHRs? Here’s my prescription.
Four Strategies to Improve Disease Management
Our healthcare system is fragmented, misaligned, full of conflicts of interest, and tragically ineffective. Here are four strategies to fix it.
The Perils of Automating Big Data, or Any Data
Big data can yield big benefits but, when things go wrong, can create big problems that will forever be beyond the ability of people to anticipate.
Preparation, Patient Engagement Key to Meaningful Use
Getting your medical practice staff - and your patients - involved in the meaningful use process is important to successful attestation.
Can EHRs Be Secure and Fast?
The EHR at my facility takes three separate login steps to get into the record to document a patient encounter or retrieve information. Is there a better way?
Meaningful Use 2015: Proceed with Caution
With a proposed change to Stage 2 reporting of meaningful use, practices should stay on top of notices and important dates highlighted by CMS.
Meaningful Use Facts: Medicare vs. Medicaid
Even though the incentives for meaningful use are winding down, each physician must evaluate the costs vs. benefits of implementing an EHR for himself.
EHR Problems Mirrored in Other Societal Issues
Believe it or not, EHRs and Los Angeles County's mental health problem have a lot in common.
New Medical Tech Not Hard to Swallow, Just to Implement
New wearable and ingestible wireless diagnostics promise to improve quality of life for physicians and patients … if EHRs would cooperate.
With EHRs, There's Literacy and Then There's Literacy
The sad fact, when it comes to EHR, is that very few posses the right kind of computer literacy.
Data Encryption Is Key for Protecting Patient Data
Encrypting data is a prudent measure for physicians who want to increase HIPAA compliance while diminishing their risk.
Ask Your EHR Vendor About HIE Capabilities
There are EHR products that have information exchange capabilities. If that is the route you choose, here are some sample questions to ask your vendor.
Different Types of Health Information Exchange
Participating in health information exchange requires understanding the jargon. Here are four different ways to share patient information.
Health Information Exchange: A Progress Report
In the quest for greater interoperability, information exchanges are seen as playing a major role. Here's what you should know.
Health Information Exchange Resources
Not sure how you would go about joining a HIE? Here are a few places to start.
Records Requests: Is Your Practice HIPAA Compliant?
What is a provider supposed to do to ensure HIPAA compliance with copying charges when a request for medical records is made? It’s not always easy.