Health IT

Stories from the trenches: A story about how Wendy Smith implemented an EMR for her practice, making the transition to a paperless charting system.

Stories from the trenches: A lesson on not shying away from regular - and objective - examination of your records management processes in battling against the paper bulge.

E-mailing patients is more efficient than a phone call, and may even generate income.

Stories from the trenches: A cautionary tale on why practices should get to know their technology vendor before jumping into a costly relationship.

Plenty of practices, particularly small ones, find the proposition of government-mandated EHRs too daunting without a little help from the folks in Washington, D.C.

To be sure they always have enough cotton balls, sutures, and drug samples, practices are using tools like barcoding and Web-based purchasing to get a handle on inventory - and control costs. Are these tools right for you?

Steve Rebagliati, MD, MBA, cuts through the technobabble and gives you straightforward advice on the gear you need to succeed. This issue: Choosing a vendor.

As more groups adopt practice management, electronic medical records, and imaging systems, addressing electronic data storage issues is becoming increasingly important. Don't know how to get started? Here are seven tips.

Let me give you some tips on how to make sure your information technology increasees your revenues, decreases your hassle, and frees up your time - without eating your budget in the process. Key to that process is keeping all your systems up to date.

Physician Associates manages its patient flow better than most. The multispecialty practice doesn't have extra staff or faster physicians. Its secret: an interactive Web site for patients.

When transmitted by e-mail, prescription information can populate the pharmacy's dispensing software, eliminating data entry and the potential for transcription errors on the pharmacy's end.

General advice for technology in your practice

Pros, cons, and what to consider about wireless computing

Want help picking an EMR? Understand the pros and cons of selection guides

How to protect digital information from attack

How to select and use speech recognition software

How to hire technical help for your practice

Most medical practices, like other businesses, recognize the value of Internet access in the office but have concerns about productivity, confidentiality, and potential legal problems.

Read on to discover some of my choices of sites that can help you find what you're looking for.

How physicians are using PDAs these days

Pros, cons, and how to use a request for proposal

Government pressures physicians to adopt EMRs

The technology tools doctors use to increase patient safety can be simple or complex

Why tablets are popular and what you should look for when making a purchase decision.

Pick the right EMR by learning from the tough experiences of others