MDNews - Central New York

SPECIAL FEATURE Carol Anthony, President and owner of Med-Express Documents, Inc. John Netti, President of Netti Consulting Services MA Partner in A S CAROL ANTHONY, President and owner of Med-Express Documents, Inc., explains, medic a l t r a ns c r ipt ion companies are uniquely positioned to enable physicians and practices to maintain many familiar features of their traditional documentation systems as they strive to meet the meaningful use requirements of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Electronic Health Records Incentive Programs. By employing clinically trained nurse transcription- ists who are already experienced in using EMRs, transcription companies like Med-Express Documents can support the transition to EMR use by providing an in-depth understanding 14 | Central New York MD NEWS ■ MDNEWS.COM of EMR systems, how to effectively help integrate the use of EMRs into a practice's operations and trans- ferring the physician's dictations to each EMR. Additionally, the nurse transcriptionists, each assigned to a specific physician based on his or her specialties and background, can allow physicians to spend more time with their patients by providing transcrip- tion services quickly. The difference between traditional transcription and the EMR interface is night and day. The speed of the medical information being placed in a patient's chart allows for expediting patient care. "If you have a transcription company that is willing to work with providers with the common goal of meeting eaningful Use IN THE AGE OF ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS (EMRS), PHYSICIANS CAN NO LONGER RELY ON THE OLD HABIT OF DOCUMENTING PATIENT INTERACTIONS WITH HANDWRITTEN NOTES. ALTHOUGH MEANINGFUL USE INVOLVES CAPTURING DATA IN THE EMR, MANY PRACTICES FIND THEY LIKE TO TRANSITION THEIR PHYSICIANS UTILIZING MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION. FORTUNATELY, WHEN MAKING THE LEAP TO INCORPORATING EMRS AND MEETING MEANINGFUL USE REQUIREMENTS, PRACTICES IN CENTRAL NEW YORK CAN EASE THE TRANSITION BY WORKING WITH A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION COMPANY. the measures but keeping the work- flow as customary as it can be, that becomes very valuable," says John Netti, President of Netti Consulting Services, a consulting firm that specializes in helping health care providers with information technology. "For example, Meaningful Use Core Measure 15 requires that patients receive clinical summaries for more than 50% of all office visits within three business days. The summaries must include instructions and relevant information covered or considered during an office visit as well as medications, follow-up appointments and other pertinent information. Although medications must be entered by a licensed profes- sional, a transcription partner can PHOTO COURTESY OF MED-EXPRESS DOCUMENTS PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN NETTI

• Cover