Resources & Tools for EMR Usage

Starting as early as next year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will make incentive payments to healthcare providers who demonstrate “meaningful use” of EMRs. Practices that meet all the requirements could earn incentives of up to $44,000 from Medicare or $63,750 from Medicaid. Our region's new HIT extension center (WIREC) can help you reach meaningful use as efficiently as possible. Primary care practices may be eligible to receive WIREC consulting at no charge. Learn more about this program.

Using an EMR as a QI Tool

As a first step, your practice may want to conduct two self-assessments:

• Organizational Readiness to Use an EMR as a QI Tool
  
• EMR Functionality and Usage
  

You may also want to:

• View the recordings from our "Workflow Strategies for Using Your EMR to Improve Care" webinar series.
  

• Read about the successes local practices have had in using an EMR as a quality improvement tool.

• Review the topics discussed at Qualis Health's Forum for Sharing Improvements in Preventive Care. The Forum focused on sharing accomplishments, challenges, and plans related to using EMRs in the effort to improve cancer screening and immunization rates.

EHR Assessment

Assembling the Right Team: tip sheet (6/05)

EHR Selection

Selecting the Right EHR for Your Practice
Audio recorded 7/20/05 

Defining EHR System Requirements & Priorities for Your Practice
Audio recorded 8/17/05
System requirements tip sheet

Getting the Most from Vendor Demos & Reference Calls
Audio recorded 9/7/05
Vendor demo tip sheet
Vendor reference check tip sheet

Best Practices for Contracting with Software Vendors
Audio recorded 9/28/05

Hardware Considerations in Planning for Your EHR
Audio recorded 10/19/05

EHR Workflow Redesign
Audio recorded 11/16/05
Workflow redesign tip sheet

EHR Implementation

Local Success Stories
Read about the successes Idaho and Washington practices have had in implementing EMRs.

EHR Implementation Planning
Audio pre-recorded for 12/7/05 telecon

EHR Project Management
Audio pre-recorded for 1/11/06 telecon 

Records Conversion Strategy
Audio pre-recorded for 3/8/06 telecon

EHR Testing
Audio pre-recorded for 3/22/06 telecon
Implementation testing tip sheet

Contingency Planning
Audio pre-recorded for 4/12/06 telecon
Contingency plan tip sheet

Go-Live Planning
Audio pre-recorded for 4/26/06 telecon
Master issues log
Routine visit scenario
Staff training tip sheet

EHR Evaluation

Understanding Cost and Return on Investment
Audio pre-recorded for 1/20/06 telecon

 

E-Prescribing

Success Story: Idaho E-Prescribing Pilot Project
In July 2006, the Idaho Physicians Network (which represents about 2,100 doctors across the state) and Primary Health, Inc. (a health insurance company based in Boise) embarked on a pilot program which introduced e-prescribing to a handful of its member providers.
Read the full article, excerpted from the Fall 2006 Physician Office Advance.

Medicare’s E-Prescribing Incentive Program
The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) defines eligibility criteria for professionals eligible to receive incentive payments for e-prescribing. To learn more about this program, download Medicare’s Practical Guide to the E-Prescribing Incentive Program or see the related section of the CMS website.

National E-Prescribing Conference
Recordings of the 10/16/08 conference accessible below
Sessions included Medicare's e-prescribing incentive payment program; strategies and tools for integrating e-prescribing with current health care delivery practices; and privacy, security, and risk management implications.

The Massachusetts Medical Society and the American Pharmacists Association will provide continuing education for selected presentations from the conference through an online education portal. Available credits are a maximum of 22.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, and Continuing Education for pharmacists (up to 13.25 hours or 1.325 CEUs).