Electronic Health Records

The MasterCare EMR solution will be used by Bass Coast Health clinicians to govern the assessment and management plans of clients, along with the monitoring and measuring of on-going outcomes. It comprises of a complete EMR and Practice Management solution, with software supporting Minimum Data Set (MDS) collection required for funding, including: Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP); Home and Community Care (HACC); Community Health (CH) MDS; Victorian Alcohol and Drug Collection (VADC) and Victorian Integrated Non-Admitted Health (VINAH) data sets. MasterCare EMR Product Manager Kye Cherian told HITNA that the decision behind using EMR was to have an integrated clinical and administrative system with a collection of reporting data built into administrative and clinical workflows. “The solution is integrated with a number of other Australian funding and billing types. Many other Victorian services are either using paper-based records and administrative systems with stand-alone applications to collect their reporting data,” he said. According to Cherian, more Federal and State funded programs becoming available resulted in Bass Coast Health requiring an efficient data collection software solution, in addition to fundamental features in an EMR. Having initially used PBJ Software Australia technology, Cherian said the move to MasterCare EMR’s intelligent commissioning framework allowed much of the new program data capture and reporting requirements to be supported through software configuration rather than new development. The three-month implementation involved interfacing MasterCare EMR to the existing DXC iPM Patient Management System, currently used in acute services around Victoria. “Global Health… brought a deep understanding of Victorian program workflow and data capture requirements. It resulted in a project where both parties took the time to understand the product framework, business needs and data capture requirements,” he said. “The outcome was a solution that utilises the product’s configurability to support new programs and streamline workflows with minimal software enhancements required. “A big challenge was migrating five core and high volume programs and their reporting requirements into the new application. With that being said, items such as data migration, integration and change management had to be amplified resulting in the solution having great end-user acceptance and adoption.”  Cherian said the increased efficiency of data collection in MasterCare EMR has resulted in “a wide range of benefits” including ease of reporting and a decreased duplication of work. “It future-proofs Bass Coast Health on a number of levels. The system has framework to support a number of anticipated program structure changes and being integrated with core e-health foundation services has improved processes.” Moving forward, Bass Coast Health has planned subsequent phases of the project to enhance the applications’ use as an EMR within the service and to integrate additional features within the application. Cherian said there is also potential for some planned product improvements to strengthen the product’s support for certain programs and services. “This will enhance MasterCare EMR’s credentials around the state. Both parties remain committed to working collaboratively in order to become a luminary site for Victorian outpatients and community health organisations.” This article first appeared on Healthcare IT News Australia.

With EHR frustrations at a boiling point and physician burnout at epidemic levels, it's time to rethink the way IT is designed, developed and deployed to better enable a human touch, says one clinician.

System deployed clinical decision support alerts along with its EHR to lead the country with the least amount of patient falls.

Three winners and one honorable mention have been announced in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's Certified Health IT Product List Data Challenge. The competitors were tasked to find ways for users of the Certified Health IT Product List to make better use of the granular data it keeps on every technology product that has been approved by ONC. The winners include: ResearchAE. First place winners ResearchAE took their background in developing health IT dataset search engines to map out many of the different realms of data CHPL contains, enabling users to analyze how ONC certified health IT is being used and by whom. The prize was $20,000 Shiro Labs. Shiro Labs claimed runner-up for an application enabling providers to cross-analyze their Medicare Quality Payment Program and CHPL data, helping them see how they are meeting their reporting requirements. The prize was $10,000. Darena Solutions. Darena Solutions also won runner-up for CheckEHR, a program that lets users view which certified criteria different certified health IT modules meet, allowing them to better reach goals like patient engagement or care coordination. The prize was $10,000. Tom Nguyen. Nguyen won an honorable mention for a Google Chrome extension that helps users more easily navigate the CHPL listings. WHY IT MATTERS The CHPL contains a massive amount of very granular data which has only recently been made available in a structured and actionable way. Providers already have to abide by a wide range of standards and regulations, so having easier access to the CHPL data and finding ways to make more efficient use of it will help enable organizations to better use their health IT. Webinar: The EHR App Store Is Open - What Is on the Shelf? THE LARGER TREND As the healthcare technology marketplace evolves, new to health IT start to take bigger roles in the space, providers will continue to roll out new IT services to meet those demands and remain competitive. Being able to make intelligent searches of CHPL data means providers can chart a more informed course though the array of technology options available. ON THE RECORD "This challenge shows that there is more to the CHPL data than meets the eye. It is great to the see the creativity and ingenuity each participant put into their submissions," said Steve Posnack, executive director, office of technology, ONC. Benjamin Harris is a Maine-based freelance writer and and former new media producer for HIMSS Media. Twitter: @BenzoHarris.

Chief Development Officer at Finland’s UNA Plan Pirkko Kortekangas says that data privacy is a priority, but sharing information is key when searching for medical solutions.

Many EHR and health IT vendors have eliminated obstacles to participation, and most have made connection to the network plug-and-play, a new report says.

A new Black Book report spotlights emerging trends reshaping IT support, exploring the skills vendors will need and the tools they'll use to meet new demands.

Some doctors at Massachusetts General Physicians Organization have saved more than two hours per clinical session with virtual scribe technology.

Dr. Shafi Ahmed, CMO, Medical Realities, says that providing patients with control of their data is essential and that smartphones are an indispensable tool for empowering the patient.