Practice Technology

Healthcare and pharmaceutical companies have the worst cyber security among the S&P 500, and could suffer from wide-scale security breaches in 2014 similar to those experienced by retail companies such as Target and Neiman Marcus, according to a recent report.

Coding experts clear up confusion about durable medical equipment orders and the delay of ICD-10.

Physician practices may have limited means to reduce their fixed costs, but strategies exist to leverage those costs into more revenue

Many patients don’t take their medications as prescribed, but experts say there are ways to help fix that problem.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have delayed ICD-10 end-to-end testing in July, in efforts to readjust the timeline for ICD-10 implementation.

Physicians and hospitals will have more time to attest to Meaningful Use Stage 2 and Stage 3 and more flexibility about the electronic health record systems they use, under a new proposal from CMS and ONC.

Healthcare organizations are getting better at protecting patient data, but employee errors and negligence still are significant challenges.

The Federation of State Medical Boards has issued new guidelines for the use of telemedicine, but some of the provisions, including the board’s definition of telemedicine, have prompted criticism from the American Telemedicine Association.

EHR vendors and other healthcare IT stakeholders contested and criticized new certification rules proposed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology for 2015 in a Health IT Policy Committee hearing.

Thousands of providers rely on regional extension centers (RECs) to reach Meaningful Use requirements for their EHRs, but now some of these centers will be at risk of closing due to funding being stopped at the end of 2014

Physicians and billers should understand the difference between modifier -22, -52, and -53 for current procedural terminology coding.

This chart outlines the differences in coding for Coronary Atherosclerosis, Angina Pectoris, and Myocardial Infarction under ICD-10.

Only a small number of physicians and hospitals have attested to Meaningful Use stage 2, months into the reporting year, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Most electronic health record systems are a cost drain for practices, but deriving revenue from a system is possible.

A reader writes that he has seen no financial benefit from adopting electronic health records in his practice.

A reader predicts that the financial burden of converting to the ICD-10 coding system will bankrupt many practices

Lee Kim, JD, FHIMSS, director of privacy and security at HIMSS, answers five questions for physicians facing possible issues now or in the future arising from Heartbleed.

In recent months, close to 65 electronic health record (EHR) systems have been certified to meet Meaningful Use 2 criteria for complete EHR systems.

Familiarity with the new combination codes is needed to ensure that documentation is sufficient to capture any related conditions, both the etiology and manifestation, and/or any related symptoms for the condition being reported.

The controversy over copy-paste in EHRs has been around for a long time, but it has recently gained new urgency.

Keeping patient data private has never been more important, and requires medical practices to navigate a web of mandates, analyses, and agreements.

Implementation costs, alert fatigue cited as obstacles for practices

Develop a project plan that includes understanding the coding changes, plan for payment delays and team training, and then assemble your team to start gathering resources and information.

While healthcare organizations have decreased the number of breaches of patient data and improved their ability to control the costs associated with data breaches, healthcare reform has increased the risk to patient privacy, according to a study.

Microsoft stopped providing support for its popular operating system Windows XP this month, and continued use of this non-supported operating system is exposing the practice’s protected health information to risk. Take these steps to ensure that patient information is protected.

Electronic health record (EHR) systems are built to help physicians improve their practices. But EHRs may also come between a physician and a patient during an encounter. Voice recognition software and scribes may help optimize your documentation.

In recent months, close to 50 electronic health record (EHR) systems have been certified to meet meaningful use 2 criteria for complete EHR systems, bringing the total number of certified vendors to 81 as of early March 2014. Download a copy of the list.

Although health insurance companies and physicians are encouraging patients to use wearable devices, usage is often short term.

A new security risk assessment app designed to help small- to medium-sized practices conduct risk assessments of their organizations is now available for download from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

You have until midnight tonight to register and attest to Medicare’s 2013 meaningful use EHR Incentive Program, according to an alert from the Department of Health and Human Services.