Top 10 mistakes that Doctors make in choosing medical software

Choosing which program to buy to run your medical practice has never been easy. Earlier , it was because there were very few programs available. Today, ironically, it is because there are too many !  Doctors are very confused as to which program they should buy – sometimes, too much choice can be as bad as too little ! Doctors have some special character traits which software producers need to be aware of ! a. To be able to treat a patient and be confident that your decision is right requires tremendous self confidence, which means doctors often have a big ego. Many take the approach that they are always right - even in a field like computer technology ! b. Doctors have a tremendous thirst to learn. Years of med school training allows you to pick up knowledge quickly and most doctors...

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Tweaks to make your PC experience better as a Doctor

Today a lot of Doctors are waking up to using the computer, maybe to surf the net, or they own a website or better still have an EMR solution. Below are some tips to help you make your time spent on the PC better.  These include some mundane ideas and thoughts and also some personal insights in what works best. So make your PC experience a good one, because it’s going to last you a life time. a. Use the Internet: Today almost every PC is bought with the thought of going online. However for those who are hesitant, it is important to remember the usage and experience far outweighs the ghost of virus attacks and vulgar content. From the EMR software point of view, maximum benefit can be derived from our packages by those who have the Internet to send SMSes, Emails or get support directly...

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A Guide to Improving your Patient Interaction and Outreach

Technology enables, but man disables by not taking advantage of opportunities given to him. As a Physicians today, you have many key touch points to increase and consequently improve your interactions with patients. Some are simple methods, some require a little bit of work, but what is the end advantage of it all? For one thing it makes you popular amongst patients;  and the side effect could lead you to get more business. Second it helps educate and provide information to patients and people who may read just what they need, thanks to you! A little help goes a long way in accumulating blessings. Third, contributing to the general knowledge resource of the community improves the very community you are part off, it encourages others to follow suit. So now what do you need to do? 1....

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Features in Practice Websites which increase Patient Satisfaction

An important part of managing a patient over a long period of time is communicating with the patient. Most follow up cases in medical practices have niche requirements and consequently patients have certain expectations from their physicians. Also a happy patient is a physician’s most powerful marketing asset. Practices should strive to provide for such patients by offering services which improve the quality of service they perceive, which in turn will increases their satisfaction. A well planned and feature rich practice website allows physicians to assist patients in their day-to-day living by providing timely solutions for all their health queries even after a visit. For a patient, this continued access to expert medical advice via simple online tools is one of the most cherished features...

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Medical Websites Help Small Practices Compete Against Large Hospitals

Practicing medicine in the private sector is a very tough proposition. It’s not enough simply to be a very good doctor; Its also imperative that one is known by most to be a very good doctor. It’s not enough to provide all the latest treatment options and services; Everyone must also know or be able to find out easily all the services provided at a practice/hospital. Traditional Healthcare Communication Meant Word-Of-Mouth Publicity Traditionally, physicians and medical practices have relied on word-of-mouth publicity to establish themselves. A patient who has undergone an event-free angiography at the local cardiac care center would then tell five others about his/her wonderful experience.And now five more people know about the latest angiography services at that cardiac center. Hopefully,...

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Social Networking for Physicians – Tips and Options

With millions of patients seeking medical help and information on social media and the Internet, it has become imperative for physicians to connect with existing and potential patients as well as the medical community across the globe using social media and other means of electronic communication. A study by the online physician learning collaborative QuantiaMD in August 2011 indicates that nearly all physicians in the United States are social media users. However, the study also reveals that most physicians engage in social networking for personal purposes only, appearing rather reluctant to adopt it for enhancing professional interactivity and building a web presence for their medical brands. Social Media Tips for Physicians Social networking can help physicians manage their online reputation....

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How can Mobile Technology help Healthcare

An estimated 70% of physicians in the United States have either a smartphone or a tablet PC such as an iPad. They are adopting EHRs and are more techno savvy than ever before.  Mobile health provides ease of access and mobility to both physicians and patients and creates a coordinated care culture.  Let’s look at some of the examples available today of Mobile Technology driving Healthcare. 1. Mobile technology can help patients access care for themselves and others.  They can help with making physician appointments and getting alerts to be reminded of them.  Mobile also allow direct to patient alerts to increase adherence of physician instructions, specifically with regards diets, exercises and medications. 2. Mobile Technology helps in easing the delivery of care in the...

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What is Meaningful Use?

The purpose of the Healthcare IT incentive program is not static adoption of EHRs. The program has been devised in a manner that incentivizes only the “meaningful use” of your EHR system. Simply put, your practice will be eligible for the $44,000 incentive payment ONLY if it is able to actively utilize the EHR for improving the quality of care by satisfying certain federally set criteria. These criteria are called “Meaningful Use Objectives”. Meaningful Use objectives have been defined in order to allow the progress of Healthcare IT and its impact on the National Healthcare System to be measured in terms of quality and quantity. It encourages the active adoption and implementation of health information technology by rewarding practices that are able to successfully incorporate the EMR in...

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How are Physicians taking to Social Media?

Social Media is no more just an in-thing. It has quickly become an integral part of our days and provided an excellent online extension to our lives. And it is now being used to keep track of sport scores, understanding stock market trends, ordering dinner etc. Social Media has also started making its in presence felt in various aspects of healthcare. In an online survey carried out over apprx. 4,000 doctors with regards their involvement and interest in different types of social media, 87 % of the physicians claimed to be active on at least one social media site for personal use, while 67 % had used social media sites professionally too. This...

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How Can Computer Viruses Affect Your Medical Practice?

As healthcare becomes increasingly dependent on information technology, system breakdowns due to viruses, worms and other malware can potentially stall the entire working of your practice. This article aims to discuss how practitioners can protect their computers against viruses to ensure the safety and confidentiality of their data systems. What are Computer Viruses? A virus is simply a software program or a piece of code that is developed to spread and break into computer systems to consume available memory, corrupt or erase data and eventually cause the system to stop working.  There are many types of malware and computer viruses and they vary in characteristics, disguises and potency to breach security and spread across networks.  Computer viruses are nowadays commonly spread...

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Difference Between Medical Billing Software and EMR

Medical billing and EMR software systems are often designed to have overlapping features that improve the functionality and usability of the systems in order to make them a “one-stop-solution” for a practice’s medical IT needs. As a result, medical billing software and EMRs end up being interchangeably used discounting the primary objectives of each of the systems. Medical Billing Software vs. EMR Many EMR companies are going the whole way to provide doctors with a single, comprehensive solution that will help them achieve Meaningful Use by incorporating crucial features like clinical notes, patient information and history, medication/prescription/drug allergies, diagnosis/treatments/procedures, patient scheduling, appointment reminders, e-prescribing, electronically available results, scans...

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Cloud Computing in Healthcare

This article aims to discuss aspects of cloud computing that are relevant to the healthcare industry and can be applied by doctors to improve their practice. What Should Doctors Know About Cloud Computing? There is a sea of information available on the internet about cloud computing and how it works. As a doctor with limited interest in information technology, understanding all that jargon (most of which may not even be directly related to your work and computing requirements) can be quite intimidating and time consuming. Simply put, the cloud is a set of hardware, networks, storage, services and interfaces that are equipped to provide computing power, infrastructure, applications, software, business processes and storage – in short, all your computing needs, as a service wherever and whenever...

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