Demand for EMR Consulting Services Among Doctors and Hospitals Increases

Doctors and hospitals are recognizing their need for expert assistance as they select and implement EHR systems. After all, they really don't have time to read through the meaningful use requirements. Here's an interesting press release that came out earlier today:

Demand for EMR Consulting Services Among Doctors and Hospitals Increases

With new regulations, new governing bodies, and today's doctors busier than ever, more and more medical offices are relying on EMR comparison and consulting services to choose an EMR system.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL, October 13, 2010 /24-7 PressRelease/ -- Online Electronic Medical Record (EMR) comparison and consulting service company EHR Scope, LLC is reporting a rise in the demand for its EMR vendor matching services through EMRConsultant.com - as well as doctors' reliance on EMR consulting. As physicians are often unsure about what they need from an EMR service, more and more practices and hospitals are finding consultation services necessary.

"Busy doctors" contribute to the rising popularity of EMR consulting services. Physicians spend their entire workdays seeing patients and simply do not have the time to perform the proper research. This, coupled with doctors having fewer employees due to the recent reimbursement cutbacks, is leaving many doctors with the same questions about which EMR is the correct one for their specialty and their office. As the right EMR system will improve organization, decrease staff workload, and streamline office functions, the lack of time greatly increases the importance of making the right decision through the purchase and proper implementation of an EMR system.

Choosing an EMR is even further complicated by new government-backed initiatives that provide funding to physicians who successfully adopt Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems. New standards of certification - established by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2009 - have changed the government's level of involvement in EMR regulation. Additionally, it has changed the plans for the American healthcare system over the next few years and has made it difficult to stay fully informed. Qualification for government funding under the ARRA program requires a full awareness of its standards -including "meaningful use" - and hiring an EMR consultancy helps the practice or hospital make an informed decision.

Certification by third-party, government-appointed certification bodies has been introduced to help give physicians confidence when purchasing an EMR system. An updated list from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) has been published recently and it includes the following approved certification bodies: Certification Commission for Health IT (CCHIT), the Drummond Group and InfoGard. The recent addition of two new certification bodies (InfoGard and Drummond Group) has created an even more challenging environment for physicians searching for EMR systems that are eligible for government funding. Active certification by one of these three certification bodies is just one of the requirements for "meaningful use" funding.

New legislation and busier-than-ever medical professionals can certainly make the task of selecting the right EMR service seem daunting, but seeking a service like EMRConsultant.com makes the switch to electronic medical records more manageable.

About EMRConsultant.com
EMRConsultant.com, a division of EHRScope LLC, provides medical professionals with a free, online consulting service to match their practice or hospital with the best EHR service for their needs. Started in 2004 by Eric Fishman, MD, the company is today one of the largest and most sophisticated EMR consulting services available. For more information, visit them online at www.emrconsultant.com.

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