How To Overcome The Difficulties Faced In Implementing a CPOE System

Although the effectiveness of Computerized Physician Order Entry systems in reducing medical errors is quite apparent and proven, its effectiveness as a complete solution has been debated upon. There are suggestions that in order to completely eliminate chances of errors, which prove fatal at times, changes at a broader level (for e.g. adopting a culture which promotes risk-free reporting, acceptance of system generated guidelines by physicians ) are required in additional to dependence or use of technology .There are many reasons which have come forth for slow pace at which the system has been voluntarily accepted .To start off with, most of the hospital information system vendors had a belief that physicians will not be willing to use the system & so never invested their resources into building them .A lack of general demand for the CPOE system was also to some extent responsible for such a belief. Half hearted efforts had also resulted in availability of systems which were not adequate & hence difficult to sell. The most common fear is that of the disruption with the implementation. Also, there is a considerable amount of cost involved in the implementation since it involves software, hardware and changes in workflows. Finally there is also training which needs to be provided to all concerned stakeholders.

The changes in the government regulatory settings related to Meaningful Use brought about a tremendous impact as far as the push for implementing CPOE system is concerned. It made it mandatory to implement CPOE system in provider settings because of its linkage to Clinical Decision support, data aggregation and EHR – all of which are key elements to Meaningful Use. Thus left without the option the focus now has shifted towards figuring out best possible ways of implementing the system. Several reports of surveys undertaken to successful pilot projects have brought out some common points. It has start off with complete support from the top level management in terms of providing a vision, setting up of goals & program managing the workflow changes which have to be brought in. Without their support bringing about practices & policies and standardizing them is not possible. The administrative support that is needed has to go beyond the implementation phase and become a part of the system to function. Next comes the involvement of the physician team. Their buy-in and involvement during the implementation is a must if it were to stand a chance of being successful. The general process in a hospital is to form an advisory group with representation by physicians from all departments. Given the far reaching effects a CPOE system has, the implementation team should also have an adequate representation from members of units which are going to be impacted. Before the implementation process gets underway, it is of primary importance to first do a work process & system analysis, understand the integrations which exist between ancillary systems & then do an impact analysis of the new changes which are to be made .Importance to details is a must without which the process is bound to fall short of expected results .Security & confidentiality of data are factors which have to be abiding by as per the norms put down by Health Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Mindfire Solutions has been successful in implementing Healthcare projects for the last 10+ years . With expertise in having executed multiple Health IT projects across areas like EMR/EHR, PMS, Ambulatory Care System, LIMs, Medical Billing, CPOE, Clinical Management Systems as well in mHealth, we are preferred technology partner for many of clients in need of developing standard as well as customized healthcare solutions meeting all the EMR Customization regulatory guidelines.

To know more about our expertise in healthcare software maintenance system and to Hire Hire Healthcare software Developer, please contact us at sales[@]mindfiresolutions.com or call 1-248-686-1424. We will be glad to help you.

How Effective Is a CPOE System?

A Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) system has been instrumental in providing physicians with a valuable alternative to using prescription pads or paper forms. Not only is it a more efficient alternative, its major benefit is the safety quotient that it offers. In this system, orders are incorporated with patient information e.g. radiology/lab results and there are automatic checks in place to catch hold of errors and problems which if allowed to be committed have the potential to cause a fatal outcome. The system has also been highly effective in reducing errors associated illegibility as well as inappropriate drug use & dosing. Overall, by using a (CPOE) there is a considerable reduction in medical errors and adverse drug events (ADEs). The need to use a system was triggered by a report by Institute of Medicine (IOM).

The report which was published indicated that the various healthcare improvement agendas ought to be channelized towards patient safety and error reduction. It brought to the forefront the fact that medical errors were not uncommon & that the largest number of errors traced involved medication. These involved prescribing medications to which either the patient was allergic and prescribing inappropriate dosage. Also it was seen that Adverse Drug Events contributed in a major way to an increase in patient stay in hospitals. Revelation of all this information brought to the forefront critical issues which needed immediate attention & possible solutions. The focus clearly needed to shift towards enhanced error reporting, designation of qualified individuals to lead the safety improvement efforts, & risk identification and reduction programs.

Use of technology & application, in the form of a CPOE system, got introduced as a solution to tackle the issues which were proving to be matters of high concern. It required practitioners to enter orders into a system & get them transmitted electronically to appropriate departments. To help reduce incidences of errors, alerts and decision support system, clinical guidelines were also integrated into the system. Since then on, various studies have been done to figure out how effective the adoption and implementation of the system has been. Some of the benefits which have been commonly reported are increase in efficiency, reduction in overall costs, reduced length of medical stay & a decrease of medical errors i.e. reduction in inappropriate medication selection, inappropriate dosing and inappropriate frequency of medication administration . Some of the other common order-entry errors like overlooking of drug allergies, drug-drug interactions, drug-laboratory value interactions & drug–disease interaction were also easily avoided.

Although the overall evaluation of Computerized Physician Order Entry system has been positive in terms of the tangible benefits that it offers, the surprising factor has been the pace of its adoption which has falling short of expectations. There are a few reasons cited for lack of voluntary adoption. The major reason seems to be the willingness among physicians and hospital authorities to bring about the required change in their work flows to accommodate the change. Also it requires a certain amount of investment; both for the implementation of the system as well as for training resources to use the system. However the push provided by CMS meaningful use program is getting providers to adopt the system at a faster rate now.

Mindfire Solutions has been successful in implementing Healthcare projects for the last 10+ years . With expertise in having executed multiple Health IT projects across areas like EMR/EHR, PMS, Ambulatory Care System, LIMs, Medical Billing, CPOE, Clinical Management Systems as well in mHealth, we are preferred technology partner for many of clients in need of developing standard as well as customized healthcare solutions meeting all the regulatory guidelines.

If you would like to Customize EHR system or you need to get Clinical software development done, please reach out to us at sales[@]mindfiresolutions.com or call 1-248-686-1424. We will be glad to help you.

Clinical Lab Information Management System

For a laboratory to run efficiently and offer quality deliverables requires co-ordination between multiple complex operations. The biggest asset for labs is information. How it gets generated & is subsequently managed is of primary importance. To add to all this there are regulations made by governments which keep getting stricter. All this requires Clinical Laboratories to invest in having the right Information system in place. Besides adhering to the regulatory frameworks, the system has to essential deliver when it comes to improving the overall manner in which a laboratory operates. To ensure this a LIMS has to ensure that all the required tests are performed properly and lab data of the best quality is made available for the right functions at the right time.

The core function however of LIMS has traditionally been the management of samples. The definition of Laboratory Information management System has undergone a lot of change over the years. This has been triggered by the shifts in terms of expectations over the years. Traditional, a Laboratory Information System ensured secure data management of Patient information. A LIMS on the other hand facilitated the comprehensive management of laboratory information, sample tracking, dynamic workflows & instrument integration. However, in the current context the definition actually talks of a system which unifies the deliverables of both the systems. It is now being reckoned as this enterprise resource planning tool which is expected to manage multiple aspects of laboratory informatics having to in parallel adhere to the regulatory compliances. Thus if one were to look at the primary functions of a Modern LIMS, it would begin with having to handle the samples complying with the specifications put down in CLIA, HIPAA, GLP, & FDA. It provides an increasing amount of integration with laboratory instruments and applications and handle electronic data exchange. All this has resulted in significant benefits. The systems are available as on client-server as well as web-based platforms.

We have developed Laboratory information management system (LIMS) for our clients to improve their management of laboratory workflow & enable communication between the and physicians/providers. These systems offer complete compliance with patient privacy regulations. These systems manage complex processes, ensure regulatory compliance and promote laboratory & enterprise collaboration. We have the capability to develop LIMS for small, medium & large laboratories . The interfaces are very user friendly, customized to be used by the medical staff, & on using the system there is no need to perform any manual calculations to arrive at test results. There is provision to configure formulae based on inputs provided by users post which all results get computed automatically. We have developed solutions for our clients which to interface their EMRs with some of the largest & renowned full-service laboratories like Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp and Solstas Lab Partners.

Mindfire solutions has been developing IT solutions in Healthcare domain for the past 10+ years. We have a team of certified experts who are aware of the protocols which need to be followed to develop systems with Meaningful Use.

If you need to Customize EHR System or you would like to know more about our deep expertise in EMR EHR Software development, contact us at sales[@]mindfiresolutions[.]com or call 1-248-686-1424. We will be glad to help you.

Customizing EHR EMR Systems Help Healthcare Businesses

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 authorized incentive payments to eligible professionals and hospitals for the adoption & meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology. Professionals are required to demonstrate computerized capabilities that meet defined “Meaningful Use” objectives in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. There seems to be a substantial increase in the adoption of Customize EHR System technology by physicians since the ACT has come to pass as is indicated by an analysis done by the government. The report shared that In 2012, half or more of physicians had the capability to meet each of 12 Meaningful Use Core objectives. These findings represent important national progress toward the goals of improving health & health care through the use of advanced health information technology.

These meaningful use objectives and measures were supposed to evolve in three stages over a five year period time with each of the stages having a set of defined criteria to meet. The final regulations of stage 2 Meaningful Use incentive program got released. A survey was done among physicians and healthcare leaders to understand the steps taken by providers to keep pace with meeting the objectives. Results of the survey has revealed that that business leaders of Hospitals lack confidence in their facilities being ready to meet both Meaningful Use Stage 2 & HIPAA requirements for protecting patient information. For organizations to bring about a sustainable transformation of these critical systems, it is important to have the right clinical workflows, care delivery processes and the right support structures in place. Done with the right earnest, it is bound to get attested to Meaningful Use standards. The major concerns shared by the key decision makers include Training & change management, lack of monitoring processes for ensuring Stage 2-level implementation of technology & incorporating relevant electronic data capture into clinical workflow. The others are lack of clear understanding of the requirements necessary to demonstrate Stage 2 Meaningful Use & the uncertainty in terms of having enough funding to complete the projects. Most organizations have to view the implementation of EHR as a fundamentally transformational process, which is expected to subsequently justify the investment, & not just another IT project. This change of perspective can provide the buy in & the enthusiasm needed for a successful implementation; besides the funding of course.

As we move forward & get closer to the penalty phase of the incentive program, there is bound to be acceleration in the adoption of EHRs. The use of smartphones and iPads to access EHRs is bound to see an increase and so is the use of cloud computing. Patients, who are supposed to be the integral part of this technological intervention, & who are till now not really been part of the discussions, are expected to play a more active role moving forward. They are going to be encouraged to access their records and become more engaged, electronically, in their own care.

If you are looking for a reliable offshore Software company which can help you build a robust EMR/EHR systems, Mindfire Solutions with its team of development experts can be your trusted partner. We are very meticulous in our development process. The systems are developed and designed keeping 'Meaningful Use' requirements into consideration.
Our certified team of experts for EMR/EHR software development has 10+ years of rich domain experience in Healthcare industry and has successfully developed EMR/EHR solutions for a number of companies spread across geographies. Besides the traditional Client–Server based systems, we also have the technical depth to build Web–Based/Cloud based EMR/EHR systems. To know more about Customize Medical System and to outsource Development Medical practice management software requirements, please contact us at sales[@]mindfiresolutions[.]com or call 1-248-686-1424. We will be glad to help you.

Why Healthcare Can No Longer Thrive Without IT?

The opinion of people in the health IT industry on the usage of that technology is tilted more towards acceptance and towards rapid adoption is good. There are still a lot of people who question that. The reelection of President Obama to the White House will obviously mean that that the efforts which were hitherto directed towards this area will continue such the Meaningful Use incentive program. People holding critical positions are voicing their opinion on what they feel could the turn of events moving forward. HITECH, HIPAA and other health reform regulations will now be given the push by the government in order to meet the target planned for their widespread use. The providers are also expected to refocus their priorities and take actions before the statutory deadlines and. Since the republicans have retained the control over the House and the Democrats of the Senates, efforts have to be put in by both parties to find common ground since the budget allocated to this field will form an integral part of the national budget. At the provider level the audits are bound to be more stringent and with higher frequency before payments are issued.

The widespread use of IT in Healthcare has dramatically impacted the practice of medicine and physicians who have collectively acknowledged the benefits that they have been able to draw from it. At the same time they have not shied away from expressing the issues that they have to confront– the primary one being that of getting the blame for the errors not necessarily in their control. For example, in the event of the patients not taking active interest in their own health, under the meaningful use, the primary physician is held responsible. They are even penalized under the healthcare payment models.

Besides getting to learn how to use new technologies like Customize EMR system, decision support systems and the likes, the capability and skills of the physicians are put under scrutiny. Through the vast amount of data which gets generated, every decision and step taken by physicians who use the system is captured and so is open to analysis at any point in time. This is bound to put pressure on them as they go about their day-to- day work. They are also likely to be very cautious and predictive in the manner in which they function so as to avoid running into trouble. This can prove to be disastrous in those cases which require physicians to try out methods in patient care which are out of the ordinary. The provision to involve patients in the treatment by allowing them to look into the clinical notes also means more skepticism from the fraternity. Their concern is that it will only result in more consumption of time in clearing confusions and in having to explain every detail to their patients as thy are not expected to be well versed in the medical lingo.

Mindfire solutions has been developing IT solutions in Healthcare domain for the past 10+ years. We have a team of certified experts who are aware of the protocols which need to be followed to develop systems with Meaningful Use. To know more about our expertise in Healthcare software development and to Develop Electronic Medical Records, please contact us at sales at mindfiresolutions dot com or call 1-248-686-1424.