“Remote” Physician Practice Documentation

Management

and

The Changing Landscape of

Healthcare Information Technology

Anthony Volpe, PMP

Jordan Bires, MBA

Alpha Systems – Est. 1975

Who We Are & How Have We Changed?

Who We Are & How Have We Changed?

Who We Are & How Have We Changed?

How Has Technology Changed Our Lives?

Conversations

How Has Technology Changed Our Lives?

Photography

How Has Technology Changed Our Lives?

Healthcare

How Has Technology Changed Our Lives?

Household Chores!

How Has Technology Affected HIM?

• 1928: “American College of Surgeons (ACOS)

seeks to improve the standards of records

being created in clinical settings.”

• 1960’s & 70’s: “The development of

computers encouraged pioneering American

universities to explore the marriage of

computers and medical records.”

How Has Technology Affected HIM?

• 1980’s & 90’s : “Computerized registration, the

introduction of the master patient index (MPI),

and databases of patient information used

across all the departments of a healthcare

organization, was massive successes.”

• 2000’s : “Electronic health records would allow

providers to make better decisions and provide

better care while reducing the incidence of

medical error by improving the accuracy and

clarity of medical records.” (CMS.gov)

http://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/health-sciences/blog/health-information-management-history/

Today & Tomorrow

• Health Information Exchange

• Accountable Care Organizations

• External Data Management (Physicians Practices)

• Computer Assisted Coding

• Information Governance

• Data Integrity

• Interoperability

• Etc. Etc. Etc.

Case Study

Yesterday

• HIM Director – new responsibility of 150+ Physicians Practices

• Cerner EMR (implemented May 2013)

• Existing Scan Center at Hospital

• Setup to successfully process IP records

• Not setup to handle additional practice documentation – no form standardization amount practices

• 3 FTEs Approved for Hire (10 Requested)

• With 50% of the Practices Live:

• $8,000 Monthly Overtime ($96,000 Annually)

• Courier Challenges and Cost ($150K+)

• Inconsistency

• 4 Week Turnaround Time

• Physician Concern

• 1 Month Indexing Backlog – scan center staff quickly fell behind

• Needed a Cost Effective, Consistent & Scalable Solution

Solution

• Working together with the client our team developed a

new process that leveraged existing hardware at the

client site

• Modifications were made to our proprietary workflow

software to build a solution that worked for everyone

How it Works

Today

• Cost Savings

• $96,000 Annual Overtime

• $150,000 Transportation

• 3 FTE’s Reallocated ($100,000+)

• Process Improvement

• Consistent and Scalable Model

• 14X Faster Turnaround

• No Backlogs

• Most importantly, the patient records available for the

clinical staff to view with 48 hours vs. weeks

• Employee Satisfaction

• Minimal Practice Involvement

• Physicians Access to Records

One Last Thought

By utilizing existing technology but

developing new processes, we were able

to help the client take a new

responsibility and turn it into an

opportunity.

Sometimes Your River Moves…