April 29, 2019

What is Meaningful Use?

What is Meaningful Use?

What is Meaningful Use? It's a program enacted by the US Federal Government in 2009 to incentivize eligible medical professionals with payments to use a certified electronic health record (EHR), according to HealthIT.gov. The Meaningful Use program was designed to improve health care for patients by making it safer and more efficient. It's separated into three stages that we'll go over in a bit.

How does a clinic or clinician qualify for Meaningful Use? In order to become eligible, you need to show that you are meaningfully using it to improve the care your patients receive. Your hospital has to show the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that it has adopted, upgraded, and implemented certified EHR technology.

Participation in the Meaningful Use program comes with definite financial incentives. If you're looking for a certified EHR, you can learn more about how to choose an EHR here.

How does Meaningful Use improve quality of care?

The program is dependent on five priorities of health care policy, according to the CDC including:

  1. Reducing health care disparity by improving efficiency, safety, and quality
  2. Engaging with patients and their families in their health care
  3. Improving health care coordination
  4. Improving public health
  5. Protecting patients personal health information (you can read more about how to do this here in our post on HIPAA violations and how to avoid them)

How much are payments and fines?

Your health care facility can get a lot of money for working toward these goals through an EHR. In fact, incentive payments start at $44,000 over a five-year period for Medicare Providers. Medicaid providers can get $63,750 in incentives over a six-year period. Those amounts are nothing to scoff at. However, keep in mind that these amounts depend on when a facility starts meeting the requirements.

Participation in the program started out as voluntary but that has since changed. It started out by simply giving incentives to physicians that participated. Now, providers who don't participate will be penalized with reduced Medicare reimbursements. So, not only does it pay to get in on the Meaningful Use program, but it also hurts you if you don't.

A really good EHR will also help you avoid HIPAA violations. And those can cost up you up to $5k per violation depending on the state you're in. All the more reason to have a really good EHR.

How many Meaningful Use stages are there?

There are three stages to this program and the stages build on each other over time.

Stage 1

Stage 1, launched in 2011, focuses on proper electronic data sharing through an EHR. The criteria for stage 1 consists of 15 core requirements and 10 menu requirements. Providers must meet all of the core requirements but only five of the menu requirements are needed to complete this stage.

If you want to get 100% of the incentive, you have to meet the standards of meaningful use for a minimum of 90 days.

Stage 2

The emphasis here is on properly exchanging patient information and care coordination. In order to meet the requirements for stage 2, you must continue meeting the requirements of stage 1. Stage 2 launched in 2014 and requires health care professionals to reach a larger number of their patient populations through their EHR.

To qualify for payment in stage 2, Eligible Professionals (EPs) need to qualify for 17 core objectives and 3 out of 6 menu objectives. Eligible Hospitals (EHs) and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) need to qualify for 16 core objectives and 3 out of 6 menu objectives.

One of the core requirements for EPs is to have the capability to submit electronic data for immunizations. For EHs, one of their core objectives is to be able to submit electronic data for immunizations, Reportable Laboratory Results, and Syndromic Surveillance.

Stage 3

The third and final stage of Meaningful Use is all about improving patient outcomes. But remember, you have to continue stages 1 and 2 in order to receive payment for stage 3.

Stage 3 has eight required objectives for clinicians to meet in order to avoid penalties and receive incentives. The eight objectives are as follows:

  1. Protected Health Information: Also known as PHI, physicians have to conduct a "security risk analysis" to prevent patient PHI data leaks. This is also a HIPAA requirement, which, if violated, can result in huge fines
  2. Electronic Prescribing: You need to send at least 80% of your permissible prescriptions to pharmacies electronically
  3. Clinical Decision Support (CDS): This is a two-part objective. The first requires implementing five CDS interventions and the second requires active checks on drug and drug-allergy interaction
  4. Computerized Provider Order Entry: EPs need to meet the following three standards: medication, lab, and diagnostic imaging orders
  5. Patient Engagement: At least 80% of patients need to be able to view and download their health records through your EHR. You must also provide educational information to at least 35% of your patients
  6. Coordination of Care: This is meant to increase patient engagement through three processes. 1) Have at least 25% of patients use your EHR. 2) A minimum of 35% of your patients must obtain secure digital information from a health care provider. 3) You need to get data from a minimum of 15% of patients through fitness trackers/wearable devices. EPs need to shoot for all three standards but only meet the requirements for two
  7. Health Information Exchange: The focus here is twofold. 1) At least 50% of care record-transition must be done electronically. 2) When seeing a patient for the first time, you must receive health records electronically no less than 40% of the time
  8. Public Health Data Reporting: Here, you need to choose three of five EHR destinations to submit data. The options include a public health registry, clinical data registry, syndromic surveillance, cases, and an immunization registry.

MACRA and Meaningful Use

What is MACRA?

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, or MACRA, gives EPs and EHs more tools to provide patients with better care. MACRA created the Quality Payment Program (QPP), which is designed to benefit providers that provide great health care. QPP gives you various payment options as well.

The QPP is designed to do the following according to CMS.gov:

  • Repeals Sustainable Growth Rate formula. This was predicted to make cuts of 25-30% each year for the services you and other clinicians make to Medicare beneficiaries
  • Gives bonus payments to participating providers with alternative payment models (APMs)
  • Makes multiple quality programs faster and more efficient under the new Merit-Based Incentive Payments System (MIPS)
  • Requires all Social Security Numbers be removed from Medicare cards by April 2019
  • Changes how clinicians are rewarded for value and volume by Medicare

You can participate based on the following factors:

  • Size of your practice
  • Specialty
  • Patient population
  • Specialty

In short, MACRA created a way for health care providers to be paid for Medicare beneficiaries. It also set rules for data sharing.

What are MACRA's data sharing rules?

The CMS's Qualified Entity (QE) program helps your organization get Medicare claims data and this can be used to determine the performance of the provider. If your organization is or has been approved as a QE then you're required to produce and publically provide reports approved by the CMS.

QEs are also allowed to make non-public analyses and sell it to users that have been authorized, and you're also allowed to give out or sell combined data/information, including Medicare data at no cost to authorized users. The CMS certifies and monitors QEs that receive this data. You can see which QEs the CMS has certified, the region they're in, and the date of certification here.

How Meaningful Use and MACRA work together

When MACRA came out, Meaningful Use turned into part of MIPS, another part of MACRA. If you're a clinician, you won't participate in the Meaningful Use program for Medicare Eligible Professionals. Instead, QPP has incentives for clinicians to use certified EHR technology and includes categories based on performance like Advancing Care Information and Quality Measures Reporting in MIPS.

MACRA's new payment system aims to make it easier for your organization to simplify payment models and value-based health care delivery. Starting in 2019, if you treat Medicare patients, you will most-likely have to choose between using MIPS or APMs as your payment track. I say "most likely" because not clinicians will have to choose between these two tracks.

Under the new rule, you will get reimbursed based on a performance score on the following four factors:

  1. Quality measures (30%)
  2. Resource use (30%)
  3. Meaningful Use (25%)
  4. Clinical practice improvement activities (15%)

MACRA provides a path for you and your clinic, if eligible, to receive reimbursements through APMs or MIPS. But this isn't all new. Health care providers have been reporting on quality measures for a long time now under different programs, including Meaningful Use, Physician Quality Reporting System, Value-Based Payment Modifier program, and e-prescribing.

Are MACRA and Meaningful Use good for health care providers?

There have been a lot of reactions to MACRA and Meaningful Use, as is the case with any government regulation. Some health care professionals and clinics have lost money as a result while others have seen significant gains.

But are these programs good for health care? I believe they are. Obviously, I'm a huge fan of doing things that help hospitals be more efficient and help more people get treatment. I strongly believe that a great way to improve health care and get people the treatment they need is through having a really good EHR.

While I believe EHRs are a great way to improve health care, I also strongly believe that you have to use the EHR that's right for you and you need buy-in from everyone who will be working with it. If you're looking for a substance abuse or mental health EHR, you can also get a free demo of ours here.

How has Meaningful Use affected you?

We want to know what your thoughts are on the effects of Meaningful Use. Has it been positive or negative? If you think it's been good, comment with the word "good" below. If you think it's been bad, comment with the word "bad" below. I'm just curious about how many of you approve or disapprove of it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Meaningful Use is a program created by the Federal Government with the purpose of incentivizing clinicians and health care providers to improve health care by using a certified EHR. It has three stages, each of which builds upon the previous stage. and has seen some significant changes since its inception in 2009.

Even if hospitals and clinicians weren't incentivized by the government to use an EHR, I'd still strongly recommend using one as I've seen providers increase their revenue by as much as 30% after switching from a paper to a digital EHR.

April 11, 2019

Which is the best treatment for drug addiction?

Which is the best treatment for drug addiction?

Which is the best treatment for drug addiction? In-patient or outpatient rehab, or detox? Sadly, many people have to ask these questions in order to help themselves or loved ones. The best drug addiction treatments include behavioral and medical health services tailored to the patient's needs and prevent relapse in the long run. In short, the best treatments are specific to the challenges of each individual patient.

There are many different treatments out there to help patients struggling with drug addiction. Some of those include:

  • Medication
  • Counseling
  • Treatment for other co-existing mental-health struggles like anxiety
  • Withdrawal treatment medical devices and applications
  • Preventing relapse in the long-term

Using Technology For Long-Term Recovery

The ideal treatment includes a mix of each item listed above. However, one of the most important steps in this process is giving patients the tools to stay off drugs in the long-term and prevent a relapse.

When patients get treated for addiction, they need to have communication with their therapist through technology. Therapists can send surveys to patients to see how they're doing and what help they need at that time. This helps the patient and the clinician.

However, not all electronic health record (EHR) software systems have this capability. And even if they do, they can be difficult to implement. You can learn more about how to choose a behavioral health EHR software here. You can also see our software features and benefits here.

Inpatient, Outpatient or Detox? Which Is The Best Treatment For Drug Addiction?

It's hard to know which drug treatment is best. To help, I'll break down what each one is and its benefits.

Inpatient Rehab Treatment

This is when a patient temporarily lives in a rehab facility. Inpatient treatment can be ideal for people with severe addictions, those who lack a solid support system, and people who have mental struggles like anxiety or depression. They usually offer individual and group therapy. Patients who have relapsed in the past may want to consider inpatient treatment.

Outpatient Rehab Treatment

Not all people need inpatient therapy. It's actually better for some people to start in outpatient therapy. That being said, outpatient treatment can also be a second step for people who have completed inpatient therapy. Outpatient treatment doesn't provide around-the-clock care but the treatments should still last at least 90 days. Anything less than that and the program isn't likely to be effective.

Detox Programs

Detox programs are good because they help people get drugs out of their systems safely. They're a good first step for people with moderate to severe drug addictions. These programs can be especially useful for people with severe withdrawal symptoms. By using medication, they can taper down a patient's usage until his/her body can handle not having drugs in it.

Are Drug Treatment Programs Successful?

The answer to this question is yes, they can be very successful. According to research by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, most people who get treatment are able to overcome drug addiction and become contributing members of society again. I should mention that a person's success in overcoming addiction depends on several factors:

  • Severity of the addiction
  • Cause and underlying problems
  • Getting treatment specific to the addiction
  • Quality of interaction between the patient and the providers

Principles Of An Effective Drug Treatment

Whether you're a medical practitioner looking to prescribe specific treatment for someone or a patient trying to figure out which is the best treatment for drug addiction, there are principles to consider. Here's a list of effective drug-treatment principles from the National Institute on Drug Abuse:

  1. No treatment is right for everyone: The treatment needs to match the addiction to help that specific individual be a fully-functioning member of society.
  2. It needs to be very accessible: Overcoming addiction is hard. That's why the barrier to entry needs to be very easy. They need to be able to get treatment the moment they're ready.
  3. Addiction affects brain function and behavior: Using drugs changes your brain's function. This is part of why people frequently relapse down the road. This is one of the reasons patients need to have good communication with their therapists through technology.
  4. Get treated for the right amount of time: The right treatment will be based on the severity of the addiction. Most people need at least three months of treatment in order to overcome their addiction, according to research.
  5. Focus on more than just the addiction: Rarely is it just about drugs. The right treatment will focus on problems dealing with work, the law, health, and the patient's psychology, as well as the addiction.

What Makes A Good Drug And Alcohol Treatment Center?

Now that you know how to find which drug treatment is best, you might wonder what makes a good drug and alcohol treatment center? Just as no treatment is right for everyone, the same is true of treatment centers. There isn't one treatment center that fits the needs of every person battling drug addiction.

There are more than 14,000 drug and alcohol rehab centers in the US. Here are some things to look for when choosing a rehab center.

What Are Its Specialties?

Different treatment centers have different specialties. Whether the center has a lot of specialities or only a few, what matters most is if they specialize in the treatment you require. Look for a center that's highly-rated and well-respected for the treatment you need.

Is The Staff Accredited?

You know who deals with patients the most? The center's staff. That's why it's really important to make sure they're accredited and dedicated. The best way to figure this out is to ask questions. Is everyone on staff a registered nurse? How many physicians work at the center? How involved are they in the treatment? Don't assume that just because they're accredited that it's a great treatment center. That's not always the case. But it is a good indicator.

Do They Focus On Underlying Problems?

As I mentioned earlier, the problem is rarely, if ever, just the drugs or alcohol. So, getting treatment only for those issues, without focusing on the underlying cause, won't result in lasting change. The best treatment centers focus on fixing the underlying problem that's causing the addiction.

Do They Offer Multiple Types Of Therapy?

People looking to overcome drug abuse should get several different types of therapy. Different therapies help because they look at the problem from different angles. Group therapy is excellent and helps a lot of people. And 1-on-1 therapy is just as important and effective. A treatment center that focuses on multiple kinds of therapy will be much more effective in helping people overcome addiction than those that don't.

What's Their Success Rate?

While there's no single factor that determines if a treatment center is good or not, this is probably the most important factor. For the most part, the best treatment centers have higher success rates.

But look deeper than the surface on this. How do they determine success? Is it based on the number of people who complete the program or former patients staying sober for x number of months? Also, keep in mind that some treatment specialties have lower success rates than others. So, that begs the question, how high is that treatment center's success rate in that specialty? How does it compare to other treatment centers with the same specialty?

Conclusion

So, which is the best treatment for drug addiction? It really depends on the needs of the individual and the severity of their addiction. What's incredibly important is choosing the right treatment center.

Are drug treatment programs successful? They can be very successful! What's really important here is getting the person into a really good treatment facility. You can know if a drug treatment center is good by looking at their specialties, staff accreditations if they focus on underlying problems and focus on multiple types of therapy, and their success rate.

March 28, 2019

How much of healthcare information online is accurate?

A man does research to know how much of healthcare information online is accurate

There's a common concern out there: Can you trust the information you find on the internet? And just as important, if not more so, is: "How much of healthcare information online is accurate?". Here, we'll dive into how to find accurate healthcare information online.

The short answer is: It depends. You can't trust all of the healthcare information you find online but some of it is definitely reliable. Let me explain.

1. Use trusted sites

When you're looking for healthcare information online, you'll probably start with a Google search. But you don't want to trust every website you find. Some of them will have outdated information.

A good way to know if a website is reliable is if it's sponsored by Federal Government agencies. To check for this, go to usa.gov. While that's a great resource to help you verify a medical website, it's not necessarily the first resource you should use. Here's a list of medical websites that are trustworthy:

  1. MedlinePlus.gov: Not only does this website have a lot of useful and accurate healthcare information, but it also has an online tutorial on how to know if you can trust online healthcare information,
  2. Smart Patients: This website was founded to help patients learn about medical developments dealing with their conditions and it does exactly that. Smart Patients has a built-in search engine that helps people find and track clinical trials of their choosing and discuss them on the website's forums,
  3. Drugs.com: A huge part of healthcare is the medications you need to take. Drugs.com is fantastic because it gives you information about drugs, their uses, and how they might react to other medications. This site also has its own search engine to help you find legal drugs by their appearance or name. It should be noted that the search engine only pulls from the US,
  4. National Health Information Center (NHIC): NHIC helps patients and medical professionals get in touch with organizations to get reliable answers to their healthcare questions. This site also keeps a calendar of days, weeks, and months with the purpose of helping people learn about various healthcare topics,
  5. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Like USA.gov, this website helps patients verify a medical website's reliability. It has a list of healthcare websites that are useful and also detailed guidelines on how to evaluate a medical website.

2. Check the healthcare information dates

If a website doesn't have current information, that's a huge red flag. When you're searching online, pay close attention to the date the information was written. If the information is older, it could still be relevant and accurate, but it could also be out of date. As a general rule of thumb, the most current medical information is generally the most trustworthy.

3. Ask yourself some questions

If you're using a website other than the ones mentioned above, ask yourself some questions.

  1. Does it have .gov at the end of its URL? Another general rule of thumb, if the website ends with .gov, it's probably pretty reliable. This doesn't mean that websites ending in something else like .com or .org aren't reliable. But most government healthcare websites are solid sources of information. You can also check the site's "about us" section to see who runs it,
  2. What's the purpose of the website? Is it selling you something? The websites we mentioned above are all there to solve a problem in the medical field and many of them are government-run. Look into the purpose of the website. If it seems sketchy or like the main purpose is to sell you something, then you should take it with a grain of salt,
  3. Where does the website's medical information come from? Is it based on medical research or does it come from somewhere else? Does the website tell you where the information comes from? If the information is based on scientific research from a reputable source that's a great start,
  4. Does the website promise the moon? Typically, if information seems too good to be true, it usually is. If they promise you a huge return with very little work or effort, then you should be very skeptical of that site,
  5. Have experts reviewed the information? Quality medical information will have been reviewed by experts. Check the bottom of the page for the names fo medical experts who approve the information.

Is the site news or advertising?

Telling the difference between news and advertising websites can be hard. A lot of the time, advertising websites try to look like news websites to seem more credible. They'll even use logos from actual news sites.

Fake news or advertising websites tend to endorse certain products and even link to sales websites. News websites rarely do either of those things. If all of the comments are positive and you aren't able to comment, that's usually a sign it's a fake news/advertising website. News organizations almost always let you comment and they will usually have negative and positive comments.

Summary: How much of healthcare information online is accurate?

In summation, you should always be skeptical when looking for healthcare information and make sure you run what you find online by your doctor. Check to see what kind of institution runs the website and when it was last updated. And you should only trust information that's unbiased and based on scientific research.

One of the best ways to avoid websites with inaccurate information is to start with trusted websites. Use the websites we listed above to start your search. Run the website through usa.gov to see if it's run by the government.

Following these steps will help you find accurate healthcare information online. How much of healthcare information online is accurate? A lot. But there's also a lot of inaccurate healthcare information online. You just have to be careful about it.

Have you ever come across a healthcare website with information that just seemed too good to be true? Comment "yes" if you have and "no" if you haven't. I'm just curious how many of you have run into that and if it's been a frequent problem.

March 13, 2019

What Are Some Things That Doctors Know, But Most People Don’t?

What are some things doctors know but most people don't

It's no secret that doctors know a lot. And sometimes, we think we know better. Sometimes we're right! But what are some things that doctors know, but most people don't? We want to look beyond the obvious stuff - beyond the fact that they know how to diagnose your sickness or how long it will take you to recover from an in-grown toenail surgery.

So, we created a list to answer the question, "what are some things that doctors know, but most people people don't". Here's a list of 14 things doctors know that most of us don't. 

1. You Don't Have To Be Super Smart To Become A Surgeon

There's this belief out there that in order to work in the medical field in any way, you have to be brilliant. However, it just isn't true. Yes, there are many doctors out there who are incredibly smart and have a work ethic to match it, but they aren't all brainiacs. Sorry surgeons.

When it comes to surgeons, the average general physician tends to have more medical knowledge. Surgeons just tend to be better at what they get paid to do - surgery. And that's okay. They don't need to be amazing at everything medical. They just need to be good at what they do. 

2. Not Everyone Who Went To Med School Can Prescribe Medication

The reality is that there are doctors who went to medical school who can't give you a prescription. There are lots of medical doctors who went to med school that can't prescribe medication. Pathologists and radiologists are a couple of examples.

3. Not All Doctors Can Read X-Rays

This is actually true of more than just X-rays. It also includes CT scans and MRIs. Frequently, when a patient asks a question about any of these, the doctor will often just read the report. Only the radiologist knows how to read your X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. In fact, it takes a lot of experience to understand what's normal and abnormal in these images.

Have you ever had a doctor point out something in an X-ray and wondered how they were able to find that? I certainly have. Usually, the doctor showing it to you can't find it either - at least, not without help.

4. Stethoscopes Are Mostly Just To Hear Your Heartbeat

There are not a lot doctors can tell from just listening to your heartbeat. They can tell if it's irregular or regular and maybe a little more. But that's about it. There isn't a lot of diagnosing they can do just by listening. For instance, a doctor can't listen to your heartbeat and know that you need a triple bypass.

5. Doctors Don't Always Live Super Healthy Lives

They should know better, right? Anyone who knows a doctor closely can tell you that some doctors do things they shouldn't. A lot of doctors would admit this. There are doctors that smoke, eat way too much junk food, are overworked, and don't get enough sleep. This isn't to say that all doctors are this way. But hey, they aren't perfect.

6. They Aren't All Rich

Growing up, I thought that if you were a doctor then you must be rich - Filthy rich even! But doctors' salaries can be very deceptive. In fact, doctors actually make less per hour than teachers. That sounds outlandish but it's true.

When you consider the number of hours worked by both, the time spent in school and student loan debt acquired, doctors don't make as much as you think. You can read more about how doctors make less than teachers from Best Medical Degrees.

7. The Placebo Effect is a Real Thing

Even though doctors know this, they can't explain it. For some reason, believing that it will fix the ailment actually works. This isn't always completely cut-and-dry, but patients who believe the treatments their doctor prescribes for them tend to see more improvement to their ailment.

What is the Placebo effect?

The Placebo effect is when someone takes a pill or treatment and receives a positive effect that can't actually be attributed to the treatment. Its benefits are instead attributed alone to the patient's belief that obtaining this treatment will fix the problem. You can learn more about the Placebo effect here.

8. Most Disease Treatments Should Continue Beyond Symptom Relief

Treatment for diseases need to continue even after the symptoms have gone away. It happens all the time that a patient has a disease, gets treatment, the symptoms go away, and the disease isn't cured. While the symptoms may be gone, the disease usually isn't and needs more treatment. When the patient stops getting treatment, the disease will come back.

This is part of why it's so important for doctors to use an electronic health record (EHR) that keeps the patient's treatment going. You can learn more about what to look for in an EHR software here. Or you can get a free demo of our EHR software.

9. You Can't Use Electric Shock To Bring Everyone Back To Life

Don't be fooled by movies and TV shows. It is true that using electric shock can bring someone "back to life" but only in very specific situations. It only works in a specific type of heart arrhythmia. In other situations, this procedure can actually kill the patient.

10. They Know The Sex of Your Baby at 12 Weeks

Sometimes doctors know things before they tell you. Knowing the sex of your unborn baby is one of those times!

Doctors perform ultrasounds early in the pregnancy to check the baby's health. However, by the twelfth week, doctors can usually see the sex of the baby if it's in the right position. By week 13, they can usually tell with extreme accuracy, but it's against the law for them to tell you the sex of the baby that early.

11. Saying "I Don't Know" Can Be A Good Thing

If your doctor says "I don't know", that's a sign of honesty. No doctor is right all of the time and one that pretends to be is likely not always being honest with you. If a doctor is willing to be up front with you and ask other doctors for help, that's a great sign he's trustworthy.

12. Most Fevers Don't Need Antibiotics

Many illnesses don't get better with antibiotics. When it comes to fevers, antibiotics won't help the fever more quickly, most of the time. In fact, most fevers can't even be diagnosed early on. It's not that no treatment is required for most fevers, it's just that they don't need that specific kind of treatment.

13. Famous Doctors Aren't Always The Best

It's hard to know if a doctor is really a good doctor. Ratings and reviews don't always help because they can be heavily influenced by the nurses, wait time, etc. A bad outcome doesn't necessarily mean the doctor did anything wrong. Sometimes that's just the way things go. And being nice doesn't equal being a good doctor either.

One way to know how good a doctor is can be by asking other doctors that know him/her. Nothing is fool-proof, but asking people with first-hand knowledge of his/her expertise can be really helpful in finding an excellent doctor.

14. Vitamins Are Usually A Waste of Money

Why we do say "usually? Because they're useful if you have a deficiency of that particular vitamin. But, there's no need to take a bunch of different vitamins every day.

Conclusion: What are some things that doctors know, but most people don't?

So, what are some things that doctors know, but most people don't? They know so much that no list could capture everything. But we managed to get a lot of the insider information. Here’s a quick recap:

  • They aren't all rich
  • You don't have to be brilliant to be a doctor (but it helps)
  • They can't all prescribe medication
  • Not all doctors can read X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs
  • Stethoscopes can't usually result in a diagnosis
  • Doctors eat and do unhealthy things (they're human too)
  • A patient's belief in a treatment can help it be successful
  • Disease treatments should continue after symptom relief
  • Electric shock can only work in very specific situations
  • They usually know the sex of your baby at 12 or 13 weeks
  • A doctor who admits not knowing can be a good thing
  • Fame doesn't equal the best doctor
  • Most fevers don't require antibiotics
  • Vitamins are't usually worth the money

What do you think of our list of "what are some things that doctors know, but most people people don't"? Is there anything we didn't add to the list that we should have? If so, comment below and we'll get it added.

If you're looking for a new behavioral health or addiction recovery EHR, we'll give you a free demo of ours. Just fill out the form below to get one scheduled. 

February 14, 2019

How to Choose a Behavioral Health EHR: 10 Things You Need to Consider

1. Identify your goals

It is so important to understand your business goals when looking for a behavioral health EHR. What are your overarching goals for your business and where are you going?  Are you trying to cut costs, grow revenue, expand locations, beds, occupancy or census? Are you trying to better retain staff? Do you have clinical goals that require better oversight or more time to accomplish - more efficiency, or better connection with patients? Identifying your goals, whatever they may be, is hypercritical to knowing what you want.  Pain is just as important which is the next step.

2. Identify your need: Why do you need a behavioral health EHR?

 It is critical to understand your motivations for needing a behavioral health EHR.  What is your challenge with your current software? What are general pains with your business?  Are you losing insurance dollars because of audits or record requests with missing documentation?  Are you struggling with licensing or other concerns? Is there a lack of oversight because you are on paper or a weak system with little reporting or business intelligence tools to get what you need? Is there a department that is inefficient?  Are you on a system but certain aspects of your business are still being done on paper?

3. Evaluate your current Process: What's working today that you wouldn't want to lose?

Is there anything your current vendor is doing right that you would be loath to lose? It is important to establish what is working and make sure you are not taking one step forward and two steps backward.

4. Assign priority

Try to list your pains with your current behavioral health EHR in order of biggest to least. Also, list the things you want to keep in order of importance. This will help you identify the best fitting EHR by how much value it will give you.

5. The Net

Your mental health EHR search needs to be done thoroughly.  Make sure you gather a minimum of two EHR providers to go through. Having three or four would be ideal.  Do an initial demo with each, keeping the demos to 30 minutes or less to narrow down to your top one or two.  

6. Due diligence: Getting References on the Behavioral Health EHR Provider

Make sure you speak to references.  This is an important step many people miss when selecting a behavioral health EHR.  Whether they blindly sign up with a company or whether they discount that company because another competing company discouraged them from continuing to talk with them, make sure you do your due diligence and speak with people that are actually using the software every single day. You should also check their reviews on sites like Capterra and G2Crowd. Look at how many reviews they have and if the majority are good or bad.

7. The Behavioral Health EHR Demo

 Make sure you have in mind some key areas you are looking to improve and have those outlined before the demo to help the presenter know what to focus on.  Your time is precious and it should be focused on the things that will bring you maximum value and enable you to maximize your results with your new software.  This will also help your behavioral health software provider to know the important things they need to be working on and where their customers are looking for help.

8. Your Current Contract

Some contracts have notice clauses that require one to give a certain amount of notice before you may cancel.  This is important to know when thinking about your timeline to transition. Timing your notice with your implementation is key so that you are not paying for two systems longer than you need to.  If your clause is 60 days or less, there isn’t much to worry about. Your new provider can advise you on when the best time will be to give notice. If it is longer than 60 days, you may want to consider giving notice even before you select a new partner.

9. A Good Fit

The partner you choose needs to be a good fit technically, but what about culturally?  Some partners might be more online-tutorial based, some may be support-center based, and others may be account management based.  It’s important to identify what is important to you and what is included. Also, where is the company headed? Most software today is cloud-based and delivered as a service (SAAS). What does their roadmap look like for the next year? How often do they do releases into their product? How are those communicated? How many engineers do they have on their team? Are they full time or part time contractors? Are they based in the US or overseas? This is important to know based on your past experience and deciding on the right fit for your business.

10. Cost vs. Value: What's the value of each option?

 Listing the choices in order, regardless of price, is a great way to help yourself determine what you really want.  Next, you'll want to assign a price to each option. If the price of the first one is worth the value it brings, then your decision was just made for you.  If there is a discrepancy, then you need to think a little harder. One suggestion that is worth trying is calling that number one option and telling them they are the number one option but that their price seems to still be a barrier.  Maybe they can be flexible. Sometimes they can and other times they can’t. It will depend on the situation. If option one cannot make it work, repeating these steps for option two and so forth will help you get the best possible solution for your needs and budget.

Choose a Behavioral Health EHR that best fits your needs

When you're looking for a behavioral health EHR, you should first identify your goals and needs. It doesn't matter how great a mental health EHR software is if it doesn't do what you need it to. Once you've established this, look at your current process and find an EHR that keeps what's currently working for you.

Next, assign priority to the pains and items you want to keep in order of importance. Then make a list of potential EHR vendors and get references on them. The best way to conduct an EHR search is to make it thorough. Then, get a demo! Most, if not all, EHR vendors provide a free demo. If they don't, you probably shouldn't consider that vendor. You can schedule a no-hassel demo with us here.

Check your current contract to ensure it doesn't have any clauses preventing you from leaving without sufficient notice. If you're able to leave your current contract, don't do so until you know the new vendor is a good fit technically and culturally. If it is going to save you time and give you peace of mind, it will be worth the switch.

February 14, 2018

How To Bill Insurance Like A Pro – Insider Tips for 2022

Shelley Mangum of Illuminate Billing gives us expert advice on how to bill insurance.

Billing in 2022 continues to be a challenge for all, in particular, the predominantly out-of-network (OON) provider. Deductibles and out-of-pocket maximum levels continue to rise. Fewer plans provide OON benefits. Here are some tips to help navigate these and other relevant challenges

  • Complete a thorough Verifications of Benefit (VOB) before admit: Accurate and timely VOBs are vital to getting paid. Verification of Benefits is one of the most valuable tools in identifying if a client’s insurance will cover treatment or if other financial resources will be required. Verification of Benefit efforts do not stop once a client has entered treatment. Benefits must be checked at the beginning of each month and policy renewals must be reviewed. When policies renew, while in treatment the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum will reset, possibly causing a significant financial burden for clients.
  • Document the essentials: This may be one of the least favorite activities yet mandatory in the claims payment process. Best practice documenting to medical necessity criteria is vital. The tried and true statement: “If it is not documented, it didn't happen” is more true now than ever before. Claims continue to be denied for lack of documentation. Here are a few claim denial causes:
    • Start and stop time of session missing or inaccurate
    • The number of participants in a group not noted
    • Documentation is not signed by a credentialed individual
    • Medical records are not signed by the physician
    • The physician has not ordered specific treatment services
    • Medical records do not support the level of care billed
    • Credentials and/or dates are missing
  • Be aware of fraud trends: With fewer available insurance plans offering OON benefits, some insurance brokers have started getting creative by signing clients up on insurance plans in states other than where they reside. Then clients seek treatment in their home state. This is fraudulent in nature. Insurance companies will take action to recoup any revenue paid on such claims. It is not a matter of if, but when.
  • Don’t leave money on the table! Appeal: It has been reported that 25%-30% of claims are underpaid. Tracking allowed amounts and appealing for these funds is a fundamental part of running a successful billing organization. (Illuminate Billing Advocates brought in $1,034,000 in 2017 on these and other similar appeal cases.)
  • Engage in regular self-care: This item is vital to all aspects of treatment and life. With greater expectations and higher demands on our time, it is easy to get burned out, become apathetic or cynical about our work. The work we do is more than just a job it changes lives. The more we practice self-care the more impact we will have on those we influence. We focus on teaching structure, healthy patterns of living, and recovery skills to our clients but often fail to practice them with the same intensity. For this last item consider doing one or more of the following and note how it improves your overall feelings of well-being:
    • Be kind to yourself
    • Do an act of service outside of work
    • Try a new activity
    • Meet someone new
    • Schedule your own therapy session
    • Connect with friends

Click here for more industry knowledge!

February 8, 2018

Industry Crisis: Shortage of Substance Abuse Specialists

“If you put someone on a waiting list, you won’t be able to find them the next day,” says Becky Vaughn of the National Council for Behavioral Health. Anyone who has worked in addiction recovery knows that all too well. So why does it happen so often? Why are there individuals who finally find the courage to change, and then find that help is just out of reach? It’s not a shortage of beds, facilities, or insurance coverage. Instead, we find a shortage of substance abuse specialists in the workforce. This happens for a few specific reasons:

  1. Retirement. The workforce in the addiction recovery industry is older on average than other areas of healthcare and social work. As the older generation moves into retirement, treatment centers say goodbye to their most seasoned and expert therapists, case workers and others.
  2. Burnout or compassion fatigue. This is a common issue among substance abuse counselors. They do a hard job and often take their work home with them more than they realize. Many therapists face exhaustion and their work in addiction recovery lasts for only a few years until they move into other types of recovery and therapy.
  3. Salary. Some of the greatest champions in the recovery field are also the most underpaid. The average salary for social workers in the addiction field is $38,600, compared to $47,230 in the rest of the healthcare industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

These three factors contribute to a high rate of turnover in the industry, creating a shortage of substance abuse specialists that is on the verge of crisis. This shortage in specialists comes at a time when insurances are covering treatment at higher rates than ever and rates of addiction are soaring. The crisis is the worst in Nevada where there are only 11 psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors and social workers available to treat every 1,000 people with SUDs. Nationwide, that average sits at about 32. By 2020, the need for addiction services professionals will reach 330,000, a number that will be hard to reach based on current trends.

The professionals who are treating addiction are among the bravest people working in addiction recovery. They are the warriors in this industry. Supporting clinicians and social workers, among others, needs to be a top priority for treatment centers so that they can continue their life-saving mission.



 

Click here for more information on industry trends.

January 31, 2018

The Huntington’s Overdose Capital of America

All across the United States, we hear daily news of the opioid crisis in our country. Nowhere has this epidemic hit harder than in the small town of Huntington, West Virginia. It’s become known as the overdose capital of America. 

On a normal day, Huntington’s overdose death rate is ten times the national average. But August 15, 2016 goes down in history, as the tiny town saw 28 of their friends and family members overdose on heroin in a single afternoon. Those 28 were a small fraction of the 773 opioid overdoses that occurred between January and September of that year.

The overdose capital of the US is home to 49,000. An estimated 12,000 of those citizens have a substance use disorder of some kind. As the epidemic takes hold on Huntington, even the smallest members of the community are victims. At Cabell Huntington Hospital, one in every ten babies born has to suffer through a withdrawal from some sort of drug. That’s 15 times the national average.

Huntington’s limited, small-town resources are strained. Medical personnel, emergency responders, government workers and social services are overwhelmed with the task of responding to emergency situations. With all of the resources being poured into reversing overdoses, there’s not much left to treat addiction. If you're looking to overcome addiction or help a loved one, you can learn more about which drug addiction treatment is best here. You can also check out our post on how to overcome symptoms of recovery

The few treatment centers in Huntington cannot possibly tend to the needs of 12,000 addicts. And in many small, conservative towns like this one, spiritually based programs are strongly favored, to the exclusion of evidence-based medical treatment, further complicating the search for a solution.

The crisis in Huntington, the overdose capital of America, is a scary glimpse into what happens when addiction takes over a community. That’s why it’s so important that lawmakers, treatment centers, service providers and concerned citizens to work together to combat the opioid epidemic. There are some great drug advocacy and awareness groups out there

If you provide help to those struggling with drug addiction and mental health, let us help you with a free demo of our mental health EMR. Click here to get a free demo.

Related articles:

5 Major Drug Use Policy and Advocacy Groups

 

Sources:

www.pewtrusts.org

www.cnn.com



 

January 24, 2018

Addiction is a Public Health Crisis

On average, 130 Americans die of opioid overdoses every day. Addiction is an epidemic that is ravaging our country. Prescription drug abuse is the force that drives it. As public understanding about substance use disorders increases, more people are recognizing that addiction is a public health crisis. In 2013, 63% of Americans viewed prescription drug abuse as a "major public health problem". That percentage jumped to 76% in 2017.

Governmental agencies are responding aggressively. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has five objectives to respond to and reverse this “health emergency”:

  •    Improving access to treatment and recovery services;
  •    Promoting use of overdose-reversing drugs;
  •    Strengthening our understanding of the epidemic through better public health surveillance;
  •    Providing support for cutting edge research on pain and addiction; and
  •    Advancing better practices for pain management.

Fortunately, as we work to counter the prescription drug abuse epidemic, studies show that small efforts go a long way.  Public understanding is increasing, along with scientific advancement and economic need. Now is the time to make the efforts necessary to stop the spread of addiction.

Click here to learn more about the addiction advocacy groups that are raising public awareness.


Sources:

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/11/15/prescription-drug-abuse-increasingly-seen-as-a-major-u-s-public-health-problem/

https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/

https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/secretary/speeches/2017-speeches/secretary-price-announces-hhs-strategy-for-fighting-opioid-crisis/index.html



January 23, 2018

Alleva has joined the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers – NAATP

 

 

 

Alleva is proud to join the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP). Over the last 40 years, NAATP has been at the forefront of the battle against addiction. NAATP unites those of us who work to fight addiction and ensures that members follow ethical and values-based approaches to healing. Their mission is to “provide leadership, advocacy, training, and member support services to ensure the availability and highest quality of addiction treatment.” In doing so, NAATP has created a standard for the industry.

NAATP’s work aims to influence the following areas of the addiction treatment field:

  • Access to addiction treatment
  • Delivery of addiction treatment
  • Recognition of best service delivery practices in addiction treatment
  • Recognition of ethical practices in addiction care marketing and service delivery
  • Dissemination of addiction treatment information to the industry and the public
  • Education and training
  • Public policy advocacy
  • Addiction industry unity, collaboration, and information sharing

At Alleva, we also seek to positively influence these areas of treatment provision and are excited to be part of an organization that represents its members with a strong and unified voice. Following in NAATP’s footsteps we will continue to work to overcome all barriers between treatment providers and the ethical, effective treatment of those in need.

Click here for more news from Alleva.

 

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Copyright 2019 - Alleva Corp. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright 2019 - Alleva Corp. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright 2019 - Alleva Corp. All Rights Reserved.