Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/36985
Technology The future The word to remember is interoperability S BY DOUG STALLBAUMER crying is the ancient practice of staring into a shiny surface until visions appear. Through the centuries, psychics have used many different tools to develop their scrying abilities. To make his famous prophecies, Nostradamus gazed into a bowl of water in a dark- ened, candlelit room. Other psychics have used black mirrors or shiny rocks. But the most recognizable symbol of a psychic is the crystal ball. When asked recently where I felt technology would carry the industry, I decided to try my hand at scrying. In the absence of a crystal ball, I turned all the lights out in my office, turned my computer off, lit some candles and stared deeply into my computer monitor’s shiny surface waiting for visions to appear. I will share the results of that quest later. In reality, the ability to foresee the future of our indus- try is easily done by looking at existing and emerging technology in the larger healthcare industries such as research, surgery centers and hospitals. Patient manage- ment is the key that opens the door to the future. Our industry is burdened with the fact that patients move faster than records do. Currently in our industry, we are waging the war of eliminating paper records, fax machines and labor intensive direct data entry into software programs and services. The future is in the distinction between the CPR (Computerized Patient Record) and EMR (Electronic Medical Record). The CPR is taking an existing piece of paper and making it an image so that it can be transferred about the office via the computer network, while the EMR seeks to remove the necessity of it ever taking the form of paper. D. Stallbaumer Get it right at intake T BY JOHN ANDREWS Contributing Editor he HME provider’s cash flow cycle begins at intake, and despite its critical importance, it has long been a problematic area. Collecting the right information from the patient upfront has ramifications throughout the entire billing process, yet stubborn errors persist. That’s why Billings, Mont.-based Computers Unlimited has focused on automating the intake function with its new product roll-out, Fusion. “It brings everything together,” said President David Schaer. “We did a lot of analysis and research on key elements of the provider business and the most important is patient intake. So we embarked last December to build a new intake system from the ground up. According to the feedback providers have given us, software vendors have not been getting it right up to this point. We aim to change that.” Clean claims are the goal and the intake process is the appropriate place to head-off any information glitches before they circulate into the system. “We’re using a brand new set of flexible technologies, best practices and extensive research from clients and prospects for as much feedback as possible,” Schaer said. “It is a flexible and configurable system that has the precise qualifications and checks to create a clean claim. It sets up procedure codes, diagnostics and documentation requirements for each item. It also provides business intelligence to monitor critical aspects of the business.” 1 0 AUGUS T 2 0 1 1 The word to remember in the future is “interoperability,” not to be confused with “intra” operability. Our industry will need to be able to work with other industries, not just within our own. The ability to access computerized patient records within your office adds some efficiency but they remain contained in that operating environment. The ability to transfer data from the physician, hospital, pharmacy, hospice and HME without so much as a couple keystrokes will become a necessity. Think of the repetition that occurs as the patient moves from facility to facility. Each facility is inputting their demographics, diagnostic code and insurance. Each facility and entity verifies their insurance and each creates their own duplicate medical record file. Records that become paper at any time during their lifecycle create issues that consequently must be overcome: incomplete charts, wasted professional time in clerical functions, illegible handwritten entries, lack of consistency, uncertain HIPAA compliance, and dysfunctional links to charges, inventory control and scheduling. The adoption of EMR technol- ogy will be accelerated by the introduction of user interfaces that overcome nurse and doctors resistance to working with electronic records. The generation of users that grew up with a keyboard or tablet computer in their hands are now populating physician offices and hospitals. The result of my scrying quest was somewhat less successful. When I awoke from my dream, I found I had fallen asleep on my keyboard, which left an imprint of the asdfg keys on my forehead for the next three days. The pointing and laughing has subsided, but the memory persists. HME Doug Stallbaumer is president of the Argosy Group. Reach him at 785-783-8480 or d.stallbaumer@argosygroup.org. Computers Unlimited Key product Computers Unlimited TIMS Fusion Computers Unlimited is proud to announce a brand new product to address an age old problem in the HME industry. Despite many software advancements, providers continue to rely on paper intake forms and overlook important qualification, valida- tion and documentation steps that are critical for submitting a clean claim that will be paid and equipment that can be tracked and recovered. TIMS Fusion addresses the needs of today’s provider with a customizable intake system that guides the user throughout the entire intake process. It’s fast, flexible, validates and qualifies. And best of all, it eliminates the paper intake form. WWW.CU.NET Heavy reliance on manual processes and adherence to paper documents is an attitude that must change going forward, Schaer said, because it is primarily responsible for claims inaccuracies and now represents an archaic, circuitous business approach. While providers are still largely dependent on paper, Schaer says, they are gradually waking up to the value of automation. “They are realizing how automation can make them more efficient,” he said. “They are accepting that reimbursement is never going back up and that they need to get on the ball to improve their operations.” HME SPECIAL REPORT www.hmenews.com