How Fox Meadows EMR Software Packages Are Helping Obama's Five Pillars

EMR software packages from Fox Meadows will fully support at least one of Obama's pillars, the tenet endorsing health care reforms intended to lower costs for families and businesses.

On April 14, 2009, in an important table-setting address given at Georgetown University in our nation's capital, President Barack Obama provided a measure of hope as a recession continued. His sense of hope was buttressed by a Biblical allusion from the Sermon of the Mount in an earlier address given by Jesus the Christ more than two millennia ago. President Obama compared our current economic miasma to "shifting sands," and offered to replace our current underpinning with something firmer, something made of a substance used figuratively and literally to support the weight of our new realities. "We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand. We must build our house upon a rock," Mr. Obama said, as if offering a parable. This new foundation buttressed by a rock – hopefully one like Gibraltar – will itself be supported by five pillars, especially one which enacts the President's health care reforms to lower costs for families and businesses.

That's where Fox Meadows and our EMR software solutions come in. Obama's $787 billion stimulus bill, officially named the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, has put aside nearly $20 billion ($17.2 billion currently budgeted) for prudent investments such as the reimbursement of physicians and hospitals for the purchase of federally compliant EMR software packages, in order to usher American health care into the digital age. Such an ambitious transition won't be easy, and in fact, there's a certain urgency already attached to it. Now is never the time to procrastinate, especially when January 1, 2011, is the day when reimbursement commences. 2009 is already going fast. Purchasers of Fox Meadows offered EMR solutions should also allow themselves some lead time to learn their solution, a paperless solution that has already provided thousands of physicians in more than twenty specialties with an intuitive functionality that makes essential patient information instantly available at the point of care. Investing in a Fox Meadows EMR solution might even be considered patriotic. This must be true when you consider those five pillars holding up Obama's newfound rock.

To learn more about electronic medical records, emr software, medical billing software visit Foxmeadows.com.

Fox Meadows Software Packages Certain to be Federally Complian

Fox Meadows Software Packages Certain to be Federally Compliant

Fox Meadows plans to continue its proven track record of diagnostic and treatment efficacy while meeting all ARRA standards.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is off and running. President Obama's bold federal initiative, in response to our current economic meltdown of 2008-2009, has met congressional approval to the tune of $787 billion. A sizable chunk of that stimulus money, close to $20 billion (currently budgeted at $17.2 billion) is "earmarked," to use that much maligned term (with apologies in advance to Senator John McCain) for EMR software packages. Intended is more like it, but the meaning is clear: a lot of federal dollars is set to reimburse physicians and hospitals for their soon-to-be-mandated purchases of federally compliant Electronic Medical Records software systems. For many, the transition will be too costly to undertake without the rebates. But if physicians in their offices can move into the 21st century with a certain aplomb, overcoming their natural distrust of change (it's human nature), Fox Meadows will be there for them.

In the past several years, the prestigious South Carolina-based firm has made its mark in thousands of offices nationwide, amassing a proven track record of diagnostic and treatment efficacy. Our EMR solutions have helped thousands of physicians participating in more than 20 specialties to not only accept technological advances of great magnitude, but to expect an intuitive functionality that makes essential patient information instantly available at the point of care. To many patients who are used to old-fashioned disordered chaos at the mercy of paper, this paperless trend is nothing short of miraculous. In many instances, direct patient care becomes possible if not probable when it was unlikely before. Physicians are being freed up to experience something they might never have dared to imagine – that clinical encounters can be pleasant for the physician and patient alike.

It's certain that EMR solutions from Fox Meadows will be compliant to newly established federal guidelines when the time comes. But January 1, 2011, is the day when the money gods will officially open the floodgates to reimbursement for compliant packages. A significant date for you may well be now, today, in 2009, so that the learning curve for transition post-purchase (three-to-six months is typical for most new users) doesn't sneak up on your office or facility, and the 80% usage requirement (a prerequisite for reimbursement) becomes a smoother reality. Let Fox Meadows provide you with the right EMR solution to help you get there. Don't procrastinate when your future is waiting.

To learn more about electronic medical records, emr software, medical billing software visit Foxmeadows.com.

President Obama's Georgetown Speech Offers Hope

One of Obama's "five pillars" is health care reform. A pillar of health care reform could be said to be EMR software in every physician's office – a surefire cost-saving measure.

On Tuesday, April 14 2009, President Barack Obama offered a message of hope at Georgetown University. He did warn of a period of future economic hardship for Americans, but also praised "signs of hope" in the national economy which were the result, in large measure, of his administration's $787-billion economic stimulus legislation, which has already "spurred consumer demand" and partially restored the flow of credit so crucial to businesses. "By no means are we out of the woods just yet. But from where we stand, for the very first time, we are beginning to see glimmers of hope," Obama said, "And beyond that, way off in the distance, we can see a vision of America's future that is far different than our troubled economic past." Obama's vision won't be established on the shifting sands of Clinton & Bush-era deregulatory fiscal policies, but instead be anchored on something firmer. He alluded to Jesus and the deity's Sermon on the Mount, found in the Bible. "We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand. We must build our house upon a rock," Obama said, and he wasn't necessarily referring to the first Pope. The rock-buttressed foundation the President referred to will have "five pillars." One of them is especially pertinent: Enacting his health care reforms to lower costs for families and businesses.

U.S. health care remains beset with problems. Spiraling costs have removed the safety net of health insurance from forty-eight million Americans, while millions more are left in a gray category of "under-insured," a precarious predicament that leaves patients in sometimes equally dire straits. Those who are insured may receive care, but it's often compromised. Inefficient and potentially lethal in itself, without the reassuring presence of state-of-the-art EMR software systems, antiquated systems of record-keeping and data collection hold sway – likely placing additional millions at risk while contributing mightily to cost increases that seem to never quit. President Obama's health care reform package promises big changes for the better in its mandate: U.S. physicians must begin using EMR systems to process their patient data by 2014. In fact, January 1, 2011, is the day essential and long-overdue reform truly begins – as stimulus reimbursement for EMR package purchases kicks off on that super day. But the timing is urgent. It's now, in 2009, that proactive physicians and hospitals will begin the "gold rush" toward cost savings and efficiency in ever increasing numbers, despite a persistent recession. There's also the 80% usage rate to consider, and it's prudent to remember that the mandate calls for this viable percentage to be a fixture and to be in effect – learning curve windows on EMR packages are conservatively 3-6 months. So yes, as another Easter passes there is hope for the U.S. health care industry – perhaps more than a mere glimmer.

David York is with Fox Meadows, a provider of electronic medical records software, EMR Software, and medical billing software. To learn more about electronic medical records, emr software, medical billing software visit Foxmeadows.com.

Doctors Already Responding to Obama's Call to Make Offices Paperless

Physicians seek to take advantage of $17.2 billion in stimulus money while switching to digital record-keeping.

Peter Naismith called his physician in his Akron office thirty-seven times during a five-day span to retrieve his medical records. "I needed them to get an MRI," the 53-year-old Naismith asserts. "The receptionist kept putting me off because my doctor still has paper files," he says, "It's my contention that they couldn't find them. I suspect that my records were lost somewhere in their office." Naismith works as a police officer and is familiar with electronic record-keeping. "All of our criminal files are computerized and easy to find. Why couldn't they have done that with my medical records? I told my doctor to get rid of the paper files and he just tried to laugh it off. I wasn't in the mood for laughing as I might have a tumor, and without my records, the hospital won't do the MRI.''

While Naismith's predicament isn't that unusual, fortunately it's becoming less common. A dramatic transition to EMR software packages is already occurring in physician's offices all across America in anticipation of the U.S. Congress spending $17.2 billion in stimulus monies devoted to the now mandated move to paperless.

Naismith's physician still scribbles prescriptions on tiny scrip sheets that can easily get lost and are difficult to read because, according to Naismith, "The guy writes like a first-grader who needs to get his knuckles rapped." Other patients unwilling to be quoted publicly mention forgetting to tell the doctor about past conditions and therefore getting the wrong medication, or filling out medical forms until their fingers ache. But as the ghost of the Christmas future once said pointedly in the pages of A Christmas Carol -- "It doesn't have to be this way, my dear Mr. Scrooge." Indubitably it doesn't. Even a recent survey published in The New England Journal of Medicine reported that doctors who control patient management electronically attest that such record-keeping helps improve the quality and the timeliness of care. Besides improving care, going paperless also reduces errors and is playing an increasing role in cost containment – the very object of Obama's health care reform in the first place. But there's also a financial incentive. According to the mandate now in place, physicians in compliance by January 1, 2011 (well before the 2014 cut-off date) are eligible for reimbursement for purchases of EMR software packages if they purchase a federally certified package, and can establish 80% usage in their practices. Considering that there's a three to six month learning curve in the transition (unless the physician is also a computer whiz) the rush to buy compliant packages is already on. The digital world of record-keeping beckons.

David York is with Fox Meadows, a provider of electronic medical records software, EMR Software, and medical billing software. To learn more about electronic medical records, emr software, medical billing software visit Foxmeadows.com.

Obama's Healthcare Agenda Highlights EMR Software as Cost Saver

President Barack Obama's healthcare agenda epitomizes business intelligence with its stressing of increasingly pervasive EMR software.

Every Presidential succession, a new President seems to make promises to modernize U.S. healthcare, most of them he can't keep. The Obama Administration's ambitious agenda to reform a broken healthcare system seems calculated in a similar fashion. But everything is not always as it seems. This time, the new measures offered might achieve results – especially in relation to electronic medical records software implementation.

Healthcare IT (Information Technology) has surfaced as a distinct priority backed up by dollars – lots of dollars; even with some substantial shaving of dollars in the stimulus package ($30 billion was originally allotted for Healthcare IT), the numbers remaining are still a "healthy" $19 billion. Much of the administration's attention is focused on mechanisms that improve access to data, of which a prominent facet has to be electronic medical records systems and software.

An Obama stated objective is to "invest in proven strategies to reduce preventable medical errors." This inevitably leads to finger pointing at a "paper system" where physicians jot down prescriptions in often ineligible handwriting, where patient files and records are misplaced and have to be needlessly duplicated or even created anew from scratch, sacrificing not only paper but efficiency and perhaps safety in the old-fashioned processing. In fact, a wider adoption of medical records should save lives.

EMR systems are quite efficient and proficient in the managing and dispensing of prescription drugs, the primary source of medical errors. But can the Obama-era U.S. healthcare juggernaut take full advantage of a newfound electronic data stream? How much of the data will be quantifiable in a traditional sense? The size of data warehouses will be growing radically. Can the stream be mined adequately in the coming years for qualitative analysis? These questions will pose enormous challenges, but also offer potentially staggering rewards.

David York is with Fox Meadows, a provider of electronic medical records software, EMR Software, and medical billing software. To learn more about electronic medical records, emr software, medical billing software visit Foxmeadows.com.

Obama's Stimulus Package May Lead to a Medical Records Bonanza

A two-year window spurred by the new Administration's providing economic stimulus funding for purchasing EMR software could lead to a veritable "bonanza" as clinicians rush to take advantage prior to January 1, 2011, when the money kicks in.

Physicians must begin using EMR systems to process their patient data by 2014. In fact, the time for physicians and hospitals to begin their switchovers is NOW. Stringent conditions exist in order for physicians and hospitals to take advantage of the new economic stimulus package pertaining to EMR software packages. Among those conditions is 80% usage while purchasing a federally certified package. January 1, 2011 is the day it all begins. It's worth noting that a preparatory "learning curve" window (3-6 months lead time) is essential for the required 80% usage rate is to be achieved by the Obama-mandated deadline.

Even prior to the introduction of President Obama's stimulus, the U.S. healthcare information technology industry spent $28 billion annually. This figure could triple by 2019. Some of these increased expenditures are expected to be recouped in the digitizing of Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The stimulus bill, already renamed as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is expected to make the use of electronic medical records nearly universal by 2015, when up to 90% of U.S. physicians will be fully invested in EMR. Physicians will be paid less by that year if they aren't using EMR. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, is also expected to engender multistate computer networks so that physicians and hospitals will be able to exchange medical records over the Internet instead of via fax lines. But the getting there won't be easy. The figure for physicians currently using EMR systems is estimated at 38%, according to a February 2009 survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

The period between autumn 2010 and January 1, 2011 is expected to resemble a "gold rush" as physicians and hospitals rush to take advantage. So the timing is urgent, during 2009, not late in 2010, for physicians to potentially exploit what looks to be an electronic medical records bonanza.

David York is with Fox Meadows, a provider of electronic medical records software, EMR Software, and medical billing software. To learn more about electronic medical records, emr software, medical billing software visit Foxmeadows.com.

Fox Meadows Well Positioned to Assist ARRA

Fox Meadows EMR software and Practice Management software already is serving thousands of physicians. Buoyed by the Obama stimulus, officially named the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, solutions like those offered by Fox Meadows will certainly make EMR and electronic data collection for clinicians even more pervasive.

It already has an acronym: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. IT could be also argued as integral to ARRA, if you consider "it" as its own acronym, Information Technology as applicable to the sprawling U.S. medical system. But comprehensive software packages provided by companies such as Fox Meadows should only increase their use during the next few years, as electronic modernization becomes federally mandated.

Such software applications are about to bring offices into a bright future filled with the promise of increased efficiency bundled with vastly improved patient care.

Obama's ARRA is huge. The act includes more than $20 billion in grants and loans as well as creative incentives to spur physicians into this brave new world. Now is the time to "go paperless." The stimulus monies kick in on January 1, 2011, but that is a bit misleading. Without a 3-6 month preparatory "learning curve," the ability to properly utilize the packages at a government-mandated 80% usage rate just won't happen. In addition, long lines of medical applicants to purchase the new systems should be in full swing by mid-2010, let alone in the year's waning days. The rush to exploit the stimulus funding to help purchase EMR packages will create a veritable logjam for necessary switchovers. By 2015 when the mandates kick in with fee decreases for physicians still "papered," up to 90% of medical professionals are expected to have "gone paperless."

Fox Meadows solution for EMR is sure to emerge as a leading solution. Packages provided by Fox Meadows are already helping thousands of physicians in more than 20 medical specialties to automate their practices in ways they could barely imagine just a few months ago.

To learn more about electronic medical records, emr software, medical billing software visit Foxmeadows.com.

Fox Meadows Software Systems to be Funded by Obama's New Stimulus Plan

Excellent "paperless" solutions from Fox Meadows are expected to be a perfect fit for ARRA.

During the turbulent years of the recent Bush Administration, U.S. physicians saw the writing on the wall. Antiquated gathering of medical records was giving way, albeit slowly, to "paperless" electronic medical record-keeping. By 2004, 38% of U.S. physicians had gone "paperless." It was anticipated by many astute physicians and clinicians that someday the government would begin footing the bill for this imminent switchover. As a consequence of many factors, including lack of private resources, medical professionals hesitated, even balked at the big change looming.

Now the Bush Administration is gone, although that President too had moved in a direction of universal EMR. Bush's more modest plan was sabotaged, even ambushed, by a national financial crisis rivaling the catastrophe of several generations earlier referred to as The Great Depression. Now that very crisis of 2008-2009 has become the catalyst for an even bolder federal initiative called ARRA – the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. ARRA will pay for electronic software solutions that will do the trick – bold software initiatives provided by Fox Meadows in the twin arenas of EMR and Practice Management.

Fox Meadows EMR solutions have already amassed a proven track record of diagnostic and treatment efficacy in thousands of offices nationwide. Thousands of physicians participating in 20+ specialties have learned to expect an intuitive functionality that makes essential patient information instantly available at point of care. In many cases, direct patient care becomes possible if not probable when it was unlikely before. These physicians have discovered that the many tasks of a clinical encounter can even become, well … pleasant – for physician and patient alike.

As a complement to the software firm's excellent EMR solutions are packages designed for the Practice Management arena. These packages simultaneously create an "Obama-prescribed" integration of electronic medical record-keeping and a practice management solution gearing practices toward optimal performance. Flexible and robust, our EMR/PM solutions combine into an award-winning suite that supports the complex workflows known to exist in a busy patient care environment.

When you consider Fox Meadows solutions like MediNotes EMR and MediNotes Clinician, Obama's ARRA couldn't have come along at a better time.

To learn more about electronic medical records, emr software, medical billing software visit Foxmeadows.com.