Radiology Consultants of Iowa Marks Second Year Using MedInformatix

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Radiology Consultants of Iowa, PLC, one of Iowa's largest providers of subspecialty radiology services, has entered its second year using MedInformatix V7.5products to fulfill Stage 1 Meaningful Use objectives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The law encourages use of certified technology to capture electronic health information and track clinical conditions, and provides up to $44,000 per eligible provider in federal incentives for radiologists who comply by 2015 after which penalties will occur.

Health executives at the 31-member practice group said the MedInformatix Radiology Information System (RIS) with EHR and Billing has helped achieve the critical task of seamlessly integrating clinical activities and billing to ensure that patient procedures are properly scheduled and insurers appropriately billed.

"Most of all, we needed an interface between clinical activities and billing — and that's one of the most challenging interfaces," said Joe Moore, Chief Information Officer for Radiology Consultants of Iowa. "If the system doesn't work properly, it leaves a lot of manual tasks to be completed on the back end, and the possibility of missing charges and not being paid by insurers."

Even before MU guidelines were in place, Radiology Consultants had decided to replace its 14-year-old information system with the MedInformatix RIS. As one of two vendors with similar functional capabilities being considered by the practice, MedInformatix earned the edge because of its straightforward business model. "We thought we could predict our costs better; the other company seemed to want to charge us for a lot of add-ons," Moore said.

In late August 2011, Radiology Consultants began using the MedInformatix RIS after an implementation team formulated the system's dashboard according to patient measures needed to comply with Stage 1 Meaningful Use objectives. After completing its 90-day attestation period, Radiology Consultants qualified for its first incentive payments in February 2012. 

"You have to attest that you are meeting the requirements for the payment and it varies from metric to metric," Moore said.  "In the case of the smoking metric, for example, you have to attest to asking that question to at least half of your patients. Some metrics require 80 percent patient participation, others 100 percent. That's why you need a system that can produce those metrics at a glance. In our case, it's not a report just for one physician, but for 31."

The practice historically collected statistics on such activities as patient follow-up procedures by hand, with staff generating Excel-based reports. Staff using the MedInformatix RIS now collect data on demand and package it in reports with more detail and depth. "While we might have captured only 80 percent of data before, we now capture 100 percent all the time," Moore said. "We're saving paper and we're saving time."

The MedInformatix RIS, when used by radiology technologists, front-office staff, administrators, transcriptionists and billing specialists, has also produced other tangible benefits. The practice freed up space in its clinical area by eliminating fax machines altogether and allowing an X-ray film machine to be moved to the front office, and staffers who once handled paperwork have transitioned into new roles, such as performing transcriptions.

RBMA Fall Conference Exhibit
MedInformatix will be demonstrating its RIS with EHR at Booth #511 at the RBMA Fall Conference this October 7^th- 9^th at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort in Chandler, AZ. Find out how to qualify for Meaningful Use with MedInformatix V7.5 RIS with EHR. To schedule a demonstration, please call (310) 348-7367.

About MedInformatix:
MedInformatix, Inc. (www.medinformatix.com) is a leading national provider of fully integrated Electronic Health Records. The products have been built around MedInformatix's 25 years of workflow expertise. MedInformatix's suite of products is designed on a single database using Microsoft SQL. Whether the client is a single physician who went live in 1994, a 13-location cardiology practice, the busiest radiology practice in Manhattan, or one of 15 other serviced specialties, MedInformatix accommodates their needs. MedInformatix can turn the dream of a paperless, integrated practice into a reality.

MedInformatix Version 7.5 is now certified to meet 2011-2012 criteria supporting Stage 1 Meaningful Use requirements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment act (ARRA) as a Complete EHR by the Drummond Group.

This Complete EHR is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by an ONC-ATCB in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or guarantee the receipt of incentive payments. MedInformatix, October 22, 2010, Version 7.5, 1022201024238, Clinical Quality Measures: NQF0013, NQF0421, NQF0041, NQF0024, NQF0028, NQF0038, NQF0059, NQF0061, NQF0064. Additional software used: TrueCrypt v2.0, email software, spreadsheet software.

SOURCE MedInformatix

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