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 Healthcare providers that have begun using legal electronic health records (EHRs) in earnest have discovered that removing paper from the process benefits cash flow, case mix and compliance simultaneously. Processes reengineered around electronic records can increase the hospital’s income, reduce its expenses, improve its cash flow, allow it to keep more of what it bills and stay out of trouble with federal regulators.
— Carlton M. Cottrell
Senior Director, eWebHealth |
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eWebHealth’s distinguished team—which includes 20-year veterans and notable thought leaders in the field of health information management—can help you gain essential insight into managing the flow of information both inside and outside your institution.
Frequent presenters at industry events and authors of articles on topics ranging from health record quality and workflow process improvement to patient privacy and compliance, eWebHealth brings significant breadth and depth of experience in solving some of healthcare’s most pressing issues. |
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eWebHealth White Papers
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The Key Operational and Technological Issues Associated with Automating HIM Workflows
Most HIM departments are consumed with multiple tasks related to coding, accessing and managing medical records and complying with external and internal quality reporting requirements. Viewing this work not as discrete tasks but as distinct workflows presents significant opportunities to achieve dramatic improvements in efficiency and compliance which can translate into tremendous financial rewards for the organization. This paper describes the benefits associated with applying
a workflow orientation to the business of HIM and outlines the key operational and technological issues associated with automating HIM workflows. |
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LHR vs EHR:
Defining the key differences between the Legal Health Record and the Electronic Health Record
Though the term "legal health record (LHR)" has been around for many years now, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding around what exactly a LHR is, what it does and whether or not provider organizations really need them—especially if they have the kinds of electronic clinical documentation and ordering tools that constitute an electronic health record (EHR). The recent introduction of the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) and the funding it will provide to organizations that can demonstrate meaningful use of EHR technology has intensified the confusion around the relationship between EHR and LHR and whether or not an organization needs both. |
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How Electronic Records Improve Coding’s
“Three Cs”: Cash Flow, Case Mix and Compliance
By Carlton M. Cottrell
Abstract
The “three Cs” of coding – cash flow, case mix and regulatory compliance – can all simultaneously benefit from electronic access to health records. Incorporating electronic records into a hospital’s processes can increase income, reduce expenses, improve cash flow and allow the organization to keep more of what it bills.
Legal benefits of using electronic records include the potential avoidance of civil penalties and issues with federal regulators. By going electronic, hospitals have the potential to take a more active role in the entire reimbursement process.
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The Business of Healthcare Demands a Legal EHR
by Carlton M. Cottrell
Abstract
All hospitals maintain legal records documenting the care that they provide to their patients. In the pursuit of an electronic health record (EHR), healthcare organizations often focus primarily on the clinical functions that this technology will serve. However, many critical business functions also depend on the EHR’s legal and administrative uses to support payment and to justify and improve performance. This white paper explores the relationship between clinical and legal EHRs, provides the business case for developing a legal EHR, describes strategies for getting it funded, and provides a user perspective on how to get there. |
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Right-Sizing the EHR for Community
and Rural Hospitals
by Brian Cahill
Abstract
Electronic health records (EHRs) are an ideal solution to address the challenges inherent to serving geographically dispersed populations; however, overburdened IT departments and tight capital budgets are the norm for most community and rural hospitals. Legal rather than point-of-care EHRs allow these hospitals to begin executing on their EHR strategies quickly and cost-effectively, particularly when hospitals are well informed about their options and the keys to implementation success. |
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eWebHealth Papers & Articles
Stay abreast of vital issues in medical records management with eWebHealth thought leadership papers and articles |
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