30 Tech Tips in 30 Minutes

1. 30 Tech Tips in 30 Minutes Rosemarie Nelson Principal, MGMA Healthcare Consulting Group

2. The patient’s records • Patients, parents of patients, adult children of elderly patients • Portable patient record with easy access for the practice • www.healthetracks.com $24.95/yr • www.nomoreclipboard.com Free-basic • Secure transmission to your EMR • www.digitalassent.com

3. The Patient – Where it all Starts • Is the practice web site getting traction with patients? • In the July 2005 MGMA Connexionarticle, “e-mail ease”, author A.J. Melaragno cited two methods to introduce a practice portal on page 26: • Evanston Northwestern Healthcare “doctors tell patients about it during office visits and give them a descriptive brochure, then issue access codes to those interested in signing up.” • “Marshfield Clinic launched a direct mail campaign in its primary service area.” • Patient intake tools • Instant Medical History • www.practisinc.com • PatientPoint • Medfusion.net (Intuit)

4. Apps to help educate patients • DrawMD (free in Apple app store) – physicians can sketch, stamp or type on detailed anatomic images and then save to EHRs and/or share images with patients • NumeraNET (free in Apple app store) – patients can share info such as weight, blood pressure, pedometer results with physicians,who can send the info to an EHR • Survey on the Spot (free in Apple app store) • Gather instant feedback on your practice with custom surveys • See compiled survey results in your account • Get software alerts when a patient rates service as poor

5. Patient Portal: Business of Medicine is Communications • Deliver content • Get nurses off the phones with FAQs • www.selfcarenet.com • Physician-authored, peer-reviewed content for patients • Description of symptom, injury or condition • Guidance on when to call doctor (right away, within 24 hours, during office hours) • Advice for self-care or care at home

6. Get wild and crazy • Informed consent • Webcast for patients v. surgeon’s time • Online scheduling – pick date/time • Flu shot clinic

7. Tips to get patients to your web site • Put your web address on statements, appointment cards, brochures • Put your web address on any advertising including the yellow pages • Change your answering machine to prompt patients to go online • Using automated phone tools (like appointment reminders and lab result calls) to call patients to announce new features on the website • www.mediplay.com

8. Free electronic forms • www.memag.com • www.physicianspractice.com • www.toolkit.cch.com

9. QR - - Quick Response codes • Scan the QR (like bar codes) using smartphone camera to access data that links to web page • Add QR code to patient statements that link to your payment page online • Free QR code generation: • Qrstuff.com • Zxing.appspot.com/generator • Quikqr.com • Create the code, print it, and it’s ready!

10. In the midst of a technology implementation? • Signage: “Under construction” • Hard hats for the front desk staff • Construction tape ala Les Nessman

11. How fast can you type? (accurately!) • www.pcshorthand.com • Not just for your providers • Never type your name again! • Better than auto text – it branches • How about the nursing staff? • ~ $30 for one year subscription • Try it for $5.95! • Multi-users: $139.95/year for 5 users

12. Online scheduling • Eppointments (www.eppointments.com) • Online patient services: forms, email messages, confirm appts • Internal patient tracking • www.needmydoctor.com – web-based communication channel • Employee scheduling • www.abs-usa.com (online) • $20/month - $33/month • 25-50 employees • www.asgardsystems.com (sw) • $500 - $800 • 30-50 employees

13. Performance management systems • www.maus.com • www.2020insightgold.com • www.panoramicfeedback.com • www.teamsinc.com • www.mindsolve.com • www.vitalityalliance.com • www.boothco.com

14. Trash your time cards! • Biometric check in/out: Count Me In • www.countmeinllc.com • Looks like a mouse – employee fingertip attendance • Upload to QuickBooks • $299 basic edition

15. iPhone/PDA charge capture Outside the office - nursing facilities, hospitals, surgi centers, etc. • www.whiteplume.com • www.medaptus.com • www.patientkeeper.com • Best practices for charge posting lag time • 24 hours for office service charges • 48 hours for hospital service charges

16. PDA Security • Password protect, Encrypt data, Prevent Theft • PDASecure from TrustDigital • www.trustdigital.com • TealLock from TealPoint • www.tealpoint.com/softlock.htm

17. Squareup.com • Register online • Small hardware device plugs into iPhone and reads credit cards Download cost: Free 

18. Mobile Technology Cabinet • Adjustable, laptop-charging computer cart (www.rubbermaidmedical.com) cost range from $295 to $599.   • Base size is 17 inches by 22 inches (store against a wall; small footprint in an exam room); height adjustment ranges from 44 inches to 60 inches, so users can sit or stand. • Use with a laptop or desktop computer and monitor that are concealed when the doors are closed. • Powered version has software to track battery life and can send email alerts when any issues arise.

19. Scanner Pro app • A scanner in your pocket - scan on the go. “We use it quite a lot,” said AshishToshniwal, founder and CEO of eight-person Y Media Labs, a Redwood City, Calif.-based iPhone app developing company. “Scanner Pro allows you to take a photos of a document through iPhone and then save it as a PDF. You don’t need to go through the pain of scanning a document and then converting it. Scanning is much more cumbersome than taking photos.” Scan multiple page documents, send scans by email and set custom page sizes. Download cost: $6.99

20. More digital document management • www.laserfiche.com • White papers • Another transition to EMR • Improve efficiency of paper-based processes

21. Nursing efficiencies - handhelds • Skyscape • Taber’s Medical Dictiona • Davis’ Drug Guide for Nurses • RN FastFacts • ABCs of Interpretive Laboratory Data

22. Nurse mobility and productivity • Wireless headsets • PhonePad • www.cybercom-software.com • NotifyMD.com

23. Dropbox.com • Files in different places? • Download the software • AccessDropbox files on other devices (iPhone, iPad) “Instead of putting documents in ‘My Documents’ on my hard drive, I put them in Dropbox,” said provider. “For example, I put all of my transcription into Dropbox and if I get a call after hours, I can pull up the last office note on my iPhone or iPad.; you can access everything electronically.” Download cost:Free

24. What else is online? • Bill paying • Pay remittance advice • E-file with the IRS

25. Web sites –daily/weekly feeds • HITS (HealthIT Strategist) from www.modernhealthcare.com • www.healthleaders.com • www.ihealthbeat.org (one of the better ones) • www.chcf.org(although named “California” this is a national organization with good credibility) • www.physicianspractice.com (weekly Pearls)

26. Zite – free iPad app • Personalized news and features magazine • An aggregator that collects news and features from other sources

27. Inventory? Network map? • Physical walk through • Workstation application inventory • Who’s doing what “neat stuff”? • Physician with PDA and Documents To Go? • You don’t know what you don’t know

28. And don’t forget… • Home-based transcription – is the PC off-limits to family members? • Employee termination - change everyone’s passwords • Screen savers and reactivation passwords • Lock the server room door • “Wipe” hard drive before giving away a PC

29. Who can you call? • www.askdrtech.com • www.pcpinpoint.com • www.speakwithageek.com

30. Business IntelligenceReporting • Add-on tools for reporting from practice management system • www.qlikview.com • www.trellishc.com • The Diver Solution, Dimensional Insight • www.dimins.com/decisionsupport • www.bridgeitsolutions.com • www.dashboardMD.com • Service – runs nightly • Web based – hosted/on your server (data warehouse) • Turn-key enterprise-wide • Custom KPIs

31. Passwords • Change routinely (quarterly) • Do not post • Alphanumeric combo • Scheme: song/phrase first letter of words and insert numbers • Case matters • Not less than four characters (six-to-eight) • Isn’t it obvious that it should not be the obvious?

32. Passwords made easy • RoboForm www.roboform.com • Saves user name and PW • Heavy encryption • Master password – reboot, sleep mode, inactive time • Creates passwords – random character generator • Inserts a toolbar into your browser • $29.95 (free version for up to 10 passwords)

33. Laptop Security • nTracker (www.synet.biz) – ISP change • TheftGuard (www.softex.com) – remote recover and destroy data • ComputraceLoJack software – monitoring center and recovery team can remotely delete PHI when stolen computer logs on Internet • Caveo Anti-Theft PC Card – issues audible signals if PC moved beyond distance specified when on or off • SprintSecure Laptop Guardian – mobile broadband connection card as ignition key (must insert to use) • Encrypt entire hard drive with SafeGuard Easy (preboot authentication) • Biometric identifiers

34. “All or Nothing” is a Losing Proposition • Accept the incremental benefits. • Waiting for the “next upgrade” or the “next release” delays all benefits realizations. • Transferring 30% of incoming phone calls to web communications is better than 0%.

35. Questions?