• EMR Implementation Guide, 2nd Edition

    The Link to a Better Future

    Successfully implementing HIT into an office practice can bring improvements in both quality of patient care and practice profitability.  The implementation guide offers a nontechnical view of the steps necessary for the successful introduction of HIT with an emphasis on the needs of smaller practices.  This publication will walk you through the process of acquiring and learning to use HIT.

    Download and read the Implementation Guide (PDF) from this link if you are not going to claim CME. Otherwise, use the link below. 

    You may claim CME credits for $25. Click here to read the course in its entirety, complete an online post-test and course evaluation, and make payment. 

    TMA gratefully acknowledges the Texas Medical Association Special Funds Foundation for its support of this publication through funds awarded by The Physicians’ Foundation.       

  • Course Highlights

    Chapter 1  Introducing Health Information Technology

    Chapter 2  Why Now?

    Chapter 3  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
    Meaningful Use
    Medicare and Medicaid Incentives
    Privacy Provisions

    Chapter 4  Is Your Practice Ready for HIT?
    EMR Readiness Tool
    The Impact of Workflow Redesign

    Chapter 5  Which Product Is Right for Your Practice?
    Determining Your Technology Needs
    Best-of-Breed Vs. Fully Integrated Solutions
    Assessing Software

    Chapter 6  Open Source Solutions
    Advantages and Disadvantages
    Certification Issues

    Chapter 7  Making the Selection
    Narrowing the Choices
    Site Visits and Vendor Demonstrations

  • CME Expiration
    Released    Sept. 1, 2009
    Expires        Sept. 1, 2015
    CME Credits
    3 AMA PRA Cat. 1
    3 ETHICS
    TMLT Discount

  • Liability Insurance Discount

    Physicians who are insured with Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT) may earn professional liability insurance discounts by participating in approved continuing education activities. TMLT policyholders who complete this course will earn a 3-percent discount (not to exceed $1,000), which will be applied to their next eligible policy period.

  • The Authors

    David D. Marcus, MBA, PhD is a Nashville-based writer, seminar presenter, and consultant on physician payment and health policy issues. Before founding Physician Payment Resources in 1998, Dr. Marcus headed TMA’s Department of Health Care Financing, where he developed nationally recognized physician advocacy and education activities to guide TMA’s membership in adapting to the growth of health care payment plans and the evolution of Medicare reimbursement. His writings have appeared in AMNews, Texas Medicine, The Journal of Practice Management, and in numerous TMA publications on physician payment and health policy. He can be reached at ddmarcus@comcast.net.

    John Lubrano, PhD     is the founder and owner of Protis I.T. Solutions. For nine years, Protis has provided information technology consulting and support for professional service firms in Texas. Dr. Lubrano specializes in office automation and electronic health record selection and deployment for medical practices. He works exclusively with TMA Practice Consulting as its technology expert. He graduated summa cum laude with a BA from the University of Notre Dame, and earned his PhD from The University of Texas at Austin. He can be reached at lubrano@protis.com.

    Jennifer Murray, MHA     worked in health care administration for more than eight years for organizations such as the Texas Medical Association and St. David’s Healthcare Partnership. She now offers business and technical writing services to health care and medical companies as the founder of her own company, JGM Business Services, Inc. Ms.Murray has coauthored articles in Texas Journal for Rural Public Health and Journal of Health Administration Education. She has written for organizations such as Seton Healthcare Network, Premium Health Products, and the Comprehensive Breast Center of Arizona. Ms. Murray holds a bachelor of science in biology and a master of health care administration, and is a fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives. She can be reached at jengmurray@gmail.com.

  • Continuing Medical Education

    The Texas Medical Association (TMA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

    TMA designates this educational activity for a maximum of 3 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.

    TMA designates this activity for 3 credits in ethics and/or professional responsibility education.

    Course Objectives
    Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to: 1) Discuss the efficiency and quality benefits of an electronic medical record (EMR) system; 2) Evaluate their practices with a needs assessment to determine EMR readiness in terms of financial and operational variables; 3) Discuss common EMR vendor contract issues and legal considerations for utilizing technology; and 4) Summariz necessary steps to select, implement, and maintain an EMR system.

    Target Audience
    This course was developed for physicians, practice managers, and administrators considering adoption of an electronic medical record system.