Health Information Technology

The COVID-19 pandemic has made telemedicine the way to see and consult with all patients, not just those who have confirmed or suspected cases.

To make telemedicine available to more patients and their physicians during the emergency declaration period, many state and federal rules and regulations regarding telehealth have changed.

Internet scammers are trying to cash in on the widespread anxiety over COVID-19, and awareness is the best defense, according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). 

Likewise, the Texas Attorney General's Office has issued a warning about outbreak-related scams. 

Electronic Health Record (EHR) data entry is a part of the job, but for most physicians it’s a chore. Not only does it take time away from your patients, it adds to the hours you spend in the office (or to the work hours you spend at home). Fortunately, many physicians have found ways to save time doing data entry.

As COVID-19 cases rise across the state, physicians have been asking the Texas Medical Association about getting started with telemedicine. 

That’s why TMA staff has added new tools and information to the TMA telemedicine resource center.

The recently updated TMA EHR Vendor Comparison Tool provides TMA member physicians access to an assessment of EHR products that have a solid Texas market base. It gives physicians a view of company information, product functionality, pricing, and interoperability capabilities when comparing EHR systems.

Telemedicine is rapidly evolving, and the number of physicians who use it continues to grow.

Whether you use telemedicine every day in your practice or you’re just starting to consider how it might benefit your patients, you probably have plenty of questions and concerns about using it effectively and within compliance.

That’s why the Texas Medical Association formed a task force that will help TMA serve physicians who want to integrate telemedicine into their practice.

The federal requirements have not changed, but starting Jan. 1, breach notification requirements became even more stringent for Texas physicians or medical entities. The Texas Legislature dropped the threshold for breach reporting from 500 patients to 250. House Bill 4390 also requires medical entities to report breaches to the Texas attorney general’s office within 60 days of the breach.

Ideally, all members of a health care team –physicians, hospitals, labs – should be able to use HIT and EHRs to share patient information through a secure network, a process called interoperability.

Health Information Exchange (HIE) can be accomplished in different ways, and the needs and requirements vary by practice.

the Texas Medical Association pushed state lawmakers this year for a special appropriation to the Texas Board of Pharmacy for funds to allow Appriss Health, the state’s PMP vendor, to integrate with electronic health record (EHR) systems and health information exchanges (HIEs). This integration allows physicians to access PMP data within their EHR when creating a prescription – at no cost to the physician. 

Because EHR systems are not standardized, moving data from one EHR to another is not precise and usually is difficult. Be sure to consult the contract with your existing vendor to understand how it must provide your data. Also, as a TMA member, you have access to no-cost technology contract reviews from TMA-approved vendor Coker Group.

It probably goes without saying that technology is an integral part of modern health care.

But how can you be sure you’re getting the best deal from your technology vendor?

You can’t be absolutely sure of course, but a few modifications to your vendor contract can help you avoid much of the risk associated with buying technology.

TMA works diligently to give you the tools you need to tackle the challenges of technology. Whether you need help selecting an electronic health record (EHR) or understanding MACRA or the EHR incentive program, TMA has the resources.