The HITECH Act and what it means to your practice

As of February 17, 2009, the HITECH Act is the law of the land. The U.S. government has mandated the “meaningful use” of EMR/EHR systems for all practices and hospitals in the United States. The good news is, they’ve also agreed to help you pay for it, but only if you act quickly. The sooner you implement an EMR/EHR into your practice, the greater the reimbursement. The downside? All reimbursements expire in 2015 and a series of increasing penalties against Medicare payments kick in. The practices that are already using a certified EMR/EHR by the beginning of 2011 have the most to gain. KTC is your only local IT resource with the skills, experience and understanding of HIPAA requirements that will help you research, decide, plan and implement the most effective EMR/EHR solution for your practice’s business needs. Having a local IT partner can make all the difference. You are a healthcare expert, we are network IT experts. Do yourself a favor and get KTC involved early in your decision-making process. You’ll be glad you did.

We make systems talk

One of the biggest complaints swirling around the healthcare industry regarding EMR systems is their reputation for lacking adequate interoperability. KTC has years of experience dealing specifically with this issue throughout a variety of industries. When EMR systems first hit the scene, it was a natural fit for our unique skills. We’ve successfully implemented EMR systems in real-life practice environments with absolutely phenomenal results. Our skills and background dramatically increase the chances that you’ll be ready when it’s time to go live. Our ability to communicate with your staff will help you get over the learning curve quickly, so you can start realizing efficiencies. Not a one-trick pony No matter what size your practice or what your growth goals, IT is now a fact of life in healthcare. We will work with you until you fully realize your unique circumstances and how you can use IT to make life easier. Whether that means something as simple as teaching you the best way to apply a new IT solution to an old manual process or as complex as helping you understand how to make EDI communications work with your plan providers, KTC’s experience stands out. We are in the business of helping our clients make the most of IT resources, not throwing money down a rabbit hole. Call us today and let us illuminate opportunities for success in your practice.

Don’t just take our word for it ...

Jan Schwartz is the Practice Manager at Lansing Pediatric Associates, a highly successful six-doctor, 22-exam-room pediatric practice in Lansing, Michigan. Over the years, KTC has helped Jan add practice management software, a robust EMR system complete with touch-screen monitors in every exam room, integrated wireless tablet PCs and full integration with prescription and lab management software. Here’s what she thinks of KTC.

There when you need us

“When we were going through our EMR implementation, if we had not gotten KTC involved very early in the process to do a lot of the work ahead of time, the project would have been a disaster. We were a success because we got KTC involved early on. When we first started I thought we would use KTC to buy a few new computers and get them set up. I didn’t realize it was going to be so much more involved. The other thing was, our software vendor was only here for a day and a half two weeks before we went live. They weren’t going to be on site when we went to use all the new equipment, but KTC was. And we needed them! That day I heard my name called from many places and I wouldn’t have been able to answer any of those questions. I know more now than I did then, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without KTC.”

In the vein of teaching

“As electronic records are becoming more mandated, there are going to be a lot of offices even smaller than us that are going to be really lost. It isn’t that we’re dumb people, but when faced with an EMR implementation, it’s overwhelming. You’re trying to pick up so much at one time. I can ask KTC any question and I’m never treated like it was a dumb question or like, ‘you should know that.’ It has always been in the vein of teaching me. They could have told me nothing and just made me call with every question. It’s been the little things along the line that have taught me how to do more and more on my own that has really helped us.”

IT stands for integrity and trust

“It’s important that you have people who can work well together with you. When you have a business, you have contacts. You build relationships. That’s what it’s like working with KTC. If they tell me I need something, I can trust that I really need it. I never have to worry that KTC is going to suggest something just because they want my money. That comes from building a relationship. When you get somebody you can trust like that it really means a lot. KTC is accessible and they think forward. They don’t just solve the problem at hand. They know what our needs will be down the road. Rather than meet the basics or just patch something that went wrong, they always try to give you the best options. They might say, ‘we could do this now and make it work, but in another six months you’re going to need another solution, so why don’t we just do that now?’ But it is always our choice. They give me options.”

The things you can rely on

“At some point there’s going to be a glitch. There just is. I can expect that KTC will keep us on the right path. Going forward, KTC anticipates the problems so we can keep things running. Through the time we’ve been together, if things didn’t go well I would have been shopping for another IT provider. Since it’s been a success we’ll continue to build on that relationship. KTC consultants are good listeners and recognize IT needs that we didn’t even know we had because we didn’t know there was a solution out there to do it. Those are things that we rely on.”