Technology

Effective use of technology can improve neurology practice. This section will provide support for AAN.com features in addition to other resources.

Electronic Health Record Vendor Information

The AAN has joined with AmericanEHR Partners to provide members with guidance and resources to assist in purchasing and implementing electronic health records (EHRs) in their practices. This partnership will provide neurologists across the United States with free access to the necessary tools to identify, implement, and effectively use EHRs and other health care technologies.

This site offers free registration to neurologists to compare EHR systems and access educational material about implementing EHRs. Neurologists can also review the EHR system they are already using.

Visit the AmericanEHR website to learn more, including:

• Interactive tools to help you measure your practice's readiness to adopt an EHR system
• A directory of vendors and tools to compare and rate vendors and instantly obtain vendor information
• Educational resources to help better understand meaningful use and how to implement an EHR system
• Tools to review the EHR system you are currently using

Note: The AAN makes no endorsements of specific products surveyed by AmericanEHR Partners, which is managed by Cientis Technologies and the American College of Physicians. Other partners in the system include the American College of Rheumatology, American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Physician Assistants, Society of General Internal Medicine, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

AmericanEHR Partners EHR Survey

One component of this effort is the AmericanEHR Partners EHR Survey. There are substantial incentive payments available for EHR adoption, but EHR selection and implementation are significant efforts that require accurate information and careful planning. We request your participation in this survey to ensure AAN members contribute to the growing body of peer–rated EHR information already available on the AmericanEHR website.

Please support AAN and your colleagues by sharing your experiences, even if you are not currently using an EHR in your practice. Your feedback provides essential data in support of selection, adoption and even future development of EHRs used by neurologists and other physicians who care for neurology related disorders.

EHR E/M Templates

Epic

The EHR-ready templates were designed using the Epic electronic health record (EHR), and may be incorporated as a SmartPhrase. A SmartPhrase helps decrease typing by recognizing common notes, where only typing in a few characters automatically populates a whole phrase, paragraph, or note. The "@" phrases are links to data elsewhere in the medical record, and will populate automatically in the document. Users will need to make adjustments for their own systems. The templates may be used for hospital and office level 3-5 new patient and established visit documentation.

One common challenge with EHRs is preserving the narrative flow of the patient's story. Many neurologists have had their share of vacuous Emergency Department EHR notes that communicate little or nothing. The narrative can only be done by typing it longhand in the HPI.

This is also true of the Impression and Comment sections. A least 2 problems and a discussion of a minimum of three differential diagnostic possibilities should be included, as well as if data was obtained from someone other than patient, films and labs were reviewed, and complex testing or medication were ordered.

Also included is the option of billing for time. At least 51% of your time needs to be spent in counseling to bill solely for time, and the content of the conversation needs to be documented as detailed here.

Compliance with E/M guidelines is not guaranteed by using these templates. The user should be familiar with the rules for determining the complexity of medical decision making as detailed here. This is just one example of a possible template option. Other templates without pre-populated exams may be more optimal in an academic setting.

For more information on the Epic, please visit www.epic.com.