Why eFax Modules are Essential

by

Criterions eFax HIPPA Compliant Module

There’s a high chance you are still sending faxes daily, which means you must have reasonable safeguards to ensure they are Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) eFax compliant and that all Protected Health Information being sent and received is safe.

Therefore, all employees should be aware of the HIPAA faxing rules and best practices that come with using traditional fax machines as there are significant obstacles for them to be declared secure enough for sensitive patient information.

Criterions eFax Module aligns with your Practice's medical fax processes utilizing the healthcare industry’s strictest data security standards

Criterions eFax Module enhances compliance with privacy and security rules – including HIPAA, the HITECH Act, and state regulations while streamlining your reporting for meaningful use and audit.

Benefits of using an eFax HIPPA Compliant Module with your Criterions EHR system includes:

Criterions eFax Module has a commitment to security with end-to-end encryption.
Criterions eFax Module safeguards sensitive information, such as patient health records transmitted by hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies, and follows HIPAA compliance.
Criterions eFax Module is integrated directly within the Criterions EHR, and you are provided notifications about each fax via email.
Includes unlimited storage, so you will no longer misplace faxes, and it keeps all your documents organized and always available.
When using the Criterions eFax Module, there is no more waste, no paper, and no more costs for maintaining your fax machine.

If you would like more information on the Criterions eFax Module to assist your office staff, please email our Sales Team or fill out the form below and we'll be in touch shortly.

Simplify Patient Visits with Order Sets

by

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” — Hans Hofmann

The aim of any good Electronic Health Record (EHR) software is to allow providers to properly document patient care with accuracy and efficiency. If providers are given tools to make documentation easier, they are able to spend more quality time interacting with their patients discussing care and concerns.

What Are Order Sets?

There are some visits or diagnoses that can be described as typical in nature, for example a Well Care/Annual visits, in which order sets allow you to have preselected plan items such as lab orders, prescriptions, and procedures that can easily be applied to a visit with just two clicks. Each provider has the ability to create their own order sets based on their general workflow, and providers with frequently used plan items can also share their order sets with others.

To learn more about creating your own order sets and simplifying your workflow, please login to your Customer Support Center account below for the "Order Sets" instructions or fill out the contact form below to speak with our Support Team.

Support Center Login

Webinar: Criterions eFax Module & Lab Interface

by

Your practice must ensure that all Protected Health Information being sent and received is safe according to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Criterions eFax Module & Lab Integration enhances compliance with privacy and security rules – including HIPAA, the HITECH Act, and state regulations which streamlines your reporting for meaningful use and audit.

Sales@Criterions.com

Lab Interface

by Madeline Jacobs

What is a Lab Interface?

When a practice uses an EHR (like Criterions Software), a lab interface is the piece of software that allows one system to talk to another system.

One of the most integral elements of a clinical practice is the use of laboratory encounters for diagnostic and monitoring purposes. Ask any healthcare professional what they need in an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system, and you’ll find that lab interfaces come highest on the list.

When laboratory orders are needed as part of a clinical visit, there are several steps in the process from the moment the orders are deemed necessary to the point that the result appears in the patient’s medical record.

Criterions Software has an ever-increasing list of Labs, Imaging Groups, and Public Health organizations to which you can connect your Criterions EHR.

Benefits of a Lab Integration with your EHR system includes:

Reduce staff workload
Decreased paper
Orders are sent electronically to labs
Ensure tracking of orders and results
Automatic receipt of results
Results are automatically filed in ordering provider’s queue
Results become data points
Results with Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) are automatically calculated with applicable MIPS measures

LOINC applies universal code names and identifiers to medical terminology related to electronic health records. The purpose is to assist in the electronic exchange and gathering of clinical results (such as laboratory tests, clinical observations, outcomes management, and research).

Did you know the lab clearing house may sponsor the interface for your practice (depending on lab volume)? Check with your local lab representative to verify.

Please first reach out to your lab representative and to let them know you would like to establish an interface with Criterions EHR. Then, have them reach out to Criterions by emailing labs@criterions.com.

Effective Patient Interaction

by Madeline Jacobs

Effective patient interaction technologies can enhance the patient experience

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare organizations across the country realized they needed to change their already stressed patient intake processes in order to lower the more immediate danger of transmission. This is when the need to minimize wait times first became apparent. According to data, protracted wait times frequently lead to a negative patient experience, which is something that every healthcare institution wishes to avoid. Many healthcare organizations and medical practices simultaneously were experiencing staffing issues.

Organizations that pivoted using portal automation and engagement tools saw decreases from 30-minute wait times on average to less than 10 minutes. Moreover, patient satisfaction was improving as patients were embracing the notion of participation in their own care, filling out paperwork online and at their convenience and in the comfort of their own homes. Here are just a few simple steps that can help to reduce wait times, help to improve patient satisfaction while at the same time helping to reduce cancellations and no-shows. And, as we know, a reduction in no show visits is also of financial benefit to the practice.

Three easy ways to streamline the patient check-in experience within Criterions:

Automated Appointment Reminders

Criterions’ Text Appointment Reminders act as an integrated tool for confirming appointments and enhancing communication between your office and your patients.

Electronic Intake Forms, Questionnaires, and Consent Forms

Criterions’ Patient Engagement Module provides the ability to send patients customized questionnaires, which can be linked to appointment type and sent automatically through the patient portal. Patients can fill out the form and sign for consent prior to their appointments and at their convenience. Completed and signed documents will then be available within the EHR.

Automated Check-In

Patients can receive a check-in confirmation text one hour prior to their scheduled appointment allowing them to confirm using their phones, thus starting the visit with your practice.

If you would like more information on how to set up automations within the Criterions EHR system to assist your office staff, please email SUPPORT HERE or fill out the form below and we'll be in touch shortly.

AI in Healthcare IT

by Raj Mathur

In today's healthcare IT world, predictive models—which learn from past data and generate forecasts or suggestions—are typically mentioned when people talk about artificial intelligence (AI). Machine learning (ML) methods, like those used by the Criterions EHR system, are frequently the driving force behind these models.

There are tremendous opportunities for AI, ML, and similar technologies in the realm of healthcare due to the enormous flexibility that gives ML its power. A model can forecast quite accurate predictions and provide suggestions, and we have seen it change many industries. Read some of the examples below of how AI and ML are affecting the healthcare industry.

Automation Return

The return of an EHR investment is guaranteed with machine learning (ML) and other forms of artificial intelligence (AI). It can automate and improve repetitive tasks to assist office staff, automate processes to help increase communication between patients and providers, and suggest treatments for a better patient experience leading to optimized workflow and increased revenue.

Data Analysis

Another advantage is that AI can sift through vast volumes of data to locate specific points that humans can't find or would take years to uncover. Humans can get previously unattainable insights into diagnosis, care procedures, treatment variability, and patient outcomes because of the potential of learning algorithms to become more exact and accurate as they interact with training data.

Staff Shortage

One of the main difficulties that public health professionals face is the issue of personnel shortages, which has affected healthcare providers for many years now. By taking over some of the diagnostic tasks traditionally assigned to humans, artificial intelligence (AI) could assist to offset the effects of this significant shortage of skilled clinical staff. AI imaging technologies, for instance, may frequently achieve a level of accuracy equivalent to people when screening chest x-rays for indications of tuberculosis. A qualified diagnostic radiologist wouldn't necessarily need to be present if this capability could be implemented efficiently.

One of the most interesting future directions for these ground-breaking methods of data analysis and data automation is the use of AI and ML for clinical decision support, risk rating, and early alerting. AI and ML will usher in a new era of clinical excellence and exciting advancements in patient care by powering a new generation of tools and systems that make doctors more aware of nuances, more efficient when providing care, and more likely to get ahead of developing problems.