Dental practices that have yet to make the transition from paper patient files to electronic medical records (EMRs) may find the process overwhelming. Researching and negotiating EMR vendor agreements requires knowledge of terminology that some dentists and dental office managers may find unfamiliar. Gaining understanding in this territory is even more imperative when there is added pressure to avoid potential fines and penalties. Firstly, it is important to note the difference between electronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic health records (EHRs). While you may find that some practitioners use these terms interchangeably, there are significant differences. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology defines the two terms this way:
EMRs are a digital version of the paper charts in the clinician’s office. An EMR contains the medical and treatment history of the patients in one practice. EHRs do all those things above and more. EHRs focus on the total health of the patient – going beyond standard clinical data collected in the provider’s office and inclusive of a broader view on a patient’s care. EHRs are designed to reach out beyond the health organization that originally collects and compiles the information.
The following glossary of terminology and acronyms will be useful to dentists negotiating EMR vendor agreements. A/I/U
Adopt, implement, or upgrade is a term that describes the various ways in which a provider can obtain a certified electronic health record system in order to qualify for government incentive programs.
ARR Act
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly known as the stimulus package, was signed into law February, 2009. Also called the HITECH Act, it provides funding to eligible providers who adoption electronic health records.
CCHIT
Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology is a nonprofit organization that works to accelerate the adoption of health information technology.
Certification by ONC – ATCB
This is a term you will frequently see used to describe certain types of EMR or EHR technology. ONC is the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and ATCB is the Authorized Testing and Certification Body. These entities determine if technology is compliant with the standards and implementations set forth by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary.
Cloudbased Software
As opposed to licensed software, the electronic heath record system may be provided as a service, with or without a software license to the customer. In this approach, the EHR technology developer operates the EHR software on its own equipment, and makes the information available to the customer over the Internet. This may be referred to as cloud computing.
CQM
Clinical quality measures are tools that help measure and track the quality of health care services by various health care providers.
EDR
Acronym for electronic dental records
EP
Acronym for eligible provider
Licensed software
EHR software may be licensed to the customer to operate on the customer’s own equipment.
MU
This common acronym stands for meaningful use. The term is often used in Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs. In order to receive incentive payments, a health care provider must submit a claim, proving they are using EHRs in a qualitative and measurable way.
PHI
Acronym for protected health information
The dental industry has much to consider when readying for the transition from paper files to electronic medical records. Familiarizing yourself with the terminology will give you an advantage when it comes to implementing an electronic health record system in your practice.
