The Changing Landscape of Medical Practice Management
Healthcare practices rely on Practice Management Systems (PMS) to keep practices organized, revenue cycles operating smoothly and medical records up-to-date and available. Practices use EHR or other practice management systems provided by outside vendors to keep administrative practice tasks taken care of. It has been hard for practices to make sure these vendor systems are adequate. Previously, there were no PMS accreditation standards or accolades to determine the quality and capabilities of these various vendor PMS products. Now there is...
Practice Management System Accreditation Program (PMSAP) was launched this fall. PMSAP is a new accreditation that allows vendors to test their systems developed for practice administration and assess whether they hold up to standards and demands from physicians and other industry peers. HIPAA and the Affordable Care Act Section 1104 provided administrative simplification standards and operating rules that can help practices ramp up efficiency. However, many practices cannot utilize these standards because their PMS software does not have the capabilities.
Electronic Health Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) has partnered with Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) to oversee the accreditation process. The reputation of these organizations brings authority to the PMSAP accreditation. Physicians jobs and goals are to provide excellent healthcare to patients who need it. They are too busy to worry about the technology behind their PMS and whether it meets regulations and standards associated with it. EHNAC and WEDI bring credibility to the PMSAP accreditation to assure physicians that PMS vendors who are accredited meet those standards.
Standards for PMSAP Accreditation
Software meets PPACA, HIPAA, and other regulatory standards and requirements;
Software has key functionality such as of portability, interoperability, clinical integration, compliance monitoring, billing, and reporting;
Software meets minimum levels of privacy and security standards; and
Software will be ready to accept ICD-10 code sets.
Vendors who gain accreditation early on will have a competitive advantage over other vendors. However, as the PMSAP accreditation becomes more widespread, it will soon be necessary to compete in the market period. Tim McMullen, executive director of HATA, which is the trade group for the practice management system industry, predicts that PMSAP could soon become a requirement. This will inherently force PMS vendors to improve system efficiency and create major savings on the healthcare administrative side.
Applied Medical Systems Medical Practice Management
Applied Medical Systems (AMS) is a practice management company in Durham, NC. Our goal is to help physician practices implement or improve practice management. Whether a practice currently has PMS software or is looking for the best vendor out there, AMS can help. The PMSAP practice management system accreditation is exciting news as it will eventually hold PMS vendors accountable for practice management standards. AMS already evaluates vendors and determines best fit for different medical practices. However, with the likely possibility of organizations holding vendors accountable to standards, AMS will have an even more state-of-the-art pool of vendors to choose from. For more information on our practice management services, including billing, coding and EHR integration, contact us at our Durham, NC location.
