Anesthesia Business Consultants (ABC) keeps a keen eye on the continued proliferation of electronic medical record (EMR) technology. It is not enough to adopt the latest technology, ABC investigates the latest technological advancements in EMR, carefully testing new systems to ensure their compatibility with our renowned OneSourceAnesthesia platform, and working with leading-edge software providers. Our goal: to facilitate a smooth transition from paper to electronic billing of anesthesia services. ABC strategically considers each upgrade from both a technological and functional update—in an effort to provide clients an unparalleled level of service.
OneSourceAnesthesia Successfully Integrates EMR with Epic Anesthesia
ABC is pleased to announce that we have successfully interfaced with Epic Anesthesia. ABC worked with Orange Regional Medical Center and its Epic project team on a repeatable approach for electronic professional billing at Orange Regional Medical Center, located in Orange, New York. The records and billing information, when combined with the automated...
While the eventual fate of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will be decided in the near future, by either the Supreme Court or the next Congress and Administration, what is not open for debate is that healthcare has changed. As the business of medicine evolves to accommodate the changes called for in the healthcare reform laws, so should anesthesiologists anticipate their place in the new environment. The physician group that is able to make informed decisions will be best positioned to evolve and thrive in this era of change. Just like the old Saturday morning cartoon said, “Knowledge Is Power”; by gathering, understanding and responding to information, anesthesiologists can be certain to meet the needs of their clients and proactively position themselves as a catalyst for change.One way of taking that proactive step is to use data to help shine a light on the inner workings of your anesthesia... 
Virtually all large anesthesiology practices have a corporate website. Some are quite detailed and complex. Fewer medium and small practices maintain a web presence. Should every practice consider creating a practice website or upgrading its current site?After examining a number of anesthesia practice websites, one can see that most have common elements and purposes. Before considering website design, the practice should seriously consider the purpose of the website and its intended effects.The reasons given by anesthesia practices for expending the time and money needed to produce an effective website are to implement one or more of the following:Establish a “web presence”Recruit anesthesia personnel via the websiteProvide patient informationAssist in the patient billing processSchedule anesthesiologists via surgeon preferenceInternal uses such as maintaining call schedules, document retrieval and communications.Marketing to patients, surgeons and facilities seeking anesthesia coverage.WEB PRESENCECurrently, almost every business has a website, so anesthesiology practices may believe that they too should... 
From time to time anesthesia groups find that they need to reassess their administration or decision-making processes. This can involve everything from tinkering with how routine day-to-day administrative activities are carried out, to totally revamping the group’s governance structure.Reassessments can come about for a variety of reasons. There may have been a significant growth in the number of physicians or CRNAs, or an increase in the number of practice locations. The group may have encountered internal strife without adequate governance systems in place. The group may find itself incapable of making decisions or reaching consensus in a timely or efficient manner. A group may have relied too heavily upon busy physicians to carry out non-clinical duties, or one physician may (by choice or otherwise) be overburdened with administrative responsibilities.Issues in a Small Group. One of the assumed advantages of a smaller group is that it can function in a “more efficient” manner.... 
Opportunity and risk. Risk and opportunity. Janus-like sides of the same coin. Of course, the greater the opportunity, the greater the risk. In a medical practice sense, anesthesiologists are surrounded by risk and are supremely aware of its existence. On a daily basis, you administer drugs that under other circumstances would be deadly. You’re also cognizant of the risk-reward analysis made by your patients in undergoing surgical procedures, as well as your own need to obtain informed consent from them. But many anesthesiologists are oblivious, or even averse, to the risk-reward duality in a business sense as it impacts their anesthesia group. In the group business context, success, that is, opportunity, is associated with the income side of the equation: increasing realized income per unit, increasing the number of well-reimbursed units generated, and increasing the amount of hospital stipend dollars received. Anesthesia groups are generally less impacted by the risk, or expense, side of the equation. But note the...