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APRIL 2021
Empowering Small Practices to Deliver the Best Care HELPING YOU FIND A BALANCE
IT
If there is one thing we have all learned over the past year, it’s that the adoption of online tools is five years ahead of where we thought it would be right now. Although this can impact your life and your practice in several ways, it has brought to light inadequacies in existing EHRs and highlighted the priority for having an EHR altogether for many practices. The use of EHR software in medical practices has been on the rise for years now, but things sped up so much last year that people are still a little dizzy, even for the ones who had already implemented some form of EHR. Keeping up with ever-changing regulatory requirements, meeting the wants and needs for new features, and finding a way to juggle adopting new or changing technology while still providing excellent patient care — all amid a pandemic — it’s a lot to take on! We talk to practices and providers juggling it every day. We get it, and we are here to help practices navigate and balance it all. MANDATES While the COVID-19 crisis prompted CMS to offer relief from MIPS reporting by applying for a hardship exception 2020, the program is still moving forward. The reprieve of the hardship will buy some time for providers to prepare for MIPS reporting this year and beyond. States continue pressing on with EPCS mandates. The number of states with EPCS mandates in effect doubled in 2021, and today, half of the states are requiring providers use EPCS to send scheduled medications. Most of the remaining states are passing regulations and setting dates for adopting EPCS mandates, too. Mandates like these, and all the changes to E&M coding this year, have been driving practices to reevaluate their current practices and workflow related to technology. QUALITY OF LIFE With all these changes, the demand for improved technology and functionality, particularly with EHRs, has continued. On top of all the regulatory needs, providers still want and need those “quality of life” features, like integrated telehealth functionality, a robust mobile app for practice management, and EHR. How great would it be to prescribe, view charts, take photos that load directly into patient charts, schedule appointments, and more right from your phone? Or being able to check the PDMP as you are writing a prescription right in the EHR?
different solutions for conducting these visits, but some of these solutions create a choppy workflow, while other methods may not be compliant. Having a telehealth solution integrated into your EHR will streamline scheduling and get patients connected. COMPENSATION We know practices need a strong and steady flow of income from insurance and patient payments. We also see providers “leaving money on the table” by undercoding visits because they are unsure their documentation supports the codes or they simply don’t understand the new changes. Having the proper technology in place can increase billable charges simply by accurately capturing and coding what you are already doing. In addition to undercoding, we see the challenges of sending statements and collecting payments when patients aren’t in the office. Having an option for patients to pay their bills online is huge and can increase the revenue coming in. We are all used to paying bills online now days. Patients appreciate the ease and convenience and are more likely to click a link in their statement and pay. We have been helping practices implement and optimize EHR solutions for 20 years. We understand the priority to balance needs and wants. We offer several EHR solutions that satisfy both the needs and wants of practices. We understand the weight of increasing demands on providers and the decreasing compensation, and we are here to help find the balancing point that allows you to deliver the best care to your patients. Your software solutions should work for you and make it easier for you to care for your patients and for yourself. Whether you are unhappy with your existing EHR or realize the time to pack up paper charts has come, we can help. We are experienced in helping practices transition from paper or from an existing EHR that just isn’t making the cut. While we offer a variety of solutions, I love talking about Aprima. This all-in-one practice
software checks all the boxes: features, function, and convenience. If the idea of adopting an EHR, switching EHRs, or just finding information seems overwhelming, reach out today. We would love to have a conversation and provide insight that will help you make the best decision for your practice.
I would be remiss to fail mentioning how telehealth exploded during the pandemic. Providers have been turning to many
–Maggie Delcamp, RN
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THESE KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS WILL MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A WIZARD
What Is This Sorcery?!
• CTRL + Enter will send the email you’re currently working on.
Even for experienced tech users, watching someone use keyboard shortcuts can look like a magic trick. In a few strokes, they do more than many would in a minute of clicking. But you don’t need a keyboard from Hogwarts to learn this magic. Here are a few tips you can use to save time and impress your friends!
• CTRL + R will open a “reply” for the email you’re reading.
•
CTRL + P lets you print an email, page, or
documents.
To navigate through documents and the web, try these:
• CTRL + F helps you search text, and in some apps, search and replace.
• ALT + Left/Right arrow takes you back or forward in the browser.
You probably already know how to copy and paste using keyboard shortcuts as well as more common ones like “select all.” But hopefully these shortcuts will come as a reminder that there are a lot of great ways to save time by thinking outside of the box. Even little tweaks to what we already know — like using “CTRL + Shift + V” to paste as plain text (no formatting) instead of just regularly pasting the text — can make us that much closer to keyboard sorcery. And who wouldn’t want that?
•
ALT + F4 will close any app in Windows.
•
Windows Key + M will just minimize all apps.
• CTRL + Shift + O in a browser takes you to your bookmarks library.
And you can save time with a few shortcuts that take the place of mouse movement and button clicks, as long as you know which ones to use.
Call our direct support line: 480-730-3055 Create a support ticket via email: ITHelp@AZComp.com Learn more about how to get unlimited computer and networking support at AZCOMP.com/it. DOWNLOAD OUR FREE REPORT NEED NETWORKING OR COMPUTER HELP?
SPOTLIGHT ON JAMES STUDER
If you call for assistance, odds are good that you’ll get James Studer. “I love taking something that doesn’t work and
getting it to run again,” James says. “You also totally change someone’s day — they’re having a bad morning and you completely turn that around for them. That is awesome.” James would know. He’s worked in the field for years, including with AZCOMP’s own Robert in the past, and that’s how James ended up here in the first place. Hearing that makes us smile because fostering an environment that draws talented team members is one of our main goals! James likes to spend time with his wife. “We’re what you’d call ‘geeks,’ no question about it,” James says, laughing. “Minecraft, tabletop games — we love that kind of thing. We also love to go out,” he adds, and we all hope he’s able to do that again soon!
Protect Your Data What every small business owner must know about protecting & preserving their
“What every small-business owner must know about protecting and preserving their company’s critical data and computer systems!” covers the essential information you need to know to keep your network safe. If you aren’t up to date on the latest in security, then your network will be at risk.
company’s critical data & computer systems!
If you depend on your computer network to run your business, this is one report you DON’T want to skip!
This report is available for free at AZCOMP.com/protect. Download it today to ensure your computer systems are as secure as possible. With this report, you will have peace of mind and can spend time enjoying the start of the new year without worrying about the safety of your network and data.
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Depending on where you live, summer is just two months away or right around the corner. That means it’s time to start thinking about grilling season — and if you’re serious about cooking outside, you should make this the summer you pull the trigger on a Big Green Egg. Although there are several models to choose from, the classic Big Green Egg is a ceramic grill that also functions as a smoker and oven. Simplicity is the name of the game here: It lets you grill up burgers, smoke some tasty ribs, or cook a deep-dish pizza — although not all at the same time! You’ll save money (and space on the patio) with this one. Running off lump charcoal and with a built-in thermometer, this is a classic backyard burner that’s incredibly heat-stable due to the ceramic-and-metal construction. The Big Green Egg doesn’t draw attention to itself, although its sleek lines and organic shape look great. Still, serious grillers will recognize it immediately — and everyone will love the delicious results. BIG GREEN EGG: THE GRILL TO KILL FOR Summer’s Coming — You Ready to Grill?
If you’ve ever worked as a cashier, you’ve probably thought that scanning barcodes is something you could teach a robot to do, and you’d be right. Startup company Gather deploys their drones inside massive warehouses to scan the barcodes of every item inside. But it goes further than that — so far, in fact, that only a robot could do this job. You see, Gather isn’t just about inventory management. They’re interested in efficiency as well. Their drones take a few days and systematically map the inside of a facility, creating a 3D model in software. Now, the engineers at Gather can look at both the space and the inventory. They can see how energy is being wasted, what movement or storage solutions don’t make sense, and the ways that their warehouse isn’t optimized. Of course, this startup is still in the early stages of success, but the implications for this kind of work could be huge. The data that Gather is, well, gathering will be valuable to more than just whoever owns that warehouse. In theory, it could be used to build the “perfect” warehouse, optimized for either human or drone workers in the future. In addition, the needs of Gather’s drones (mostly quadcopters, at the moment) are pushing the envelope on drone design, which is already a hot area at the moment. Don’t worry about drones phasing out human workers just yet. For now, Gather is solving the problems of today — like where your eBay package went that’s been “processing” for three weeks in Kansas City. On top of mapping out warehouses, Gather is also training team leads on how to use their technology for good. They want drones to work with humans, not replace them. SO EASY, ONLY A DRONE COULD DO IT! Gather Is a Company to Watch This Year
The only downside? Come October, you’ll still be saying, “Oh, it’s not that cold … I’m going to use the grill tonight!”
A lot has changed in the 20 years since Jim Collins first published “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don’t,” and you might expect the world to have left this one behind — even if it was tremendously popular back in the day. You would be right — sort of. Like “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” or “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” “Good to Great” is one of those rare books of empowerment that remains relevant in any era. Collins praises companies that, at the time, were doing great. Naturally, some of those companies (Fannie Mae and Circuit City) have since gone belly-up, some in spectacular manner. ‘Good to Great’ Is a Modern Classic AZCOMP LEADERSHIP LIBRARY
At the same time, many of the businesses he highlights are still doing great, and Collins correctly predicts the rise of the information economy. More to the point, “Good to Great” was never about how to keep a business alive forever. Jim Collins wrote this book to show business owners how to level- up what they’re already doing — and that advice is as relevant today as it was when this book was first released. This month, dig out a copy or order a new one. You’ll laugh in some places and nod in agreement in others. And without a doubt, you’ll learn something useful.
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Helping You Find a Balance PAGE 1
Keyboard Shortcut Sorcery AZCOMP Employee Spotlight PAGE 2 The Drones of Gather A Grill to Kill For AZCOMP Leadership Library PAGE 3 Save the Birds — Paint Windmills Black! PAGE 4
By Susan SAVE THE BIRDS — PAINT WINDMILLS BLACK!
AZCOMP is always striving to do things even better . We don’t sit back and “Blockbuster” our day, hoping problems will just resolve themselves. We jump in, empower our people and customers, and find solutions. We don’t back down from Jaws, we surf — and I saw an inspiring story recently that reminded me of how resourceful we can be when we don’t avoid problems.
Researchers figured out that birds probably don’t realize the blades are moving until it’s too late — after all, they can see right through the blades due to the same kind of “motion smear” that lets you see through the spokes of a bicycle wheel if it’s spinning fast enough. To fix it, they turned to an old report that offered a simple idea: Take one of the three turbine blades and, in the words of the Rolling Stones, “Paint it black.” I love this solution. They didn’t wait for permission either. They “surfed Jaws,” diving into the problem and finding a farm with eight turbines they could test with — four with the fix, and four without. The surfing Jaws comparison wasn’t just figurative, either; they had to paint the turbines in midair because, well, how else would they do it?
After 10 years of study, the scientists had their answer: Turbines with a black blade killed 70% fewer birds.
One way humans have jumped into the
environmental problems we face is with wind turbines. But that creates a new problem: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says up to 500K birds are killed in the U.S. each year when they collide with windmill blades.
Can you imagine if we all tackled our problems in such simple and direct ways? I encourage you to think about what issues you deal with on a daily basis. What’s the boldest, most efficient way to stop having that problem? Sometimes, the answer really is that simple: Straight down the face of the wave is the road to glory.
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