It is our hope that we’re able to help you in some small way. That with CareLogic, you’re able to more efficiently document and capture the services you provide so you can spend more time caring for clients.

“This award and our unprecedented growth is meaningful validation of the decisions we’ve made and the direction we’ve taken this company over the past few years,” said Qualifacts CEO David Klements. “There are two keys to our success: forming an ongoing collaboration with our customers to create electronic health record solutions that work for them, and making sure we have a strong employee base to support our customers.”

In 2010, more behavioral health agencies selected Qualifacts than any other vendor. The company now serves more than 120 behavioral healthcare organizations across the country, and has one of the largest and most active user communities in the industry. The increased demand for services has also allowed the company to expand its work force in Nashville by 80 percent over the past four years.

Qualifacts’ recent successes follow the company’s 2007 shift from custom development projects to a single, Software-as-a-Service platform, CareLogic Enterprise, as well as a strategic focus on collaborating with customers to develop a more valuable product.

“The transformation of our company not only has led to renewed customer confidence and a reputation for quality of service and innovation, but also to a values-based culture our employees are proud to be a part of,” said Klements.

This is the second award Qualifacts has received in the past two weeks. Klements was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” at the inaugural NEXT Awards, jointly presented by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Nashville’s Entrepreneur Center. The NEXT Awards recognize the accomplishments of companies and individual entrepreneurs in Nashville business sectors including health care, technology, digital media and entertainment, sustainability and alternative energy, and social enterprise.

What strikes me about this from a marketing perspective is that pricing is very low on hierarchy of needs. A lot of our communication is about our fast implementation, or how happy our customers are with the system, or about the QSI Connect user community. While all of those things are important, they are much higher up on the hierarchy than the simple concern that an organization can’t pay for something that they know is needed.

The same issue applies to the EHR itself: while most organizations know they need one, there are a lot of other, more pressing concerns. How do I make payroll this week? What happens if our payer audit goes poorly? How long will it take me to finish our Medicaid reporting this month?

The irony is that an enterprise EHR can address all of these needs and can provide a significant positive return on investment. This lets agency executives focus on the long term, important goals: How can I attract the best and brightest clinicians? Where should I open our next clinic? What else can we do to improve our clients’ lives?

Where does your agency stand today on the hierarchy and what are you doing to address your needs?

One resource is the nationwide system of Regional Extension Centers (RECs). Around $700 million has already been awarded to fund over 60 RECs in their mission to help providers select, implement and achieve meaningful use of EHR systems in order to enhance healthcare quality, safety and efficiency. The goal is to provide technical assistance to at least 100,000 providers and 38,000 have already enrolled. Just last month the ONC provided $32 million of additional funding.

David Blumenthal, M.D., national coordinator for health information technology, said, “We recognize that the early transition to HIT can be challenging and we want to make sure that our RECs are fully operational to help make this transition as smooth as possible. We are committed to offer substantial ongoing support to achieve meaningful use through the RECs.”

Selecting and implementing EHR technology is a big decision and one you likely only want to make once. Particularly if your agency has limited experience and resources – and most do – why not take advantage of the help available? You can find the list of RECs HERE.

Has your agency worked with a REC to help you achieve your EHR goals? We’d love to hear about your experience. Tell us about it in the comments or email us at info@qualifacts.com.

The intention of these groups is to provide peer-to-peer support and advice on how to use the system as well as to give Qualifacts input on specific workflow and functionality improvements. Each group has a forum on QSIConnect, providing a place to ask peers about best practices and to ask Qualifacts for guidance or additional training as needed.

The September meeting focused on developing a product prioritization framework based on what our community of CareLogic users agree will bring the most value to all customers. Upcoming User Voice subject matter expert subcommittees are scheduled for Q4 2010 implementation in the areas of system administration, front desk/POE, and general clinical. Additional topics covered included Meaningful Use, reporting and client services.

If you are a Qualifacts customer, then you are already invited to join the User Voice subcommittees! Simply go to qsiconnect.com, create an account, and start posting in the appropriate group!

Basically, any MD- or NP-level provider is considered eligible, but specifically, there are two definitions for behavioral health/human services providers to keep in mind:

Medicare FFS Eligible Provider: Professionals holding an MD, DO or any MD-peer level credential.
Medicaid Eligible Provider: Physicians and Nurse Practitioners who provide at least 30% of services to Medicaid patients. Note that each state Medicaid program must opt in to the HITECH funding for providers to receive payments.

Now some of you are surely asking, “Why only MDs and NPs? I have only one psychiatrist on staff!” MD- and NP-level providers were the initial credentials, presumably because lawmakers were thinking about local health departments, private providers and hospitals. There is a bill in Congress right now (the “HITECH Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act of 2010”) that would make Social Workers and a number of other credentials eligible for payments.

This bill (HR 5025) was introduced into the House of Representatives by Reps. Patrick Kennedy and Tim Murphy in April. This legislation would make CBHOs eligible as organizations under the Hospital incentives, and adds psychologists and social workers to the list of eligible professionals to receive incentive payments for the meaningful use of Health IT.

A “companion” bill of the same name (S 1790) was introduced in the Senate by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed in August. The Senate bill also aims to expand the use of EHRs by mental health, behavioral health and substance abuse professionals and facilities, including licensed psychologists, clinical social workers and psychiatric hospitals. The main differences between the two bills is that while the House proposal includes the creation of a new grant program for mental health professionals, Whitehouse’s legislation proposes extending mental health professionals’ eligibility to tap technical and expert resources of the Regional Extension Centers, which HITECH supports for assisting healthcare providers in their health IT rollouts.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:
Official web site for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs

Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC):
Certification Programs
Meaningful Use
HITECH grant programs

Meaningful Use:
Final rule summary

CCHIT
Inspection information and product search

“What’s an Eligible Provider?” you may ask. Typically, MDs and NPs are considered Eligible Providers, though there is a bill in Congress right now (the “HITECH Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act of 2010”) that would make Social Workers and a number of other credentials eligible for payments.

Regardless, payments are different based on whether the provider chooses to file as a Medicare or Medicaid provider. The maximum Medicare reimbursement is $44,000 over five years; Medicaid will pay up to $63,750 over six years. The actual reimbursement amount is 75% of the claims filed to the chosen program (Medicare or Medicaid) over the course of the year.

For example, maximum Medicare reimbursement in 2011 is $18,000. If a provider claims (and is paid) $12,000 in Medicare claims, the incentive payment for that year will be 75% x $12,000 = $9,000. If the provider claims $24,000 or more, they will be paid the full $18,000.

Please visit the Meaningful Use section of our website for tables that illustrate these incentive payments.