10 Reasons NPfIT is Making the NHS Even Better
by Matthew James

1. NPfIT is the National Programme for IT, and is being rolled out throughout the National Health Service. All NHS locations, from rural doctors surgeries to world leading hospitals, will benefit.

2. The NPfIT is the largest civil IT programme ever, and is charged with implementing new computer systems and communication technology in the NHS. This ensures that all hardware and software is compatible, and that systems are fully integrated between departments, sectors and locations.

3. NPfIT will make the lives of patients easier as any medical staff will be able to access a patients records electronically. For example, casualty staff can see patients records electronically, and can see what medication or allergies the patient has, no matter where the patients doctors surgery is. This information can be accessed in seconds, and doesnt require the patient to remember their whole medical history.

4. NPfIT will make medical staffs jobs easier because they can have access to the information they need within seconds, no matter where it may be located. Sharing patient records between departments and locations will make it easier for medical staff to diagnose and treat patients in a timely manner. Missed appointments will be reduced and so NHS resources can be better used.

5. NPfIT will save the NHS and the taxpayer over 120 million each year.

6. NPfIT will ensure that patient records are up to date and available no matter where the patient is. If a patient has treatment in a different town or hospital, or dental work done, their medical records will be instantly updated to reflect this.

7. Patients will no longer have to give the same information to several different healthcare professionals during the course of their treatment. A patients medical records will show what treatment they have had, so reading the records will provide the information that medical staff need.

8. Patients can see their test results online at home, so that they dont need to visit a hospital or their doctors surgery. This will be much more convenient, especially for those who are unable to travel, perhaps due to their current medical condition, as well as those who rely on public transport or on carers. Patients can also book and rearrange their appointments online, at the time and location most convenient to them.

9. Lost medical records will be a thing of the past, as electronic records will bring about an end to paper based records. There will be no transporting records all over the country via courier or taxi. Patient records wont be able to be left in places where they shouldnt be, or accessible by the general public.

10. Security is paramount. Smartcards are issued to staff once they have sufficiently proved their identity to the Registration Authority. These Smartcards are used to authenticate medical staff which can then grant them access to patient data. Different types of staff will need different levels of access. A receptionist or a dentist wont need the same information as a brain surgeon, or a contagious disease specialist. The Smartcard will only allow access to the information that person needs to do their job.

NPfIT is revolutionising the NHS, and proving to be incredibly beneficial for both patients and medical staff alike.

Electronic Health Record (EHR)

The term EHR (electronic health record) has always been used interchangeably with EMR (electronic medical record). What is an EHR? It refers to a patient care medical record that is recorded in digital format. These computerized systems actually coordinate the storage and retrieval of individual records. Networking allows us to access EHRs from any global location. Thus, from one location one can have access to a variety of medical information. There are many types of medical information in an EHR.Here are the important ones,Health “power of attorney”Laboratory test resultsRadiology images Demographic details of the patientBilling recordsRecord of side-effects of medicineMedical historyAppointment recordsList of allergiesMedicationImmunization statusRecommendation for medical conditionsEndoscopy / laparoscopyLiving will detailsAmong the advantages of implementing an EHR is the fact that it leads to minimal medical errors. Moreover a handwritten medical record is rarely legible. When compared to the paper based records EHRs are so very convenient because they take up almost no space and can be accessed from distant locations also. Digitization of medical records also facilitates the collection of data for research and clinical studies.It is indeed a great challenge to implement an HER system because all the old records which are now in different formats will have to be digitized. Simply scanning old records is not sufficient but have to be brought into the electronic record system. Another challenge is synchronization of data that originate from two different locations. Other issues relate to privacy and other legal barriers.

Finding the Right Cosmetic Dentist

Our teeth are one of the most important bodily assets we have. They shape the way our face look, they determine what we’ll eat, and they’ll always tell if we are babies still growing or adults. As the human teeth seems to be our great asset much needed to perform many of our traditional daily tasks, taking care of our teeth is absolutely necessary.Asides implementing traditional teeth cleaning routines – which include brushing at least twice a day or after every meal, practices like visiting a dentist for scaling and polishing every 6 months should help you retain healthy teeth. The benefits of keeping your teeth healthy if you are unaware includes having white teeth which can help a lot - socially, keeping your mouth bacteria free by removing the plaques deposited on your teeth by bacteria reducing your chances of having bad breath or suffering from tooth decay.Just like a doctor takes care of our whole body, a dentist is trained with the responsibility to taking care of our teeth. Your Dentist should always be an inclusion on your routine medical check-up list as they are able to provide you with tips to give strong and clean teeth not forgetting the fact that they also are able to provide you with tips on how to eliminate minor bugs as bad breathe tend to become.Just as a dentist is important to the overall health of our teeth, finding the right dentist is even more important and as with almost any other service providing profession, you are bound to meet people who you’ll end up not being entirely satisfied with – maybe in terms of their level of professionalism or whatever other reasons - and instead of sticking and complaining, you are able to avoid all the dissatisfaction and what not by searching for someone with competence and whose medical records are able to support the kind of demands you would require of him. You might already be thinking on how you’ll see yourself achieve this but not too worry, read on and it’s a sure bet that you will.To start with,“Finding the right dentist is not easier than plucking oranges from an orange tree but it’s definitely not as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. Getting yourself to meet with the right dentist requires that you know that you want. By knowing what you want, you should be able to look up in the mirror and succinctly say to yourself why you would like to meet with a dentist. Is it for routine check-ups? Is it to perform minor teeth cleaning procedure? Or is it to re-structure your jaw-line? – Which you’ll require the services of a maxillofacial surgeon for-. Answering these questions will equip you with direction as you are then able to know exactly what services you’d need from your would-be dentist.Next in line is price - If you already have an health insurance policy in place, you may have to use a dentist as recommended by that policy but if you are free to select one for yourself, locating one at a price not exceeding your policy is important.”On an end note,Finding the right dentist requires both patience and perseverance. You need to be able to check on a lot of resource databases such as the internet. You should also be able to ask information or referrals from your G.P or any medical affiliate you are in contact with. Develop a short-list of dentists in close proximity to your accommodation and build up from there. In other to shorten your list, you are then posed with having to either call or visit each one, ask for their rates, policies (if you’re not satisfied with their work what happens) and see if they are compatible with the terms on your healthy policy if you have one.

Feeling Old? Visiting a Medical Day Spa Might Just Give You the Lift You Need.

When you’re stressed and jaded and want an uplifting and rejuvenating experience then a retreat to a medical day spa may be just the thing you are in need of. Medical day spas are becoming incresingly popular and there are many more complex treatments to help you feel and look younger that you may not find at your every day spa. Medical peels, botox injections and photo facials are all treatments that you can consider having. If you do decide to visit and it is your first visit then make sure you take your medical records with you if you have them. Some spas may ask for an initial consultation before you book the treatment. Two treatments that you find at a medical day spa are as follows:Injections of botox: Botox is a much used anti aging treatment today but there are potential adverse effects. Botox treatments are common place all over the country and is a treatment offered by most medical day spas. A single botox treatment can make a huge difference to the apperance of your skin. This treatment may help you to look years younger but it is not a permanent treatment. The effects will last for about four months an then the procedure needs to be repeated. Bear this in mind as botox treatments are not cheap. Do not go anywhere other than a respectable medical day spa with a proven track record to have this treatment done…here’s why…Botox is a trade name and not the name of the substance that is injected. botox is derived from the botulinum toxin which is a neurotoxin protein. This substance, when administered in minute quantities paralyses the treated facial muscle stopping it from contracting, that is how the wrinkles then are not so visible. Botox will not eradicate damage through sun. Prior to starting a Botox treatment seek full medical advice and make sure you know of the drawbacks and side effects.Medical microdermabrasion and medical peels: Medical microdermabrasion is a non surgical method of rejuvenation without the use of lasers and chemicals and is a modern treatment that is virtually painless and can be used in conjuction with other treatments.If you are someone who suffers from blemishes, sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles or problem skin then peels or microdermabrasion could be a very effective treatment. You will find these treatments easily inmany medical day spas. Medical peels remove the top most layer of the skin and the patient may experience a burning sensation during treatment. There are three choices of chemicals that can be used, in order of strength, mild are alphahydroxy acids (AHA’s), medium are trichloracetic acids (TCA’s) and strongest are phenols. You will end up with a refreshed looking skin with far fewer wrinkles and sun spots. Arrange a preconsultation appointment and then it can be assessed whether a peel treatment would besuitable for your skinMany medical day spas in the country offer these two methods of treatment. Booking an appointment is easy but bear in mind, as mentioned earlier, they will want to assess you first to make sure you are getting the best treatment for you. So…if you just want to rejuventate you skin with a simple treatment then a visit to a medical day spa is definitely worth consideration. Give yourself a boost and a new confidence you didn’t think you had!

After the questions

So you%26rsquo;re sitting there with all those questions still buzzing in your head about why you%26rsquo;ve suddenly found yourself in this situation with erectile dysfunction and whether a simple prescription for Viagra, Cialis or Levitra will solve the problem, where you can buy Viagra online, and so on. The usual blood pressure test has come and gone, and now the doctor is gently telling you to drop your trousers. This is one of those moments you%26rsquo;ve been dreading and all those questions about Viagra are suddenly less important. Let%26rsquo;s be clear what%26rsquo;s going on and why. Although your doctor can tell a lot from your medical records and the answers to all those questions, a physical examination is a necessary part of the process. No matter what you may have said or how you may have described your problems, you are not the best person to make a physical examination of your genitals because, quite simply, you don%26rsquo;t know what you%26rsquo;re looking for. There are a number of possible physical causes of erectile dysfunction that can quickly be eliminated by an examination. This means a full examination of your abdomen, front and, sometimes, back. What? That means I have to take off most of my clothes? Sadly, yes. Many men are reluctant to take off their boxers, but the doctor really does need full access and, just this once, you have no choice but to allow it. As it happens, this first examination is always fairly nominal. It only gets really invasive if further tests are indicated. Let%26rsquo;s hope for the best. So, he%26rsquo;s examined your abdomen, prostate, penis and testicles. Some doctors will also do a rectal examination as well. One of the things that must be tested is whether there is nerve damage. This not only means testing your more obvious reflexes, but also checking your sense of touch. So do not be surprised if he prods you with something less than blunt or rubs your skin with something smooth. This is all in a good cause (particularly, if you can feel every embarrassing touch - that means your nervous system is working as it should). And, for most men in your position (which can now be a man in motion getting dressed again), that will be that. Only if there is something in your medical records or there has been some cause for concern in the physical examination will there be a need for further tests. Most men do not have a major physical illness or disease. For thoroughness, there can be tests of your blood or urine to make sure that you don%26rsquo;t have diabetes, and in a urine sample, tests for protein to eliminate problems with your kidneys. It is also possible to test your levels of testosterone, but this will not usually be done so long as your testicles are the expected size. So, it should be good news time. If there%26rsquo;s nothing obviously wrong with your general health and your penis and testicles in particular appear normal, there%26rsquo;s no reason why your erectile dysfunction cannot be treated quite simply. For this purpose, oral medications such as Viagra, Cialis or Levitra are usually discussed and recommended. Finally, your chance has come to ask all those questions about access to these medications whether with or without prescription. No doubt your doctor will have a view on the reliability of online pharmacies as against your neighbourhood pharmacies. You can explain how you feel about going into a local store to pick up this medication, that you would prefer to buy Viagra online where there is greater privacy. You can hear what your doctor says and make an informed choice.

Medical practices are over burdened with paper work and often long hours are wasted filling forms and getting paper work in order. Poor in house billing system leads to unsettled insurance claims and the medical practice could run into financial problems.
There are innumerable medical billing service vendors who offer services that will free the time of medical professionals and ensure that money flow becomes trouble free and efficient. However, a medical billing vendor needs to be selected with care.
1.The first step is to do a survey and find out which medical billing vendor has a good reputation. Look for quality and efficiency a 10 % or greater improvement in quality means greater inflow of funds.
2.Never choose a vendor based on quote alone. What you need is an efficient system that works.
3.Look into scope of services. Does the vendor give comprehensive services? Does the system take care of appointment scheduling, medical records maintenance, SOAP notes, billing and so on. A complete system is more efficient in the long run than a billing only system.
4.Discuss in detail the medical billing vendors modus operandi. Find out whether the system in use is aggressive or defensive.
5.Understand the reporting system in detail and ask about aspects like data aggregation and analysis.
6.Avoid choosing a vendor based on quotes or presentation slickness. Check out their system that is already functional and make the effort of verifying references. Also contact the better business bureau to check whether any complaints are registered against the vendor.
7.Ask about technology is use and its compatibility with your computer systems. Think about expansion in future and whether the system can be upgraded. Find out if the technology is HIPAA compliant.
8.Choose a medical billing vendor who has a Code of Conduct in place and transparency in systems.
9.Look for aspects like data security protection, super bill online, online insurance claim editing and so on.
10.Ask for details like volumes handled, staff strength, responsiveness, the number of practices handled.
Be clear about whether your staff will need special training and how the medical billing system will be put into function. Be prepared for initial glitches and a period in which adjustments will need to be made. Ask for a trial period or to observe the process in another practice. The vendor may have a super efficient system but it is important that your staff is comfortable with the system too.
Medical billing systems bring several advantages to a practice and are being used world wide to smoothen out work processes. Technology has changed the way the world functions.
Be smart and choose a medical billing vendor with whom your medical practice will flourish and grow.

Your First Appointment-pregnancy

Your first visit with a care provider is important. During this visit, he or she will take a full medical history to determine if you have any underlying health problems. In addition, your care provider will ask you about any health problems that run in your family, and in your partner’s family. Unless you have a preexisting medical problem, your doctor will usually treat you like any other pregnant woman in terms of scheduling your first appointment, at about 8 weeks. One of the main reasons for the delay is that early miscarriage is very common and in most cases can not be prevented by medical treatment. There fore, most care providers wait until you have passed the danger zone of early miscarriage before they order all the pregnancy blood tests.Preparing For Your AppointmentIf your partner is not going to come with you to your first visit, it’s important for you to sit down together and brainstorm about possible family problems. Any family conditions may be passed on to your baby and testing may be an option. If you have any health problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, bring your medical records with you. Your questions can then be answered right away instead of having to wait until your care provider can get copies of your records. You may be asked some embarrassing but important questions about drug use, sexually transmitted diseases and past pregnancy terminations. It’s critical that you tell the truth about your medical history. If your partner doesn’t know about it, you can arrange to tell your care provider when your partner is not present.Standard TestsIn addition to answering a lot of questions, you will probably have a thorough physical exam, including a pelvic examination and cervical (PAP) smear (unless you have recently had one). Your doctor should also discuss your options for first trimester screening for abnormalities so that tests can be arranged between 10-14 weeks if you want them. Depending on how many weeks pregnant you are, you may get to hear your baby’s heartbeat. Finally, you will be asked to give samples of your blood and urine for routine testing and have your weight and blood pressure checked.Testing for HIV is recommended for all pregnant women. If you have HIT, the chances of passing the virus on to your baby can be significantly reduced by taking antiretroviral agents. In additional to these routine tests you may also have additional. tests. A swab may be taken from your cervix for testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea, which can be symptom-free but could affect your baby if not diagnosed and treated.In some cases, blood tests may also be done to check for varicella (chicken pox) and toxoplasmosis. Past infection with toxoplasmosis is a good thing because you will be protected from developing an infection during pregnancy when it can harm your baby.

The Medical Transcription Professional

A Medical transcription professional is often referred to as a medical transcriber or just as an MT. Earlier in the late 1990s medical transcription professionals were also called as Medical language specialists or Health Information Management professionals. An MT professional has to do the transcription with the help of transcription equipment that may include tape recorders PCs foot pedals etc. They use the tape to playback the recording and transcribing the dictations that have been recorded by the doctors. What makes a good MT? A good medical transcription should ideally have skills in the following areas.Good knowledge of medical termsSuperior typing skillsCommunication skillsOffice automation skillsAccuracy in sorting/counting and number verificationKnowledge of Grammar/punctuationExperience with multiple medical specialtiesWhat is the work done by an MT? Well it is an MT’s responsibility to convert the physician dictated medical records of patients into type written formats. Transcriptionists have to accurately transcribe information like the patient’s name and the medical records have to be perfectly transcribed. It is the responsibility of the MT professional to correct any inconsistencies, edit, punctuate and give a perfect finish to the documents. He also has to maintain a back up and log of all the transcription work done. If he has any technical doubts that need to be cleared he will have to follow up with the concerned physicians.A medical transcription professional has to be very familiar with the dictations that he listens to most of the time. Usually the dictations will consist of the names of various diseases, its signs and symptoms, the different diagnostic methods and also its treatments and prevention. Besides this the transcriptionist also has to bean expert in reading various medical reports including, autopsy reports, surgery reports, pharmacology, laboratory reports, pathology reports etc. He will also have to be familiar with other advanced medical terminologies, medications, generic names, classifications, dosages and more.Medical transcription professionals can gain the title of a Certified Medical Transcription’s (CMT) by passing a certification examination that is conducted only by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). The AHDI was formerly in the name of American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT). Medical transcription professionals can now choose to specialize in any one of the different medical specialties.

Medical Transcription: Its Past, Present, and Future

Medical Transcription has become a common term today and is about human beings listening and typing out physician dictations. Technological advances have always defined the medical transcription process. It will continue to be so and one wonders what the future could bring for the medical transcription professional. Looking back into the past history of medical transcription one has to mention about the clumsy medical record keeping methods of yesteryears. All early records were hand written medical records that were highly abbreviated because it was quickly written /scribbled by the physician who was also actually treating the patient. Files kept in wooden filing cabinets, that consisted of collections of handwritten notes/scribbles along with typed documents had to be physically retrieved from shelves every time the physician wanted to have a second look at them. Further development for years just involved the duplication of medical records /documents using carbon paper. (I remember doing it myself) Medical transcription need not actually only be associated with insurance claiming. Storage of medical records by transcription must have begun ever since computers came into use. It was the equivalent of stenography and writing in shorthand the dictations of business. We know various automation systems had started evolving right from the year 1960. Computer systems were not useful enough for years to be used in transcribing records in the medical / health sector. Only much later in the early 90s did actual medical transcription come into existence. Today when we talk of medical transcription it automatically encompasses infrastructure, the desktop computer, the Internet, digital transmission, information systems, PDAs, dictation systems, foot pedals, headphones and more. The evolution toward the electronic patient record and HIPAA compliance is forcing everyone to catch up with technology and there is no looking back. Globalization has enabled the medical transcription professional to even sit at home and work for clients who may be located anywhere else on the globe or beyond. The current developments in VRS (voice recognition software) and its evolution may some day totally automate and even remove the human element in the medical transcription process. Medical transcriptionist (MT) is already happy enough to just edit the documents produced by the VRS. Future, technology may grow to replace the human element and medical transcription can mean just another chip on a board. (I don’t mean to be sarcastic). But then we still value art don’t we? Like a hand printed dress or an antique furniture, manual medical transcription work will have its value and may become more precious. Won’t it?

Medical Transcription Services and Specialties

Today medical transcription has almost become a popular term among the health professionals and services are available for all medical specialties. What is Medical transcription? It is the extensive procedure of transcribing voice-recorded reports done by doctors and healthcare professionals into text formats for various uses including for research and reimbursements. A medical transcriptionist’s job primarily involves converting significant, confidential, and up-to-date data into written text. This text is printed and included in the patients’ records, archived and retained as an EMR (electronic medical record).Transcriptionists can today work either from inside the hospital premises, from their homes or from any other distant global location. Electronic storing of medical records is preferred by modern medical institutions because of the huge volume of patient data being accumulated. Also it makes it very easy to incorporate all details including the medicine, diseases details and other diagnostic information. Maintaining of this type of records is primarily to facilitate the patient’s healthcare and also to use it as a general use data bank while still maintaining confidentiality of patient data.What is the actual MT process comprised of? It generally includes,Tying of documents Active listening Information formatting Editing/proofreading Checks for compliance with medico-legal policies and proceduresMedical transcription services are offered specifically for all the different medical specialists. Today we have experienced medical transcriptionists who do specializations in transcription of different branches of medicine. Thus there has evolved various specialty medical transcriptions like radiology transcription, pediatrics transcription, cardiology transcription and so forth.Though all medical transcription professionals have to be familiar with transcribing all branches of medicine, a speciality transcriptionist, (some one specialized in transcribing for a particular branch of medicine) often gets preferred by the respective specialist. Further specialty in each branch is also done. Thus if we take a specialty transcription professional he will be an expert in transcription of all pediatric specialty areas such as allergy immunology, anesthesiology, endocrinology, cardiology infectious diseases, neurology, nephrology, orthopedics, sports medicine and general academic pediatrics.There is a recent increased trend in the usage and dependence of voice recognition software for specialty transcription. However the technology for it is yet not perfect and if the documents are not well looked into and edited by humans, it can give irrelevant and absurd transcripts. One can expect the regular manual transcription to be around for some time into the future and the fear of voice recognition software based transcription totally replacing the human element is not valid. The demand for health services and medical transcription is on the rise as the number of aging population is fast growing and the law requires transcription documentation of medical bills for the insurance benefits on worker’s compensations.