MMR Information Systems CEO Comments on Parade Magazine Article
Posted by MyMedicalRecords | Filed under medical records
Robert H. Lorsch, Chief Executive Officer of MMR Information Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: MMRF) (“MMR”) in a presentation to a large Los Angeles-based Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Practice Group regarding the Company’s professional products and services, commented on an article that appeared in the Sunday, March 14 issue of Parade magazine published in newspapers throughout the United States. The article cited a Harvard Medical School study contending Electronic Health Records do not save money for hospitals or doctors. “It’s simply not accurate,” said Lorsch. “Any move towards deployment and integration of EMR Systems will save hospitals and doctors money if managed properly.”
“Three years ago there was a Senator Edward Kennedy-sponsored Health IT bill, SB 1693, that was co-sponsored by then Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and other Senators that included Mike Enzi and Orrin Hatch, and the introduction cited the Rand Corporation study projecting efficiency gains of more than $346 billion a year from the adoption of Health IT systems,” said Lorsch. “With the significance of those projections, how could an EHR not save money? With more than $300 billion a year, there ought to be a way to make an EHR system pay off. The problem is that implementing most any EHR systems requires a healthcare professional to change the way they practice medicine to accommodate the needs of the System instead of the Patient.”
Lorsch is especially interested in seeing Electronic Health Records work. Healthcare professionals who go to www.mymedicalrecordsonline.com/videos can learn about MMRPro, a cost-effective solution that lets doctors take advantage of Electronic Health Records with an easy-to-use entry level system. “MMRPro lets doctors and nurses and other healthcare professionals focus on the symptoms of their patients rather than an error message on a screen,” Lorsch said.
MMRPro, at www.mymedicalrecordsmd.com, introduces the convergence of paper and Health IT to the digital age by providing document management, E-Prescribe and the patient chart management portion of an EHR with minimal interruption to the way offices treat their patients. Additionally, MMRPro is one of the only Health Information Systems that is compatible with any system for Electronic Medical Records or Personal Health Records today. The MMRPro platform is integrated in an MMRPro520 System, which combines the latest in Kodak imaging technologies with a system designed specifically to bring hospitals and doctors’ offices into the digital age.
MMRPro also enables patients to have real time access to a copy of their own Personal Health Record, a feature required under the HITECH Act for physicians to qualify for certain government Stimulus programs. However, since government programs force physicians to treat Medicare and Medicaid patients to qualify for Stimulus funds, MMRPro includes its own Stimulus Program that reimburses physicians regardless of who they treat. It reimburses healthcare professionals for the cost of sending patients a copy of their records, a practice accepted and budgeted in most states. In fact, the MMRPro Stimulus Program can easily pay for the cost of an MMRPro system by getting patients involved in the treatment process and cost of their family’s care.
“The real problem in the medical profession is how to manage the mounds of patient charts bursting out of folders and stacks of records piled high to the ceiling in storage boxes,” said Lorsch. “Paper is literally choking hospitals and doctors’ offices — with more than 2.4 trillion pieces of paper being generated in the medical profession each year — enough paper to circle the earth 18,000 times.” Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who serves on the Company’s Board of Advisers, made this point at the recent HIMSS convention. He appeared on behalf of MMR Information Systems to help call attention to how MMRPro responds to the costly and time-consuming challenge of digitizing paper-based medical records.
“It is easy to argue the case that EMRs do not work when hospitals pour billions into EMR systems and advertising them in a quest for an improbable ROI. Maybe they should use some of this money to reduce healthcare costs and provide for more comprehensive patient care,” said Lorsch.
More than 70% of doctors still have not adopted any EHR system for their practice. In 2007, healthcare technology represented 54 percent of all deals in the healthcare industry totaling $172.9 billion. In 2009, healthcare spending reached $2.5 trillion, 17.3 percent of GDP, and is expected to reach 19.3 percent of GDP by the end of the decade.
Swine Flu May Affect 40% of Americans
Posted by MyMedicalRecords | Filed under Flu Pandemic, Personal Health, Swine Flu, medical records
U.S. health officials say swine flu could strike up to 40 percent of Americans over the next two years and as many as several hundred thousand could die if a vaccine campaign and other measures aren’t successful.
These are estimates from the Centers for Diease Control. As many as 100,000 Americans could die from the the swine flu, also called the H1N1 flu, if no vaccine is found and other mitigation efforts fail.
Once again, this brings to light the importance of having an online Personal Health Record where you can store and manage your family’s medical records – the actual copies of immunization records, lab reports, test results and more – from multiple doctors and other health providers.
Tags: H1N1 Flu, medical records, Personal Health, Swine Flu
Swine Flu (H1N1Flu) Points Out Need for Personal Health Records
Posted by MyMedicalRecords | Filed under Drug Interactions, Flu Pandemic, Personal Health, medical records
With the increasing likelihood that the Swine Flu (H1N1 Flu) outbreak will escalate into a pandemic (as of today there already are 109 confirmed cases and 1 death in the United States), it’s more important than ever that you have your, and your family’s stored securely online. It’s especially crucial now in the event that you need to be treated for flu-like symptoms. There is no vaccination for the Swine Virus currently developed and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicated that anyone being treated would likely need a combination of anti-viral drugs.
You can set up a MyMedicalRecords.com PHR in 2 minutes.
Not only does a MyMedicalRecords.com PHR hold health and medical records for up to 10 people in the family, it comes a with a variety of other useful features.
If you are being treated with multiple medications, the Drug Reference in your MyMedicalRecords.com account becomes especially valuable because you can easily check for any interactions between prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.
What’s more, the calendar feature that comes with your account can be a useful tool to remind you of doctor appointment or when it’s time to pick up a prescription.
And your MyMedicalRecords.com account can accept information from any of your family’s providers, whether it’s your primary physician or any specialists.
You can find more information by visiting www.mymedicalrecords.com.
Tags: H1N1 Flu, Personal Health, PHR, swine ful
Paper Based Records Are Not Going Away
Posted by MyMedicalRecords | Filed under Personal Health, medical records
With all of the talk about Electronic Medical Records, it’s easy to forget that the vast majority of American doctors still are using paper-based records for lab reports, patient charts, radiology reports, medical histories and other important patient information. In fact, an article from Harvard Business Online reported that only 17% of U.S. doctors have adopted Electronic Medical Records and – among practices with with four or less physicians – the adoption rate is just 9%. Paper-based records are going to be around for quite awhile.
So it’s important, when you choose a Personal Health Record (PHR), to be able to effectively store and manage paper-based records from your provider. With MyMedicalRecords.com you can have your providers easily fax records into your account and then you store and manage them in a customized personal filing cabinet you create. The benefit is that you store the complete lab report, not just the values. And you easily can print out records to take with if you are seeing additional doctors along your continuum of care.
