Blogged Arteries

Today’s topic, as prosaic as it might seem at first, is the medical record. Regardless of your specialty, the medical record is the heart of your practice. A good medical record is vital for clinical, business, and legal reasons. Download the show now. Today’s conversation is based on the release of the second volume of “greatest hits” from Texas Medical Association’s Practice Management E-Tips. Our guests are two of TMA’s expert staff members. Lee Spangler is TMA’s associate general counsel. He’s an attorney with extensive knowledge and expertise in health law and medical ethics. Shannon Moore is director of the TMA Health Information Technology Department. Shannon and her team are your trusted advisors on hit adoption and implementation. This installment covers:

• How long do physician practices have to keep patients’ records?
• What’s the best approach to destroying patient records?
• How does a practice know whether the time is right to take the big plunge into the electronic medical record (EMR)?
• How much should a physician be prepared to spend to buy the right EMR for his or her practice?
• From a legal perspective, does it matter whether a practice uses paper or electronic medical records?
• How can physicians who use EMRs limit their liability exposure when it comes to documenting the patient encounter?

Useful resources:

• The Health Information Technology section of the TMA Web site
• White Paper: Is it Time for Your Practice to Adopt an EMR?
• TMA’s EMR Implementation Guide (CME credits available)
• TMA Health Information Technology helpline: (800) 880-5720
• TMA Knowledge Center: (800) 880-7955

---

Want to Subscribe to Podcast TMA through iTunes?

Here's the link. It takes you to the iTunes store. Subscription is free.

Catch up on all the old Podcast TMA episodes on the TMA Web site.

What's a Podcast, how do I get it, and what do I with it once I have it? (See the short tutorial on the iTunes Web site.)