BACKGROUND INFO

Mid-Atlantic Health System is made up of a medical center and 12 primary care and specialty clinics.

Mid-Atlantic recently upgraded its EMR capabilities to include a Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) and clinical guidelines. They now want to implement an EMR that links all of the data from their clinics and practices.

The CFO, Joe Sanford, is interested in the concept of a medical lockbox which will give a local bank responsibility of all of Mid-Atlantic’s financial functions (i.e., insurance, payments and investments).

For example- the bank would receive the payment (in any form), process and perform the accounting function all for the organization.

CHALLENGES

Mid-Atlantic Health wants to develop and IT architecture that links the medical center’s EMR with the EMR’s of local physician practices and other hospitals in the region. For the small physician practices and clinics, implementing an EMR is expensive.

In regards to the medical lockbox, Joe, the CFO, is worried that the bank has a limited understanding of healthcare financing in regards to the benefit structure of claims being different for each insurance carrier as well as HIPAA regulations regarding privacy and security.

Joe does not want/think the bank can handle sole responsibility for Mid-Atlantic’s financial functions.

WHAT ARE SOME PROPOSED SOLUTIONS?