When CMS created the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program to stem overpayments to providers, it created a nemesis for template-based EHR systems. RAC auditors love practices with an EHR that employs a template-based system because occasionally templates will “spit out” patient note text irrelevant to an individual patient situation that’s not caught until a RAC auditor sees it.

Last week, EMR and healthcare IT blogger John Lynn mentioned the danger of poorly maintained notes (i.e,. “sutures healing nicely” in a current note for a surgery that is 2 years old) (www.emrandhippa.com). Using an EHR system smart enough to learn physicians’ preferences without using templates helps avoid this type of embarrassing – and costly – situation. And, since poorly designed templates are one of the main frustrations for providers using an EHR, it just makes sense to use an EHR that adapts to a practice versus having the practice adapt to its template structure. Doing so gives physicians the data to code more accurately and reduce their RAC exposure. Practices that deploy an EHR that understands the orthopedic workflow and dynamically tells physicians where they are in regard to the 1997 AAOS guidelines at every point throughout the course of the physician/patient encounter can be more prepared for their next RAC audit.

Phoenix Ortho, a solution developed by engineers with more than 30 years in delivering orthopedic practice software, helps physicians speed through their day and the occasional RAC audit with a documentation tool smart enough to learn their preferences as they use the system. See for yourself what many other orthopedic practices see by requesting a demo of Phoenix Ortho today via this link.