Shield Your Patient Data from Your EMR

Did you know that your EMR (Electronic Medical Records) vendor might be using your patient data in ways that could negatively impact your medical practice's revenue? It's time to take control. Contact your EMR representative today and request them to remove your practice from any type of Patient Record Sharing, which is often enabled by default in most contracts. Read on to understand how EMR patient record sharing can affect your practice.

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The Legal Landscape

Under both state and federal law, patient health information can be used and disclosed for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations (such as auditing, resolving complaints, and evaluating quality of care) without needing written permission. Technically, no laws are being broken. However, it’s important to understand how your patient data flows from your practice to payors (health plans) via your EMR.

The Hidden Pathway of Your Patient Data

EMR systems are designed to make office management more efficient and provide physicians with easy access to patient data. However, EMR vendors are also selling your patient data to payors, who use it to evaluate the quality of care. This access gives payors the ability to:

4 Reasons to Block Your EMR From Sharing Patient Data

1. Influence RAF Scores: Risk Adjustment Factor (RAF) Scores determine government budget allocations per patient. With access to your patient data, payors can identify gaps and use third-party vendors to maximize a patient's risk profile, affecting your reimbursements and care processes.
2. Increased Claim Rejections: Payors with detailed access to patient data from your EMR can find reasons to reject claims and require prior authorizations, creating a cycle that hinders collections and disrupts cash flow.
3. Unfavorable Contract Negotiations: Armed with detailed insights into the type of care you provide, payors can leverage this information during contract negotiations to secure terms that may not be in your best interest.
4. Reduced New Patient Acquisition: Payors can deprioritize you in provider directories, making it harder for new patients to find and choose your practice, directly impacting your patient base and growth potential.

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Take Action Now

Many providers are already taking steps to protect their data. As a healthcare professional, you can be proactive by contacting your EMR sales representative and asking them to opt your practice out of patient record sharing. Most EMR contracts have this sharing enabled by default, so it’s crucial to make this change to safeguard your practice.

For further guidance on protecting your data, Provider1st offers a free data assessment. Email us at contactus@provider1st.com for your free consultation.