In some hospitals, clinics and offices, care is still documented utilizing individual unit, department or clinician specific terminology – usually the result of specialty documentation needs of certain units, service lines or physician specialties. A range of terminology may be used and new templates proliferate, creating duplication, making trending and quality reporting difficult, and creating obstacles to evidence-based care. Variance in workflow and templates can even increase time requirements for physician documentation when the impacts are not fully understood. Lack of standardization ultimately impedes efficient EHR data flows, frustrates the goal of a longitudinal view of patient care, and defeats the ability to measure care outcomes and exchange meaningful clinical documents.

Acacia Clinical Informatics experts are experienced in leading EHR’s and understand the constraints and opportunities of each vendor’s software. We are familiar with standardized vocabularies and coding standards such as SNOMED CT®, MEDCIN, LOINC®, MeSH and UMLS, as well as ICD-10, ICD-9, and CPT®. Acacia can help you drive adoption of language standards such as NANDA, NMDS, and CCC for optimized Plans of Care, Assessments, Flow Sheets, Interventions and improved data collection. We also leverage our HIM and revenue cycle expertise to closely coordinate with existing CDI and ICD-10 initiatives.

Our Clinical Documentation Standardization services include:

• Assessment of clinical documentation for terminology, compliance, duplication, reporting and risks to patient care
• Education on standardization opportunities and facilitate the creation of a vision for outcomes that improve communication and patient care
• Assessment of Care Planning models to identify the best multi-disciplinary approach
• Simplification of clinician workflows while supporting adherence to standards of care
• Design of new or optimization of current sand patient care systems to leverage information integration, automate reporting, and improve data flow to the EHR
• Monitor and report on project success through quality components.

With changes driven by Healthcare Reform, do you know what specialties or individual physicians to employ to provide integrated services?

Are you able to optimize your mix of primary care, outpatient and ambulatory to market opportunities? Do you know which physicians and specialties are providing positive cash flow for your hospital and do your physician contracts reward your best performers? Can you identify which providers are costly to you or do not provide quality care or create compliance risks?

An Acacia Consulting Physician/Medical Practice Integration, Strategy and Performance Review can help you to develop and implement an updated Physician Integration Plan as your health system implements outcome monitoring and risk based contracting required to support Population Management, Medical Home, and ACO Models. This service is complimented by our Clinic/Medical Practice Operations and Revenue Integrity Review service offering.

Our Medical Practice/Physician Integration services provide:

• Strategic planning for acquisitions (Physician Needs Assessment/Market Strategy), evaluation of physician employment before acquisition, and evaluation of existing physician’s productivity and value to institution
• Analysis of physician net revenue, not just charges, including practice and hospital
• Develop consistent provider contracts based on productivity and other specified goals (needed for Hospitalists, Urgent Care and ED Physicians with no control over patient volume)
• Specifies workflow process redesign requirements and systems optimizations needed for support of new models – Patient Centered Medical Home, ACO, etc.
• Provides seasoned professionals available to develop and encourage providers to participate in health system risk-based and outcome managed models
• Develop a Physician Integration Plan as health system moves to Population Management, Outcome Monitoring or Risk Based contracting

The overall goal of the mentoring program at Acacia Professional Services is to provide a structure and roadmap for growth as a Clinical Informaticist.  Utilizing a mentor will assist in providing ongoing career development, training and support for staff who are new to their position or wish to expand their current knowledge and expertise.  

Acacia mentors have experience in multiple systems, modules/applications, and processes.  Your informaticist will learn to look at the larger picture and the impact of decisions on the organization as a whole and not just on a single department.