The Datamax Thinking Blog

Smart law firms are using IT to improve their businesses. REALLY smart law firms can outsource at least parts of the IT needs.

Are you getting the most out of your technology spending? Does your Legal IT (including your copiers and printers) help you meet your business needs? Or, like for many law firms (and other companies), does your IT not quite get everything done for you. 

HIPAA compliance is a must for every healthcare provider. Here are the seven essential things that must be covered.

While you may think that the actual physicians and licensed medical practitioners are responsible for HIPAA compliance, office managers must also guard confidential medical information. Not only must office managers make sure that protected health information isn't accidentally disclosed, but they must also work to protect it from theft.

If someone is selling you a HIPAA-compliant copier; they're lying to you.

You can include your multifunction copiers in your HIPAA compliance efforts (and you must!), but there is no such thing as an out-of-the-box, HIPAA-compliant copier. 

I've seen a few unscrupulous dealerships say that they sell compliant copiers. That's misleading, as it gives the impression that your compliance challenges can be met with a simple purchase. It's the policies and procedures your office must develop and follow when it comes to patient information – including the information that passes through your copiers – that will make you HIPAA-compliant.

Establishing quantifiable, standardized benchmarks which are then scored will allow senior business executives to begin assessing, and managing, their technology infrastructure as a whole.

Working with small and medium-sized businesses and helping manage their technology is as challenging as it is rewarding. Although every business is different, there are aspects common to all. For example, the business of an architect is different than a CPA, yet each must communicate, each must meet payroll, and each must be able to manage finances.

A simple question will help you zero in on organizations that “Walk the Walk.”

Have you ever heard a potential new vendor say they have the best service? Maybe a better question is when haven’t you heard a vendor say they have the best service. In this competitive environment how can you protect your company from over promising and under delivering providers?

You’re not alone.

The value to every business of paper-free processes in a single chart.

Patient records need to easily accessible and secure for all businesses in the healthcare industry. From the largest hospital to the smallest single physician office; doctors, nurses, and everyone involved in a patient's care needs quick access to their information.

At the same time, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economical and Clinical Health) Act are regulatory guidelines that dictate the protection of patient information.

Paper is not the fastest way to share information; nor is it inherently secure (paper records can be lost/misplaced, stolen, or even copied to use in identity theft).

A Partnership Review is not just tactical; it's strategic.

Account Review, Quarterly Business Review (QBR), Business Review Meeting, Executive Business Review, or the periodic “Let’s Do Lunch” Corporate Schmooze; the practice of ongoing customer relationship management takes on many names, many meanings, and many forms — provided it happens at all. 

Your medical practice is also a business. Don’t forget to ensure your back-office processes are healthy.

While your goal as a provider of healthcare services (primary care to dermatology and anything in between) is to help your patients; you’re also operating a business. Like any business, you need to cost-effectively manage your back-office processes. While getting your patient information under control is important (read our post on 7 features you need to look for in an EHR), managing your business documents is equally important.

If you’re calling it a photocopier, you could be overlooking productivity possibilities of your law firm's multifunction copier.

MFPs. MFDs. Copiers. Digital copiers. All in one devices.

Photocopiers don’t exist any longer.

Well, let me restate that – no one is making photocopiers any longer. All copiers made today are digital copiers. If you go to a library or college, you might still encounter a photocopier.

Why am I talking about this? Why does it matter?

7 features to look for in your next – or first – electronic health record system.

This right electronic health record (EHR) system can benefit both your medical office and your patients. That's because this type of system keeps patients' health information in digital format and therefore easily accessible by authorized medical professionals, which is especially helpful for patients being treated by multiple doctors at different offices. Considering the convenience of an EHR -- along with available incentive payments -- it's easy to see why about 59% of medical providers now use one. But more than half of those providers have reported being unhappy with their EHR system. If you want a better chance at EHR satisfaction, make sure the system you choose has the following features.