Sales questions
Do you have reference sites?
Yes. For a list of reference sites send an email request to sales@IgnisSystems.com.
Workflow questions
What is the workflow for creating orders?
In the EMR, the physician opens the Process Orders form and clicks Change Orders to enter or modify orders. Then the Check Orders button is clicked, which transmits the order to the EMR-Link Hub for medical necessity checking.
Once the checks have been run, the user signs the orders, then clicks Review Requisition to transmit the order to the EMR-Link Hub. There it is finalized and sent to the lab. An ABN can be printed if needed.
How do I check an order for medical necessity compliance?
The lab order form has a button to check ABN compliance; click that button after selecting the lab tests and diagnoses. You are then notified (within 1-2 seconds) which tests, if any, do not pass the check and require an ABN. Different methods and rules are used for this check, depending on the lab you are sending the order to.
What is the process for checking for missing requisitions, or errors?
The process may be different in every clinic. You only check for omissions when you don’t receive a result for an order. That can be derived from an EMR “report” for orders greater than x days old with a status of In Process. Since EMR-Link allows for auto-completion of orders when the result is signed, this report shows the orders that have not yet been auto-completed.
If an ABN is required, what do I do?
If an ABN is needed, the ABN is printed as a separate page when the requisition is printed. The ABN format follows Medicare standards, and the tests requiring an ABN are pre-printed on the form.
What happens when the orders are completed?
When the Transmit Order button is clicked, the orders are transmitted to the EMR-Link system. Additional information specific to the order is collected at that point (date/time, technician identiification, ask-at-order-entry questions, lab account number, bill type). Then the order is transmitted to the lab.
How often are medical necessity rules updated?
New regulations are published by Medicare continually. However, the EMR-Link database is updated quarterly. Some labs provide their own medical necessity rules for EMR-Link, and the update frequency depends on the lab.
What if a lab has its own medical necessity rules?
Labs can provide their own rules if they wish. Web-based tools are provided to allow the lab to maintain these rules. They can be updated as frequently as the lab wishes.
What does the clinic need to do to get the new rules?
Nothing. The rules are stored on the EMR-Link server and are checked for each lab order.
What about local Medicare rules?
Different regions have slightly different local Medicare rules, which are extensions to the national rules. EMR-Link provides local rules for different regions of the US where there are EMR-Link customers. The rules are applied based on the location of the lab.
How are orders routed to the lab?
Orders are sent from the EMR workstation to the EMR-Link Hub via the Internet, where they are reformatted as needed and then sent to the appropriate connection at the lab.
How do results populate the EMR?
EMR-Link passes results to the same inbox that your EMR queries for results, so they are imported the same way they are today. With the comprehensive cross-reference file you may find that more of the results coming through EMR-Link show up in the flowsheet.
Technical questions
What technology is used in the EMR-Link system?
EMR-Link is built on Microsoft Windows Server, using MS SQL Server and .NET technologies. These technologies provide the security and scalability required for complex applications.
How does EMR-Link ensure security and confidentiality of information?
Information transmitted between EMR-Link servers and the EMR or other systems is encrypted, in the same way as financial transactions. EMR-Link maintains its servers at a highly secure commercial data center, and maintains its systems to the latest standards of security. Personal and medical data stored in the EMR-Link database is encrypted.
How does EMR-Link guard against interruptions in service?
EMR-Link constantly monitors its servers to assure they are operating properly, and backs up data frequently to prevent loss. EMR-Link is in the planning stage for a second data center, for the case of catastrophic failure of its main data center.
Why is Internet connectivity required from the clinic?
The EMR-Link system does real-time checking of the order against the central EMR-Link database, and this data is communicated over the Internet, and also tramsits the order via the EMR-Link system (even if the receiving lab is within your own enterprise). The requirements are the same as for a web browser; if you can access the web from a workstation then it can use EMR-Link.
How does a Citrix environment differ from a standard "fat client" installation?
Citrix installations are not much different from a standard “fat client” install. You’ll need the EMR-Link Connector loaded on each client. For GE Centricity, it would be loaded on the Citrix Server Client folder under the Centricity Physician Office installation folder.
What are the space/system requirements associated with EMR-Link?
Minimal. The system requirements for the EMR should be more than adequate. For Centricity, EMR-Link installation adds one new encounter form and an emrlink folder that contains about .5MB of data.
What impact does EMR-Link have on database growth?
None, unless you're ordering more tests, which would yield more results.
Are there any performance issues associated with using EMR-Link?
No. EMR-Link transfers data over the Internet. As long as you have an adequate Internet connection, you should not have any performance issues.
GE Centricity questions
How does the EMR-Link system work with GE Centricity?
An order processing encounter form is installed in Centricity EMR. This form works with the Orders Module to allow tests to be ordered, diagnoses to be specified and medical necessity checked. If necessary, an ABN can be printed for patient signature. Once the desired tests have been selected, they are routed to the lab and a lab requisition and specimen labels are printed.
How do I create orders in my patient's chart in GE Centricity?
EMR-Link uses the same method for creating orders as you are already using in the EMR: either using the Orders Module directly, or using custom forms or packages such as the CCC Test Management form. The EMR-Link system complements these methods by sending the orders to the lab electronically.
What is the impact to Centricity by moving to "standard" order numbers?
There are not really any "standard" order numbers that are comprehensive enough to represent the labs that any given client would order. Just about every EMR installation looks different. You can choose to keep the order codes you have or use those provided by the lab.
How does EMR-Link impact the GE Centricity DTS?
The EMR-Link Connector that gets installed on the DTS has a small footprint and only runs as often as you want to check for results. If you increase the volume of orders you send as a results of installing EMR-Link then the number of results coming through the DTS would increase accordingly.
Does EMR-Link replace the need for the GE Centricity FTS (File Transfer Station)?
Yes. EMR-Link downloads the lab results so you no longer need the FTS.
What is your process for cleaning up GE Centricity LinkLogic files once they are processed?
This is the same as you have today. LinkLogic provides setup configuration options for cleaning up processed files. You will continue using this same mechanism.
Are there any Centricity EMR version or service pack considerations when using EMR-Link?
EMR-Link uses standard EMR integration functionality and is therefore compatible with all released versions of Centricity EMR.