NextGen-Ambulatory-EHR
by NextGen-Ambulatory-EHR
by NextGen-Ambulatory-EHR
Profile Information Last updated on: 1 July 2024
Profile Information Last updated on: 1 July 2024
We help make selecting a software for your business effortless, economical and efficient.
by NextGen-Ambulatory-EHR
by NextGen-Ambulatory-EHR
Profile Information Last updated on: 1 July 2024
Profile Information Last updated on: 1 July 2024
1. Initial Consultation and Planning: This phase involves discussions between NextGen representatives and the healthcare practice to understand specific needs, challenges, and goals. This helps in tailoring the EHR system to the practice's requirements.
2. System Customization and Setup: Based on the initial consultations, the NextGen EHR system is customized to fit the practice’s workflows, specialty-specific content, and operational goals. This includes setting up the software to handle patient data, scheduling, billing, and other critical functions.
3. Integration: The EHR system is integrated with other healthcare IT systems that the practice uses. This could include practice management software, laboratory information systems, and other diagnostic tools to ensure seamless data exchange and workflow across the healthcare practice.
4. Training: NextGen provides comprehensive training for all users of the EHR system, including doctors, nurses, administrative staff, and IT personnel. This training ensures that everyone can effectively use the system from day one.
5. Testing and Quality Assurance: Before going live, the system undergoes rigorous testing to ensure that all features work as expected and that the system is stable and secure. This phase may involve simulated real-world scenarios to see how the system performs under typical operational conditions.
6. Go-Live Assistance: NextGen offers support during the go-live phase to address any immediate issues that arise as the practice begins to use the EHR system in a live environment. This support is crucial to minimize disruptions to daily operations.
7. Ongoing Support and Optimization: After implementation, NextGen provides ongoing support and periodic updates to enhance system functionality and security. Practices can also receive further optimization services to refine workflows and improve system performance based on actual usage.
The duration of the implementation process can vary significantly depending on the size of the practice, the complexity of the existing systems, and the specific requirements of the healthcare provider. Typically, the process can take anywhere from a few months to over a year. Smaller practices might expect a quicker implementation, while larger, multi-specialty groups or those requiring extensive customizations might find the process takes longer.
This comprehensive approach ensures that healthcare providers can maximize the benefits of the NextGen Ambulatory EHR system, improving both the efficiency of healthcare delivery and the quality of patient care.
1. Specialty-Specific Customization: NextGen EHR offers customization options for various medical specialties, including templates and workflow configurations tailored to specific practice needs. This ensures that clinicians have the tools and information relevant to their field of medicine.
2. Template Customization: Practices can develop custom NextGen EHR templates to better fit their workflows, business needs, regulatory requirements, and goals. This includes modifying existing templates or creating new ones from scratch with professional developer support.
3. Workflow Optimization: NextGen allows for the customization of clinical workflows to enhance efficiency and effectiveness within the practice. This includes setting up user interfaces and designing custom reports to meet the specific operational needs of the healthcare facility.
4. Data Migration and Integration: Customization extends to data handling, where NextGen supports tailored data migration strategies to ensure seamless integration with existing systems. This includes cleaning, converting, and merging data to fit NextGen’s structure.
5. User Interface Customization: The software interface can be customized to improve user experience and meet the specific needs of the practice. This includes adjusting the layout, features, and accessibility options to optimize usability and accessibility.
6. Reporting and Analytics: NextGen provides options for custom report development, allowing practices to monitor specific metrics that are crucial for their operational and clinical outcomes. Practices can set benchmarks and compare their performance to peer practices in real-time.
7. Interoperability and Integration: NextGen EHR and EPM are fully integrated, giving practices access to a unified system that can be customized to connect clinical, administrative, and financial data seamlessly across various healthcare systems.
These customization capabilities are designed to ensure that NextGen EHR can adapt to the unique needs of different medical practices, enhancing both clinical and operational efficiency.
1. Setup Fees:
- NextGen Office typically charges a one-time implementation fee that covers data migration, system configuration, and staff training. The specific cost of implementation can vary depending on the size and complexity of the practice.
2. Maintenance Costs:
- For cloud-based systems like NextGen Office, maintenance costs are generally included in the subscription fee. However, if there are significant system upgrades or additional customization required post-implementation, there might be additional charges.
- Maintenance costs for EHR systems can also include regular updates and security patches to ensure the system remains compliant with current regulations and standards.
3. Support Charges:
- Basic support is typically included in the monthly subscription fee for NextGen Office. This includes access to customer service via phone, email, and a knowledge base.
- For more complex issues or specialized support, higher-tier support services may incur additional costs. These services might include access to more experienced technicians or faster response times.
4. Additional Features:
- While the basic subscription covers many of the essential features, NextGen Office may charge extra for advanced features like telehealth capabilities or advanced reporting tools. These features are often crucial for enhancing the functionality of the EHR system but come at an additional cost.
5. Training Costs:
- While initial training is included in the implementation fee, ongoing training for new staff or additional training sessions to cover new features or updates may incur extra charges. Training is crucial for ensuring that all users are proficient with the system and can use it effectively to improve practice operations.
6. Data Migration Costs:
- If a practice needs to migrate data from an old system to NextGen Office, there might be additional charges depending on the complexity and volume of the data. This process is critical for ensuring that historical patient records are accurately transferred and integrated into the new system.
These additional costs need to be factored into the overall budget for EHR implementation to ensure that there are no surprises and that the practice can fully leverage the benefits of the NextGen Office system.
1. Customized Training Plans: TempDev's trainers work with practices to create personalized training plans that meet their specific needs. These plans are designed to address the unique workflows and roles within each practice, ensuring that both clinical and non-clinical staff receive relevant training.
2. Role-Specific Training: Training is tailored to the specific workflows and tasks of different positions within the practice. This approach ensures that each staff member learns how to use the NextGen system in a way that maximizes efficiency and effectiveness in their daily work.
3. Real-World Practice: Training sessions include real-world practice scenarios to help staff get accustomed to how they will use the system in their daily operations. This hands-on approach helps to make the transition to NextGen smoother and more intuitive for all users.
4. Ongoing Training: Continuous improvement through training is emphasized, with ongoing training sessions available to help staff stay up-to-date with new upgrades and features. This ensures that the practice can continue to benefit from the full range of NextGen EHR capabilities over time.
5. Workflow Redesign Support: TempDev offers support for redesigning workflows to better align with the NextGen EHR system. This service helps practices integrate their EHR into day-to-day activities, increasing system satisfaction and improving efficiency.
6. Data Conversion Assistance: For practices migrating from legacy systems, TempDev provides support with data conversion to ensure a smooth transition to NextGen EHR. This includes matching data fields across systems and thoroughly testing for conversion errors.
7. Expert Consultants and Trainers: HealthTECH Resources offers access to a network of experienced NextGen consultants and trainers who can assist with every aspect of EHR implementation, from planning through optimization and go-live support. These professionals are skilled in NextGen modules and can provide role-specific training as well as strategic consulting services.
8. Hands-On EMR Systems Training: NextGen Healthcare itself provides expert training on its EMR and other solutions, starting with short online content followed by hands-on exercises using a training database. This is complemented by trainer-led sessions, available online or onsite, to validate mastery of new skills.
9. Access to NextGen Healthcare Success Community: NextGen offers a comprehensive online community where users can access a wide range of resources, including training materials, educational articles, and forums for collaboration and support. This platform also provides information on accessing applications and managing user permissions.
10. NextGen Mobile Training Modules: For users of NextGen Mobile, TSI Healthcare offers online module training to help optimize productivity. This includes a variety of training videos and guides covering basic app functionality, patient chart navigation, e-prescribing, and secure messaging.
1. Encrypted Data Transmission: NextGen EHR ensures that all data transmitted across systems is encrypted, safeguarding sensitive patient information during transfer.
2. Regular Security Audits: The system undergoes regular security audits to identify and rectify any potential vulnerabilities, ensuring the integrity and security of the data.
3. Layered Security Approach: NextGen uses a layered security approach, which includes multiple levels of security measures to protect against unauthorized access. This approach is akin to peeling an onion, where each layer needs to be bypassed to reach the core data.
4. Robust Access Controls: Strict access controls are implemented to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data. This helps prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.
5. Compliance with Regulatory Requirements: NextGen EHR is designed to comply with major regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, Meaningful Use, and the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), which include stringent data protection standards.
6. Data Encryption Methods: Strong data encryption methods are utilized to protect patient data during EMR integration, ensuring that data remains secure even if intercepted.
7. Secure Data Storage and Backup: Data is securely stored with comprehensive backup and disaster recovery plans in place to prevent data loss and facilitate quick recovery in the event of an incident.
8. Patient Data Protection: Specific measures are taken to protect patient data, including the use of secure patient portals which are HIPAA-compliant. These portals allow patients to access their medical records securely.
9. Cybersecurity Training: NextGen provides cybersecurity training for healthcare staff to ensure they are aware of potential security threats and know how to handle sensitive information securely.
10. Advanced Threat Protection: NextGen employs advanced endpoint and threat protection technologies to safeguard against sophisticated cyber threats and malware.
NextGen EHR typically releases updates once or twice a year. These updates bring new enhancements, features, and fixes to improve the functionality and compliance of the system. For instance, the NextGen Enterprise Spring '21 (v6.2021.1) was a major release that included many robust capabilities to enhance both the patient and provider experience and ensure compliance with the 21st Century Cures Act.
The management of these updates involves a strategic and well-planned approach to ensure smooth integration and minimal disruption to daily operations. This includes analyzing the new features and functionalities provided in the release notes, identifying necessary workflow changes, and conducting thorough testing in non-production environments. Training sessions are also organized to familiarize users with the new features and changes.
Additionally, NextGen provides detailed release notes with each version and upgrade, which help users assess the new features and functionalities included with the upgrade. This aids in planning and executing the upgrade process effectively.
NextGen® Office's policy on data ownership and portability is clearly outlined in their Data Extraction policy. According to this policy, upon termination or expiration of the agreement under which access and use of the NextGen Office solution were obtained, the right to access and use the NextGen® Office solution and all related functionality therein immediately terminates. It is the regulatory obligation of the user to retain their patient and practice data. Users must, at their expense, remove and delete all copies of any Plug-In Software, if any, previously loaded onto their systems. Importantly, users must extract their data before their termination date, as NextGen does not store data for future reference nor offer a post-termination “read-only access” arrangement.
NextGen Office provides two methods within the solution itself for users to extract their data on their own, at no additional charge:
1. C-CDA Export: This method allows for the export of ONC compliant C-CDA files in bulk, for all patients, directly from the Admin section of the PM system. This produces a Patient Health Record (PHR) XML format file conforming to C-CDA standards for all patients in the system. However, it does not include encounter notes or any documents/attachments.
2. Print Chart Wizard: This method is more labor-intensive and produces a single PDF containing the entire contents of a patient's chart, including all encounter notes, documents/attachments, etc. It essentially provides a comprehensive PDF file of everything associated with that patient chart.
For those who prefer a third option, NextGen offers a service, at an additional charge, where the company performs the data extraction. This service produces a backup to a secure Amazon cloud service, containing not only the PHR C-CDA file for each patient but also read-only copies of all encounters, as well as all documents/attachments in their original format. Once the extraction is completed, users will promptly receive instructions and credentials to access the data.
This policy ensures that users can extract and retain ownership of their data, aligning with regulatory obligations and supporting data portability.
1. Customization and Flexibility: NextGen EHR provides various customization options that allow healthcare organizations to adapt the system as their needs change. This includes the ability to develop custom templates and integrate them with other software solutions, which can facilitate scaling up as organizational needs grow.
2. Interoperability Solutions: NextGen offers interoperability solutions that can support scaling by allowing the EHR system to connect with a broader range of other health IT systems. This is crucial for organizations that may need to expand their operations or integrate with new partners.
3. Training and Optimization: NextGen provides ongoing training and optimization services, which can be essential for organizations looking to scale up. These services ensure that as the organization grows, staff can continue to use the EHR system effectively and that the system itself can be optimized to handle increased demands.
4. Modular Additions: The availability of various modules and features, such as NextGen Mobile, NextGen Patient Portal, and others, suggests that NextGen EHR can be scaled up by adding new functionalities as needed. This modular approach allows organizations to expand their EHR capabilities in line with growth without overhauling the entire system.
5. Enterprise-Level Configuration: The system supports configurations at the enterprise level, allowing for scalability across multiple practices within the same enterprise. This includes shared access to certain data and functionalities, which is essential for organizations managing multiple locations or looking to expand.
1. Renewal Terms:
- NextGen EHR contracts typically include automatic renewal clauses. For instance, eLearning Material subscriptions automatically renew for successive 1-year service terms at then-current rates unless a party provides written notice of its intent not to renew at least 90 days prior to the then-current term.
2. Cancellation and Termination:
- Upon termination or expiration of the agreement, the client's right to access and use the NextGen Office solution and all related functionality immediately terminates. The client must, at their expense, remove and delete all copies of any Plug-In Software.
- If a client decides to terminate the service, they must extract their data prior to the termination date. NextGen does not store data for future reference nor offer a post-termination “read-only” access arrangement.
3. Data Extraction Post-Termination:
- NextGen provides methodologies for clients to extract their data at any time during the term of the agreement either on their own at no additional charge or with the assistance of the company at an additional charge.
4. Notification Requirements for Non-Renewal:
- Clients need to notify NextGen in writing of their intent not to renew the contract at least 90 days prior to the end of the current term. This is crucial to avoid automatic renewal and associated charges.
5. Financial Obligations Upon Cancellation:
- If a client revokes their credit card authorization, which is considered a material breach of the agreement, NextGen may terminate any license or rights available to the client to the NextGen products and/or services.
6. Transition Services:
- The contract should specify the number of years for which the EHR technology developer will support the software or provide the service. This is important for ensuring continuous access to patient records and facilitating a smooth transition if the client decides to switch to another EHR system.
These terms highlight the importance of understanding the contractual obligations related to renewal and cancellation when engaging with NextGen EHR services. Clients should carefully review their specific contract details as they can vary based on the agreement and the services procured.
1. 21st Century Cures Act: NextGen EHR is designed to comply with the requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act, which includes standards for interoperability and the prevention of information blocking. The software ensures that healthcare providers can meet these requirements, which are essential for facilitating better patient access to health data and improving the exchange of electronic health information.
2. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): NextGen EHR ensures compliance with HIPAA regulations, which govern the privacy and security of patient health information. This includes implementing safeguards to protect patient data and ensuring that data is handled in a manner that complies with HIPAA's privacy rules.
3. Meaningful Use: NextGen EHR supports healthcare providers in meeting Meaningful Use standards, which are designed to promote the spread of electronic health records to improve healthcare in the U.S. The system includes features that help providers meet the criteria for Meaningful Use, which can also influence the reimbursement levels under various Medicare and Medicaid schemes.
4. Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): NextGen EHR helps providers comply with MIPS, which is part of the MACRA framework. MIPS adjusts Medicare payments based on evidence-based and practice-specific quality data. NextGen provides robust reporting features that support the submission of required reports for MIPS compliance.
5. ONC 2015 Edition Cures Update Criteria: The NextGen 6.2021.1 upgrade meets the ONC 2015 Edition Cures Update Criteria, ensuring that the software is up-to-date with the latest federal requirements for EHR systems. This includes new rules regarding the interoperability of health information and the sharing of electronic health information.
6. California’s Data Exchange Framework (DxF): NextGen EHR, through its Mirth Health Data Hub and Mirth Connect, aids compliance with California’s new health data exchange framework, which became mandatory for most providers in 2024. This framework is designed to improve interoperability between healthcare and social services within the state.
These compliance standards are integral to ensuring that NextGen EHR not only protects patient information but also enhances the operational effectiveness of healthcare providers by ensuring they meet regulatory requirements.
By NextGen-Ambulatory-EHR