Category Archives: Hot News

PDMP E-Prescribing Software Update

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(August 13, 2018) — TheraManager DocuTrac, a leading provider of Practice Management and Electronic Medical Record software for behavioral health organizations, is pleased to announce that it will soon release a new update for its electronic prescribing software. The update has been created in partnership with DrFirst, and will save precious time within the prescribing workflow, while ensuring mandatory State verification of each patient’s controlled substance prescriptions.

With rising incidence of opioid and substance abuse, many States now maintain a database (commonly known as Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) or Prescription Monitoring Programs (PMP)), to record every time a controlled substance is prescribed within their State.  To keep these databases up-to-date, all prescribers in the State are required to check for previous prescriptions written for the patient before they write any new prescriptions.  This lookup process adds time all day long into a prescribers’ already busy workflow.

Russell Rothchild, CEO of TheraManager DocuTrac said: “TheraManager DocuTrac is thrilled to announce that, in partnership with DrFirst (www.drfirst.com), we will soon be releasing a new e-prescribing software update that will incorporate State checking into the prescriber’s ordinary eRx workflow. This will save our doctors and nurses time on every controlled substance prescription written in the future.”

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About TheraManager DocuTrac

TheraManager DocuTrac offers a rich suite of products, including practice management and electronic medical record software, for behavioral health organizations of all sizes across the US. Our clientele includes psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, counselors, social workers and nurse practitioners in community mental health centers, private practice, hospitals, universities, county and state agencies, substance abuse clinics, and intensive outpatient facilities. To know more, please visit: http://www.docutracinc.com/

Media contact:

Regina Foster

TheraManager DocuTrac
1800 Dual Highway, Suite 306
Hagerstown, MD 21740

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DocuTrac Employee Receives PQRS Certification

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Press Release May 1, 2016 Hagerstown MD:

DocuTrac Inc is pleased to announce that Heather Washburn, Director of Implementation and Training, has successfully completed the PQRS/CQM/MIPS Project Manager course and exam receiving her certification through 4Medapproved Certification. The Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), Clinical Quality Measures (CQM), and the Merit Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) are Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) programs. They were implemented to promote value over volume and pay eligible healthcare providers based on the quality of their care instead of standard fees.

According to Ms. Washburn complying with the CMS requirements for these programs is complex and reporting the correct patient data to CMS can be confusing. The certification course she completed will enable her to better assist DocuTrac’s customers and help them navigate this maze of acronyms. Ms. Washburn who has extensive experience in medical billing has been with the DocuTrac team for the past five years. Currently she assists enterprise level customers with implementation, as well as training for both enterprise and professional edition billing software.

President Arnie Schuster, Ph.D. stated that, “DocuTrac is a qualified 2014 Data Submission Vendor, and we are committed to assisting our customers who are eligible providers with the reporting process.” Dr. Schuster went on to say, “DocuTrac has a highly competent staff that receives on-going training to keep up with the many changes and requirements in behavioral healthcare that impact our customers. We are customer oriented and pride ourselves on the quality of our service and support.”

DocuTrac Inc, established in 1993, is a leader in clinical information and claims management solutions for behavioral healthcare providers with customers in every state including Alaska and Hawaii. DocuTrac’s customers include county and state mental health facilities, addiction clinics, family centers, employee assistance programs, large groups, and other behavioral healthcare facilities and providers. For more information please visit www.docutracinc.com or call 800-850-8510.

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What is Brooke’s House?

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By Dr. Arnie Schuster
The fact that addiction is epidemic in our country is clear. Probably every family has been affected in some way. For many it is the result of the death of a parent, child, sibling, other family member, friend, or family friend by overdose or substance related illness or accident. What is not as clear to many is that the resources for treatment in most communities are seriously lacking or absent. This is tragic considering that overdosing is the main cause of accidental death, even higher than traffic fatalities, gun-related homicides and suicides – The Washington Post, Feb 7, 2014.

This does not even account for deaths indirectly related to overdose and the tremendous cost of substance abuse in many other areas.  The news is filled with stories of traffic accidents and gun-related deaths along with pleas and editorials on the need for increased car safety and gun control. The chants for more accessibility to treatment for substance abuse, on the other hand,
are not as loud.

brooke1Earlier this year, Brooke Erin Simmers, the 19 year old daughter of Kevin and Dana Simmers of Clear Spring, MD passed away from a heroin overdose. The Simmers’ are building Brooke’s House in her memory to “inspire and empower women suffering from alcohol and substance use disorder by providing a safe, stable, and emotionally supportive environment during the early stage of recovery.” Brooke was a beautiful, bright teenager with enormous potential. She, like many of our children, family and friends was side-tracked in life as a result of, first alcohol which then lead to the more addictive, dangerous drugs. Hopes and aspirations of a future career and family of her own were cast out by the power of and struggle with addiction.

Anybody who works with addiction or has a family member, friend or personal experience with addiction, knows that awareness of the need for help is fleeting. Addiction is unlike other diseases where the suffering and pain leads us to seek help, and where help is often readily available, especially for those in the most acute need. Imagine now, the addict who has such a fleeting moment of awareness or the pain is just too great and asks for help. In many communities, if there are treatment centers, there is a waiting list. Wait a couple of hours and your loved one or friend “doesn’t need help any longer.” Also imagine, again, unlike other illnesses, the addict slips or relapses. In some centers, their coveted spot in the treatment program is gone – they are discharged for relapsing. Would the diabetic who slipped and ate a chocolate cake be discharged from treatment?

KEY3The path to recovery is bumpy and difficult, and requires a great deal of support and perseverance. However, it is achievable, but only with the help and support of family, friends, and the community. For that reason, more centers like Brooke’s House are desperately needed. Please join DocuTrac in supporting Brooke’s House though your donation.

You can find more information about Brooke’s House and contributing at http://brookeshouse.org/ and http://brookeshouse.org/donate/

For every program sold, through the end of the year, DocuTrac will contribute a portion of the sale to Brooke’s House.

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Are You Prepared for ICD-10?

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Beginning on October 1, 2015, you will need to transition from ICD-9 to the ICD-10 for coding on your claims. While many of the diagnoses you submit for mental health have a 1:1 relationship between ICD-9 and ICD-10, there are a number of ICD-9 codes for which you will have to determine the correct ICD-10 match. Your software will not be able to determine that for you. If you have not upgraded to the latest version of your software to handle the transition to ICD-10 and submission of ICD-10 codes, you are at risk for reimbursement delays and significant revenue losses. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates that denial rates will rise by 100-200 percent and that days in A/R will grow by 20-40 percent.

Ensuring that you have the latest version of Office Therapy® and are submitting claims with our clearinghouse partner, TriZetto Provider Solutions®, will help you minimize any financial disruption. DocuTrac has worked hard to prepare for ICD-10 and has worked with TriZetto to test claim submissions which are ICD-10 compliant.

For more information on the transition to ICD-10 you can attend DocuTrac’s upcoming free webinar on the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10, as well as, TriZetto’s free webinars. Contact DocuTrac at 800-850-8510 for more information on our free webinars to help you prepare or to speak with a sales representative for information on upgrading to the latest version.

Don’t get caught unprepared for the change.

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DocuTrac Releases Enterprise Level PM Software

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Hagerstown, Maryland May 7, 2015 – DocuTrac, Inc. behavioral health software development corporation announced the release of a new enterprise level practice management (PM) system integrated with their QuicDoc® Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system. The new system provides an intelligent solution for enterprise level billing needs.  QuicDoc EMR and PM together will allow agencies to seamlessly manage their accounts receivables and their documentation needs all within one fully integrated system.

According to Arnie Schuster, Ph.D. president of DocuTrac, “this new release enables us to offer a full scale integrated system to behavioral health agencies making us more competitive.” He went on the say that, “DocuTrac has now achieved a long term goal in the ability to offer the best of scheduling, billing, documentation, and outcome assessment for behavioral healthcare facilities.” Among the features included in the new QuicDoc PM system are real time eligibility verification; electronic claims management and remittance advice; credit card processing; and tools for managing claim denials and collections.

Click here to view the full press release

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DocuTrac Launches New Version of QuicDoc® Professional Edition EMR

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March 16, 2015 – HAGERSTOWN, MD — DocuTrac, Inc behavioral health software company has announced the release of QuicDoc Professional Edition EMR, Version 11 for Client Server and Cloud customers. The new release is based mainly on customer input, as well as government and industry requirements.

Arnie Schuster, Ph.D., president of DocuTrac in speaking about the new release stated that, “many of the enhancements are features requested by the behavioral health providers using our QuicDoc system.” He goes on to say that “it’s a win-win situation, the customers get what they need, and we improve our software’s appeal to other providers.”

The new release includes the option to add the Wiley Practice Planners® content which expands their customers’ ability to create robust, high quality treatment plans with an extensive library of problems and goals, as well as, evidence-based objectives and interventions. Version 11 also includes enhanced reporting and electronic signature functionality, in addition to numerous scheduler and clinical work flow improvements.

Click here to view the full press release

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QuicDoc® EMR Software to Include the Wiley Treatment Planners

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Hagerstown, MD October 8, 2014 – DocuTrac, Inc, a leading developer of software for psychiatrists, has partnered with John Wiley & Sons, Inc a global provider of content and workflow solutions in scientific, technical, medical, and research areas. The new alliance will enable DocuTrac to provide their QuicDoc® EMR customers with Treatment Planners content from the Wiley Practice Planners® series, as a valuable built in resource for expanding and creating clinically sound treatment plans for their clients.

Arnie Schuster Ph.D., president of DocuTrac stated that, “We are so pleased to announce that QuicDoc will include the Wiley Practice Planners Treatment Planning content. The addition of this content will add to our customers’ ability to create robust, high quality treatment plans using a rich library of problems and goals, as well as, evidence-based objectives and interventions. This content will also flow from treatment plans to progress notes, thereby providing consistency and continuity between treatment planning and documentation of encounters in QuicDoc.”

Click here to view the full press release.

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DocuTrac’s Website Wins the American Web Design Award

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PRLog (Press Release) – Jun. 12, 2014 – Hagerstown, MD – DocuTrac, Inc., a behavioral health software company, launched a new website in May of 2013. The website, designed by Power Marketing, LLC, has recently received the American Web Design Award presented by Graphic Design USA.

The American Web Design Award is an annual contest used to showcase website design and other online communications.  Along with recognition by the visual communications community, winners receive a Certificate of Excellence in design.

DocuTrac’s aim for the website was to provide better organized content and more visually suitable pages so that users could easily find information about DocuTrac’s EMR and billing software products and services. They not only wanted to provide an up-to-date appearance with a more pleasant interface, but also one that was highly intuitive.  The excellent design skills and creative ability of Power Marketing’s staff enabled DocuTrac to achieve these goals with an award winning site.

The web site was launched in conjunction with the Company’s twentieth anniversary. DocuTrac’s President Arnie Schuster, PhD stated that, “launching the new website is a good way to mark this milestone for the company. We hope that our new site’s format will make it easier to navigate, and that visiting us on the web will be a more pleasing experience for our customers and other visitors.”

The site has a live chat system for Sales, a section on hot news topics, and an Easy Insight video on DocuTrac’s electronic medical records and practice management solutions. The site contains downloads and updates, as well as a link to their knowledgebase, and other videos and links related to their EMR and PM software.

Both Power Marketing and DocuTrac are located in Western Maryland. For information on Power Marketing and their services visit http://www.power-marketing.com/ . For information on DocuTrac and their behavioral software products and services, visit http://www.docutracinc.com/.

 

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DSM-5, ICD-9/ICD-10 and QuicDoc®

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There has been much confusion over the DSM-5, ICD-9, and ICD-10 codes. In order to clarify and answer questions, Dr. Arnie Schuster, President of DocuTrac, Inc. has written an article about these changes, as well as how the codes have been integrated into QuicDoc EMR Software.

The introduction of DSM-5 has been a major event and for some, a painful change, after decades of reliance on and familiarity with DSM-IV (DSM-IV-TR) codes.

DSM-5 Changes

Perhaps the most significant change with DSM-5 has been the movement away from the multi-axial system to document diagnoses – using Axis I, II, III, IV and V.  So, when making a diagnosis now, all conditions relevant to assessing and managing the patient are listed together.

While there are many other changes with DSM-5 such as planning for ICD-11, developmental and lifespan considerations, new diagnoses and the omission of diagnoses or categories of diagnoses (e.g. elimination of Schizophrenia Subtypes which are now noted as specifiers), I would like to focus on changes involving the use of codes and descriptions. 

Using ICD Codes

Early on in my career I recall submitting claims on HCFA-1500 forms and specifying DSM when entering diagnostic codes in Block 21. At the time you could choose to use DSM or ICD coding. And, in some cases, codes and their associated descriptions differed between DSM and ICD.  In some cases, adding to confusion, in DSM the same code could be used for more than one description (e.g. 300.7 for Hypochondriasis and Body Dysmorphic Disorder). This has long since changed so that payers required ICD codes to be submitted. With that change, DSM came into more conformance with ICD coding.  While that was a welcome change from the perspective of a vendor providing documentation and billing software, we were still challenged with mapping between two distinct structural approaches to making a diagnosis. On the Behavioral Health side, clinicians were making multi-axial diagnoses separating Psychiatric Disorders, Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation, and relevant Physical Conditions and Disorders. On the billing side, payers required ICD coding with primary, secondary, tertiary, etc. diagnoses.

With the elimination of the multi-axial system in DSM-5, that challenge has been eliminated. As significant as that change was there was also a shift in coding systems –  the official coding system in DSM-5 is the ICD-9.  While in some cases the name or description of the disorder may differ (e.g.  299.00 Autistic disorder (ICD-9) versus Autism Spectrum Disorder (DSM-5), the code used is the official ICD-9 code required for submission of a claim.

Moving Forward

At DocuTrac, our primary emphasis in addition to preparing for DSM-5 was the (then) upcoming October 2014 deadline for the use of ICD-10. In an eleventh hour decision by congress, the ICD-10 was delayed until Oct 2015 – to the dismay or relief of many, depending on your perspective.  In any event, DocuTrac was prepared for ICD-10 and in its latest versions of QuicDoc  and Office Therapy® we included both ICD-9 and ICD-10 coding and mapping.

We are aware that many clinicians prefer the DSM Description or Names to the ICD-9/10 Descriptions. The structure and functionality is in place in the latest version of QuicDoc to allow the user to provide the equivalent DSM name. Our next release will allow the user the option to show on print-outs, the DSM or ICD Name, if different.

As we keep up with the ever changing requirements in a very dynamic profession, DocuTrac will do it’s best to provide easy to use, intuitive, and up-to-date functionality to meet your needs. This includes the driving forces behind Meaningful Use and for many, another coding system hitting the radar – SNOMED-CT. Stay tuned for more on SNOMED later.

 

Dr. Arnie Schuster
President, DocuTrac, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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New York State Providers and E-Prescribing

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Latest news regarding E-Prescribing in New York State:

“In the very short amount of time since the New York State Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement (BNE) finalized its guidelines for providers and pharmacies to implement the Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing (I-STOP) there has been a widespread movement from the New York healthcare community to begin using the new technology. As of this writing, there are currently 1,346 pharmacies across the state that accept electronic transmissions of controlled substance prescriptions. Rite Aid was the first of the large pharmacy chains to become enabled in New York, followed quickly by Duane Reade and Walgreens. As of the publication time for this blog, CVS also has plans in motion that will bring its pharmacies across New York into the network of controlled substance e-prescription-enabled pharmacies within the next six months.” Click here to read the full article.

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