MBA HealthGroup

Vermont Receives National Award for Physician e-Prescribing Thanks to Efforts by Local Healthcare Firm

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) June 22, 2009 — The State of Vermont was awarded “Most Improved State in E-Prescribing” at the 4th Annual Safe-Rx Awards on Monday, June 22 in Washington D.C. The Safe-Rx Award recognizes how e-prescribing enhances patient safety by providing a more secure, accurate and informed prescribing process. Governor Jim Douglas was in attendance as one of several presenters and as the recipient of Vermont’s award. Governor Douglas was accompanied by Sandra Bechtel and Lauren Parker, founders of MBA HealthGroup. MBA HealthGroup is the largest implementation, support, and hosting provider of Electronic Health Records to Vermont physicians.

MBA HealthGroup was recognized by SureScripts for being a key contributor to Vermont’s e-prescribing success in its State Progress Report on E-Prescribing, a summary of key Vermont e-prescribing statistics from 2006 to 2008. “The e-prescribing solutions MBA HealthGroup has rolled out in Vermont have not only improved upon the patient experience, but have made it safer to be a patient in Vermont. The sooner every physician in this country is e-prescribing, the better off we’ll all be as patients” said MBA HealthGroup CEO Sandra Bechtel.

“E-Prescribing has been an easy way to improve patient care through automatic allergy and drug interaction warnings, and quickly facilitates prescription writing and refills” said Dr. Joe Haddock, a practicing Vermont physician at Thomas Chittenden Health Center in Williston, VT.

The Safe RX Awards is hosted by Surescripts, which is the nation’s largest electronic prescribing network. Surescripts created the Safe-Rx Awards to recognize the outstanding leadership shown by states and stakeholders across the country that have helped to make the prescribing process as safe and efficient as possible. The Awards also serve to educate the public about the role of technology in prescribing medications and the benefits for patients, pharmacists and physicians.

MBA HealthGroup is a full-service healthcare firm that specializes in healthcare consulting, medical billing/revenue cycle management, e-prescribing solutions, and electronic health records implementation and support services. For almost two decades, MBA HealthGroup has provided solutions to physicians, medical practices, and hospitals throughout the country.

How often are you encouraged to start a business in one of the worst economic downturns in the history of the United States?  While healthcare hasn’t been hit as hard by this economic downturn as other industries (travel, auto, etc.), we’re certainly not immune to the economic fluxuations in healthcare.  When patients have high deductible health savings accounts (HSA) or copays, they may choose to just wait out that fever they’ve had until it goes away rather than going in to see their doctor.  So while there are some reasons for not starting a practice when the economy is in turmoil, I believe there are more benefits than most people know.

1. Interest rates are at historic lows.  It may not be as easy to get startup financing from a bank as it was a few years ago, but if you do, you’ll be paying less interest.  If you’re looking for capital from the SBA (Small Business Association), you’ll find that their loan fees have been reduced dramatically due to their access to stimulus funding.

2.Real estate is inexpensive and easy to find. Not only have the costs of leasing space dropped, but if you were looking to buy that dream office across the street a year ago and it wasn’t an option, there’s a good chance the owner would consider it now. There is an abundance of office space on the market.

3. Good help isn’t as hard to find. There is a silver lining to a high unemployment rate.  The employment market is competitive.  You can find good people at a reasonable salary everywhere you look.  The key to a successful business (that includes medical practices) is to employ only the best people.  Hold out for the most qualified candidate at the most reasonable wage.

4. Hospitals may foot the bill. It used to be common for hospitals to offer an income guarantee for physicians to start a medical practice in the hospital’s community.  While that still happens, it’s more likely now that rather than income guarantees, that the hospital will pay for you to start a practice including all of your setup costs and consulting fees should you choose to hire a consulting firm.

If you didn’t read my post “Starting a Medical Practices: Top 5 Mistakes Physicians Make“, that will be a good starting point for getting the ball rolling.