HIT Systems - Frequently Asked Questions

The general difference between cloud computing and traditional IT is the removal of the physical computer equipment. With HIT Systems you no longer have to purchase very expensive servers and desktops because we provide you with exactly what you need for a monthly fee.

We have built a grid of high-end servers that are housed in a state-of-the-art data center that is fully secure, up-to-date and managed by our team of engineers. We then utilize virtualization technologies to provide our clients with dedicated Healthcare IT Systems that are delivered over the internet for a monthly fee.

HIT Systems cloud systems are delivered over the internet to an internet-enabled terminal. This terminal can be in the form of an old desktop, laptop, thin client, or any internet enabled device. These terminals are connected to your traditional keyboard, mouse, monitor and internet connection.

For new practices who have not invested any money in infrastructure we recommend purchasing inexpensive thin clients. A thin client is a low-cost device which has no moving parts, low-energy consumption and an extremely long life cycle. Thin Clients connect to your keyboard, monitor, mouse, and internet connection. Your thin client will then access your cloud desktop or cloud application at the HIT Systems data center.

For practices who have existing hardware that is at or past the end of its lifecycle and needing to be replaced, we can actually convert them into “Thin Client” terminals. These converted “thin clients” work great as a temporary solution. As the desktops begin to experience hardware failure, we suggest replacing them with a true thin client.

We are always focused on providing our clients with the highest level of support possible which includes quick responses. Our standard policy is to respond to requests as soon as we receive them, but we do use service Level Agreements (SLAs) for guaranteed responses.

Email support@hitsystems.com or call 877-HIT-SYSTEMS

HIT Systems is located in central Florida:

Yes, we accept Visa, Master Card, and American Express.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Questions

The American Relief and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides more than $20 billion for Health IT (HIT) investments. Most of the money will be available to hospitals and physicians who adopt qualified, certified Electronic Health Records (EHRs) with the ability to exchange information with other sources. Providers with qualifying EHRs can receive incentive payments through Medicare or Medicaid as early as 2011.

Although not fully defined yet, to achieve meaningful use and qualify for Medicare incentive payments, healthcare providers will need to meet the following criteria:

• Use a certified EHR
• Utilize e-prescribing
• Participate in electronic exchange of health information to improve the quality of healthcare
• Demonstrate interoperability of systems
• Submit information on clinical quality measures and other measures as selected by the Secretary of Health and Human Services

Eligible Professionals who do not demonstrate meaningful use of an EHR by 2015 will see their Medicare reimbursement penalized by 1% per year up to a cap of 3% reduction. Healthcare entities would miss the opportunity to secure the federal funding that ARRA provides. Additionally, the requirements to meet certification are expected to become more stringent as time passes.

The American Relief and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides more than $20 billion for Health IT (HIT) investments. Most of the money will be available to hospitals and physicians who adopt qualified, certified Electronic Health Records (EHRs) with the ability to exchange information with other sources. Providers with qualifying EHRs can receive incentive payments through Medicare or Medicaid as early as 2011.

Electronic Health Records (EHR) Questions

The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is an electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. Included in this information are patient demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports. The EHR automates and streamlines the clinician's workflow. The EHR has the ability to generate a complete record of a clinical patient encounter - as well as supporting other care-related activities directly or indirectly via interface - including evidence-based decision support, quality management, and outcomes reporting.

Here are a few issues with paper records, and anyone who works with them could think of more:

• Only one person can have the chart at a time
• Keeping track of chart location is difficult
• Delays in retrieving charts are common and aggravating
• Handwriting is often illegible
• Charts may be disorganized, with information hard to find
• Some information doesn't get into the chart for many days
• There aren't enough tabs for all the different types of forms
• Many trees are sacrificed to print encounter forms and health summaries
• Charts get very fat
• Metal tabs break, and the charts fall apart
• New volumes don't contain important old information
• Back injuries from lifting charts have resulted in worker compensation claims
• Paper charts that are left sitting around can easily be seen by unauthorized people
• Charts may be stolen or tampered with
• Paper filing is time consuming and labor intensive
• Chart files take up a lot of valuable space
• Charts have to be retired just to save space

No. Certainly if some providers are using EHR and some are not, the latter may want to have electronically generated notes in the paper chart. However, this is time consuming, labor intensive, and unnecessary. Even those providers not using EHR to create notes can access the system to read them, and being encouraged to do this increases the provider's comfort and facility with the system.

Computer security is no less important in the EHR than it was before. Only authorized users should be given access to EHR, and the level of their access must be consistent with their role. Strong policies for computer security, and enforcement of these policies, will continue to be needed. With this in mind, however, it is important to consider EHR security in the context of the current situation, i.e. security of paper charts. HIT Systems EHR offerings are considerably more secure than traditional setups.

One of the main reasons that there is such a big national movement toward electronic medical records is the increasing evidence that they improve patient safety. The problem of medical errors has received much attention in recent years. It turns out that the majority of errors can be attributed to illegible or incorrectly interpreted handwritten orders, to inadequate or incomplete information about the patient, or to knowledge gaps about appropriate treatments or standards of care.

The most important contribution that EHR makes to patient safety is computerized provider order entry (CPOE). By entering orders, especially medication orders, directly into the system, errors caused by illegibility or incorrect copying can be virtually eliminated. The system allows automated checks for allergies and drug-drug interactions, and includes a comment field that providers can use to clarify new or changing medication orders.

By making clinical decision support available at the point of care, EHR can improve compliance with guidelines and standards of care. EHR can provide patient- and disease-specific reminders, notifications about critical results, and access to a variety of Web-based clinical information and decision support resources.

Cloud Computing Questions

Gartner defines cloud computing as "a style of computing in which massively scalable IT-related capabilities are provided 'as a service' using Internet technologies to multiple external customers." In simple terms, your computing power is delivered to you as a service over the internet for a reoccurring charge, similar to electricity. You pay only for what you use.

All client data is stored on our redundant grid housed in a state-of-the-art datacenter. All data is continuously backed up to prevent any data loss. If the client requires hardcopies of their backups we can accommodate that as well.

HIT Systems recommends and installs routers which allow multiple internet connections, usually a leased line such as a T1 and a basic business cable connection will be sufficient to prevent any loss in service.