Less than 10 percent of the data collected in a typical patient note is actually required to be structured in a structured format meet meaningful use, according to a study by WebChartMD, a clinical documentation workflow software.
The study analyzed orthopedic and cardiovascular patient notes from MTSamples.com, a collection of transcribed medical transcription sample reports. The findings indicated between 91 and 93 percent of EHR data captured in a structured format could be captured in an unstructured format and still meet the requirements for meaningful use.
Currently, only 7 percent of data (9 percent if lab data is present) in a patient note needs to be structured to meet meaningful use requirements.
"This study is especially relevant for physicians frustrated by the negative impact EHRs can have on their patient interactions and their productivity," said Mark Christensen, WebChartMD CEO. "Physicians are often asked to capture more data in a structured format than meaningful use requires."
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