How to Find Staff to Manage Electronic Health Records

How do you find an electronic health records specialist for your practice? Considering the complexity of EHR and practice management applications, in addition to the high stakes of regulations like HIPAA and the HITECH Act, a lot depends on your ability to hire qualified people.

You have two choices. You can put out feelers and recruit from outside, or you can hire internally. Either way, you need people who are certified and have in-depth knowledge of regulatory compliance.

Why Good Recordkeeping Matters

Recordkeeping is part of your responsibility as a healthcare provider. If something happens and the privacy of your patients’ files is compromised, you could lose the trust of those patients and even get written up for a HIPAA violation. State fines can range up to $25,000 per violation type, and federal violations can total up to $1.5 million per category.

On the other end of the scale, messy recordkeeping can lead to a disorganized office, making everyone’s job more complicated and your patients’ visits more stressful. It’s important for your patients and your entire practice that your EHR specialist knows how to keep things in good working order.

What to Look For

A lot goes into managing electronic health records. The person you hire needs to be precise, up to date with best practices and regulations and dedicated to doing things right the first time.

Choosing someone with the right skill set is important. Restrict your shortlist to people who can:

• Review patient records for completeness and correct formatting
• Process release of information requests correctly
• Ensure that all EHR activity follows the law
• Submit insurance and reimbursement claims using the correct code
  

To make sure that a person has all of these skills, require applicants to have the Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS) credential.

Where to Look

You can find healthcare office staff, including EHR specialists, using traditional healthcare staffing solutions—through general or industry-specific job boards, for example, or through a health staffing agency. Larger practices may be able to go through hospital staffing agencies.

Alternatively, consider hiring from within your practice. It’s cost-effective—internal candidates can cost up to 50% less than an external hire—and they’re already familiar with your practice, patients and office culture. You also enjoy faster onboarding with an internal hire, since they’re already on your payroll.

If you don’t have a certified EHR specialist, don’t worry. There are plenty of healthcare training solutions that can help you to upskill your people and get them ready for EHR management.

Preparing Your People

There are many different electronic health record staffing solutions out there. Once you’ve decided to train an internal candidate, look for a healthcare staffing resource that understands the process.

MedCerts provides health staffing services that benefit candidates, practices and patients alike. Students receive a comprehensive online education as well as the opportunity to participate in healthcare apprenticeship programs where they can work with partnered practices to learn the ins and outs of their work.

When you send your people to MedCerts for EHR specialist training, you can have your site included as an option for healthcare apprenticeships. Your people can practice what they’re learning while keeping their current job.

To learn more, fill out the form below. One of the health staffing professionals at MedCerts will be in touch with you.