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Medical imaging news

IT and Artificial intelligence are strengthening their presence in the imaging industry. Last week researchers at the American College of Radiology reported their findings on improving the AI algorithm of thyroid nodules risk stratification.

This week EMSOW team has been working on optimizing automation and user-friendliness of our system.

[#18639] Automatically send images for reading upon preliminary report completion in Processing

Previously, reading rules were not automatically triggered when you used the Processing module to complete a preliminary report, unlike the PACS Storage and Technologist Portal modules. Now the system automatically sends images for reading upon clicking the “Complete preliminary report” button in any module, given that an applicable reading rule exists.

The DICOM standard has become a substantial component of today’s imaging technology. It offers such features as Image Storage, Structured Reporting, Modality Performed Procedure Step (MMPS), and Modality Worklist. The vast majority of modern imaging equipment as well as software is DICOM compliant. However, to use advanced DICOM capabilities, an imaging technologist may need specific training, skill and practice, and it does not always come easy. Therefore, a lot of useful tools may remain unused or simply ignored. We would like to share an insight into DICOM benefits.

Previously, we spoke about essential features of DICOM Modality Worklist. Now let us move from theory to practice. We are going to set up MWL on the Mindray M7. This portable ultrasound machine is a popular choice for many sonographers. If you use another model, our quick guide might still be useful, because different systems often follow a similar structure in their settings.

If you have been following our blog, you know that diagnostic equipment sends patient queries to a DICOM Worklist server and thus needs to be connected to it. So, first, we need to add the DICOM server to our machine, if you have not done it yet.

Enter the Setup menu by pressing the Setup button, then go to Network Preset and select the DICOM server you need to add. The Server screen will open.

There are only two parameters you need to enter here: Device, which refers to the name of your equipment unit, and IP address of the Worklist server.

Use the Add and Delete buttons for adding and deleting servers.

You can also check the network connection between your machine and the selected server by clicking the Ping button in the Device area.

The next step is configuring the Modality Worklist. All the preferences are set on the Worklist Page. To enter it, follow the path: Setup → Network Preset → DICOM Service → Worklist.

Select the needed service in the Service list and enter its info, then click Add. At this stage, there are a few more parameters you need to enter: Device, Service name (which refers to the Worklist server), AE Title (AE stands for Application Entity; its title is locally unique), Port (DICOM communication port number) and Scheduled Station AE Title.

If you need to change some settings, select a device, enter the new parameters in the Configuration area (right above the Service list), then click Update.

Similarly, you can delete the unnecessary items or set the server as the default one by clicking the corresponding buttons on the Worklist tab.

After that, you need to verify the connection by selecting an item in the service list and clicking the Verify button.

When done, click Exit.

All set. Now you can proceed to sending queries from your machine to the Worklist server.

MWL configuration is not as sophisticated as some technologists might find it. Anyway, if you have any issues concerning the Modality Worklist settings, please refer to the official operator’s manual or contact your vendor.

Medical imaging news

News from the Society of Magnetic Resonance Radiographers & Technologists (SMRT). MRI has shown that even a small amount of cannabis causes changes in the adolescent brain.

As for EMSOW, our recent update is aimed at improving your reports so that you could present your findings in the best possible way.

[#18635] Additional signature in report addendums

From now on, amended reports from reading doctors will include an “Amended by” line specifying the name of the doctor who amended the report.

Thanks to all the organizers, participants, and guests of APDA 2019 Billing Midyear Conference. Great event for sharing your valuable experience and plenty of opportunities to present our latest products for x-ray and ultrasound billing. See you next time!

If you want to follow up or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at connect@emsow.com.

News of the World

Hello World!

One of the most important industry news of the last two weeks is FDA’s new instruction regarding reports about the problems associated with the use of Rubidium-82 generators (for details, please refer to the official FDA release).

As for EMSOW, we have released a line of essential upgrades to improve the transparency and efficiency of your business.

EMSOW Release

[#18550] PACS Package Manager
We have created the PACS Package Manager module for packing DICOM files and burning CD/DVD discs, which increases EMSOW’s user-friendliness and improves your efficiency. Now you can manage all your PACS archives and ISO files in one module.
We have replaced the DICOM package queue panel with a convenient notification system. Now, you can save plenty of time, since you don’t have to monitor the queue and wait until your archive is ready. Instead, you will receive a pop-up notification with a download link, no matter which module you are currently viewing. To learn more about this feature, please refer to our updated manual.

[#18344] Audit log in the Processing Module
We have increased the transparency of services processing by adding an audit log feature to the Processing module. From now on you can track who and when sent the services for reading and billing. This information is available in the History section of the Processing module.

[#18587] Delivery log in the PACS Storage
We have improved the delivery log feature in the PACS Storage. By clicking the “Delivery log” button, you can see who and when sent images from your PACS Storage to an external PACS system.

[#18505] Edit notes in Billing Rules
If you are dealing with many users and multiple billing rules, there’s good news. After changing a billing rule, the user is now prompted to add a note and explain why the rule had to be changed. Go to the Setup menu and select Billing Rules in the Rules dropdown menu to take a look at the improvement (you need permission to access this section). This new feature increases usage transparency and helps you avoid confusion, no matter how many rules and users you’re dealing with.

[#18608 ] Improved header in the Billing module
The header pane in the Billing module contains a lot of useful information. Now you can hover the mouse over any displayed value to see its description. From now on, your employees will not get confused when they want to calculate totals at the end of the month. Moreover, you can now turn on and off the display of particular values.

[#18265] Improved interface for entering CARC & RARC codes
Now some good news for your payment posting team. We have increased the usability of the posting interface by replacing the CARC and RARC dropdown box in the “Post transaction” window with a dialog where you can enter these codes faster. This option is essential since sometimes you have to enter over ten explanation codes for one transaction. With this option, your posting team will get more efficient.

[#17882] Increased stability of the PACS storage
We have increased the stability of EMSOW’s PACS Storage module. Previously, the system might return an error when you used the “Received from” search filter. Now we have eliminated this bug.

EMSOW is proud to take part in APDA 2019 Midyear Billing Conference, organized by the American Portable Diagnostics Association.

Meet EMSOW team on May 8–9 at Booth 2 to learn about how our software can help you bill for mobile X-ray services (including transportation and setup), dispatch technicians, store and interpret DICOM images in one easy-to-use app.

If you are looking for a radiologist to read X-rays, EMSOW can help you find the right doctor in your state via MDW radiology marketplace we partner with.

You can contact us online or on the phone. Schedule a meeting, and we will get in touch with you at your convenience.

Hello, world!

A week ago, radiologists in China found a 13 cm spoon in a woman’s duodenum. She accidentally swallowed it when she tried to remove a fishbone out of her throat. Luckily, the spoon was timely extracted.

And if you need to improve your turnaround time, we’ve got something new for you.

[#18551] Automatically change service status and auto-assign a technologist

When a technologist attaches images by dragging and dropping study tiles in the Technologist Portal, the system automatically changes the service status from “Scheduled” to “Performed”. Now your scheduling managers can save their time since they don’t need to manually change the service status prior to image upload—the system recognizes the status change on its own!

In addition, if the service was not assigned to the technologist, the system assigns him or her to the service (given that their user account is linked to the particular technologist account), so that their name appears on the final report.

Go 100% paperless and mobile with smartphone apps and modern PACS-integrated software!

Document management is a daily routine for any healthcare enterprise. If you run a mobile diagnostic business, you surely have faced many paperwork-related issues. The most obvious of them are workflow complexity and low usability, but that’s not even half of the story. Let’s talk about some hidden pitfalls of paper record-keeping and see how modern technologies, such as PACS and smartphone applications, spare your time and effort and, at the end of the day, cut your expenses.

Workflow complexity. Typically, your staff has to create multiple documents for each patient: referral and consent forms, progress notes, eligibility approvals, reports etc. Such documents are often handwritten and manually handled, which, first of all, means time expenditures on copying, sorting, and handwriting deciphering. Besides, all these loads of paperwork have to be stored somewhere and kept in order.

Data security issues. If every document exists in a unique copy, the probability of loss increases significantly, mostly due to the human factor. On the other hand, creating multiple copies of the same document increases data security concerns.

Excessive expenditures. Another essential point is expenditures on consumables for outdated office equipment. It is probably not the highest part of your overheads, but why not cut it down?

How can a smartphone app help? We recommend looking for a solution that doesn’t just take pictures but adjusts to your workflow. Below are a few app features that we believe are the most important:

1. Capture different types of documents (consent forms, insurance cards, log sheets, patient sheets, tech sheets, referral forms—whatever is needed for your practice)
2. Integrate with your EMR. If the captured documents are automatically attached to patient records, you can save data entry time and increase data integrity
3. Integrate with your PACS. If the documents are included in DICOM image packages, your paperwork can be reliably delivered to your reading provider, together with diagnostic images

Among the main advantages of using these apps, you can expect the following:

• Automated document handling. All the paperwork is handled automatically, thus you can forget about sorting your documents manually and collecting loads of papers in your office. This feature considerably decreases the factor of human error and helps you keep things in order.
• Ease of access. With mobile apps, you can retrieve any document at any time with a single tap on the screen.
• Security. HIPAA-aware apps store patient information securely and transmit it via an encrypted connection, which minimizes the probability of loss or leak.
• Mobility. A truly mobile app can be used remotely from anywhere. Some mobile applications also allow doctors to sign their reports electronically so that you could avoid verification issues – you don’t need to decipher your physician’s signature anymore. If the app is integrated with your PACS, diagnostic images can be sent and viewed instantly without using film of burning CDs.
• Cutting down your expenses. Mobile solutions are quite affordable, so you can save your costs on office equipment.
• And finally…printing options. You can go completely paperless, but it doesn’t mean you can completely give up paper documents. No need to worry—mobile documents are still printer-friendly, and you can have them on paper too.

With paperless solutions and mobile applications, upgrading your medical business becomes much easier than you might expect. Isn’t it time to realize the new benefits and get focused on your business and patients instead of paperwork and office equipment?

Hello, world! First, some insurance facts. Did you know that alien abduction insurance in the USA exists since 1987, Gene Simmons from the Kiss band has insured his tongue for $1,000,000 (quite reasonable!), and Starbucks pays for their employees’ insurance more than for their coffee? As for EMSOW’s insurance and billing sections, this week we have completed a new feature to improve your claims management, as well as another useful option. Both upgrades were suggested by our customers!

EMSOW Release

[#18071] Void claims resubmission

Claims management is gradually becoming more complex, and EMSOW team is keeping up with the ever-changing business environment. Now, you can resubmit claims not only as original or replacement claims, but also as void claims. To use this option, double-click on the needed service, hover the mouse pointer over the electronic claim that you need to resubmit, click on the Resubmit icon, and select the claim type in the Resubmission code field. The void claims contain 8 in Box 22 of the 1500 form.

[#18495] Disable auto-assign and auto-send upon the completion of a preliminary report

We have increased the versatility of EMSOW’s workflow for imaging technologists. Previously, the system would always assign a reading provider and send studies for reading automatically, immediately upon the technologist’s completion of a preliminary report. We have added an option to disable the automatic reading assignment, which allows you to have more control over your workflow. If you want to modify your setup, please contact EMSOW support: support@emsow.com.

Tech News Digest

What’s up, Doc?

A week ago a Charity group called University of the Underground launched a series of audio releases recorded on X-ray film. The project attracted the iconic artists and lecturers: Massive Attack, Sigur Rós, Noam Chomsky and many more.

Great way of X-ray film utilization (although not quite new).

However, if you are going to send your x-rays for reading and billing, instead of engraving your new album on them, the latest EMSOW upgrade is just what you need.

EMSOW Release

[#18400] Auto-assign reading doctors to externally read exams

We have increased the versatility and automation of EMSOW billing features. If you send exams to an external reading facility, you may not always know which doctor will interpret them. This poses a problem for billers if they need to use a specific doctor’s NPI to bill for the externally read exams. Now EMSOW can assign certain doctors to such exams based on the reports received from external systems. EMSOW analyzes the report, automatically retrieves the reading doctor’s name and assigns the doctor to the corresponding study. With this upgrade, your billers will not have to open each received report and check which doctor provided it—they can proceed straight to claim generation!

For this functionality to work, the external reading doctors have to be added to the Reading Doctors module beforehand. Please contact EMSOW Support if you wish to set it up.

[#18425] PDF images and report template on the same screen

The reporting module in EMSOW has become more user-friendly! Previously, medical images in PDF format (such as EKG sheets) could be viewed in a separate browser tab only, so reading doctors had to switch between the tabs over and over again while working on their reports. With this upgrade, you can work with the PDF images and report template on the same screen, which saves your time and streamlines image interpretation:

Here’s a quick tip on how to enable this functionality: click Preferences in Physician Portal and select Show study documents. By the way, this EMSOW improvement was suggested by one of our customers!

With the availability of tablets and smartphones, your employees can transmit various types of data to your company’s information system instantly and wirelessly from any distance. The most common example is emailing healthcare-related images, documents, and notes to the office, which you most likely have had to do.

However, there are privacy and usability concerns associated with commonly available email and instant messaging apps. At first sight, it may seem suitable to use off-the-shelf apps, but the app of your choice may lack the necessary tools for your medical business’s specific needs. This software may have a wide range of settings, but as an end user, you are likely to adjust your business needs to the available software features rather than to configure the application according to your demands. Moreover, off-the-shelf programs do not offer any tools to help you with medical-related routine tasks, such as receiving information directly from diagnostic equipment or checking insurance eligibility.

Therefore, it makes sense to look for specialized mobile software, but if you are running a medical business, you are also aware of possible privacy-related issues. Before purchasing an application which seems to meet your requirements, it is necessary to check it for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA includes a set of federal standards that ensure the security of your patients’ electronic protected health information (ePHI). Keep in mind that the matter of HIPAA compliance may be disregarded by mobile app developers, even if the intended purpose of the app is healthcare automation. Always make sure the developer guarantees the HIPAA compliance in the end-user agreement.

Another critical issue is the compatibility of the mobile app with the desktop software you use at the office. You could purchase mobile and desktop applications from different vendors and use them separately, but the most efficient strategy would be to get a bundled software package that is available on both desktop and mobile devices and provides a consistent user interface. It is also worth noting that trying to integrate different software systems may cause reliability and security problems as well as data conflicts and errors, which often results in costly troubleshooting or even data loss.

The most advanced solutions on the market have their own mobile apps that seamlessly integrate into your IT infrastructure. Unlike many off-the-shelf apps, such mobile applications can offer exactly what you need at a reasonable price:

• Ultrasound technologists can fill out exam worksheets on the go and save them as electronic documents. This feature is especially convenient for mobile diagnostic companies that have their technologists travel from one facility to another throughout the day.
• Doctors can manage diagnostic studies and report clinical findings straight from their handheld devices, which is vitally important for STAT cases. When timing is critical, you can combine the versatility and speed of a mobile device with the app’s specialized features for the fastest communication possible. For example, you can capture an image using the built-in camera and send it along with the general report via an encrypted connection.
• Managers can supervise the workflow even when they are traveling. For example, they can track their technologists’ location in real time.
• Accounting staff can check eligibility instantly and remotely, without time-consuming phone calls to providers or visiting their websites.

These are only a few examples of mobile app functionality that a healthcare business may benefit from. In practice, your software vendor should work with you before developing the app in order to perform requirements analysis and ensure the final product can help you with every facet of your business.

With an application tailored to your specific needs, you can turn your mobile device into a powerful and reliable tool which enables you to complete multiple routine tasks from anywhere easily and thus streamline your medical business.

Hi folks!

This week Apple has announced that the new AirPods will look the same as the previous model. Meanwhile, our team has added a couple of updates to EMSOW.

[#18203] Detailed error descriptions in the Reports Delivery Tracking module

Many doctors prefer receiving their reports by fax. Fax delivery may fail for multiple reasons, e.g. the fax machine did not respond, the line is busy, a voice answer was detected.

Previously, EMSOW informed about the failure, but did not inform about the failure reason, which hampered troubleshooting. With this update, you can hover your mouse pointer over the “failure” label in the Reports Delivery Tracking module to see a detailed message about what happened.

[#18260] Purchased service charge excluded from account balance

Due to a bug, EMSOW used to add purchased service charges to the balance of procedures. We have fixed the bug, and now these charges are only added to claims as an informational field (Box 20 of the HCFA form) and do not affect the balance. You can still see the purchased service charges as transactions in the Billing information window.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18351] Print the assigned billing company information on account statements

Previously, the system always printed the default billing company information in the upper-left corner of an account statement. With this update, we made it possible to print the information of the company that is assigned to the study. If you wish to enable this functionality, please contact EMSOW Support, and we will check your settings.

[#18352] Print the rendering provider name on account statements

One more update to the account statement form: it is now possible to include the rendering provider name.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18252] Post recoupments without forwarding balance

We have created a new option for manual recoupment posting. If an insurance company has overpaid for your services and wants to draw some money back (instead of the total payment amount), you can manually post a negative amount, different from the previous payment. Your posting team will love this new feature, that’s for sure!

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18328] Ordering facility as a condition in billing rules

Now you can select an ordering facility while configuring a billing rule — the new condition “Ordering facility” has been added.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18309] NPPES integration

EMSOW is now integrated with the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). This means that whenever you add or edit a doctor or organization, EMSOW can automatically look up the NPI, address, and taxonomy codes in the NPPES and fill out the corresponding fields. This applies to referring facilities, referring doctors, reading facilities, reading doctors, rendering providers, and billing companies. In order to perform a lookup, click the NPPES lookup button in the editing window. If the button is not yet available to you, please contact EMSOW Support to request access.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18297] New data entry statistics feature

If you have a dedicated data entry team and wish to track their work progress, there’s good news. We have added a new menu command to the Processing module: “Mark as” → “Processed study.” By clicking this command, a user indicates that he or she has processed selected services. Managers can see which services have been processed by a specific user by using the “Processing” filter group in the Billing module.

[#18266] Patient lookup dropdown fix

We have applied a small layout fix to the patient lookup dropdown menu in the “Edit service” window to make sure the patient’s date of birth fits in the menu.

[#18307] Export Data From Clearing

We have fixed a bug that prevented users from exporting data from the Clearing module.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18253] Taxonomy Codes Reference

Previously, taxonomy codes for reading facilities and other entities were entered as free text, which might cause human errors. In this update, we added a reference table for taxonomy codes and replaced the free-text fields with drop-downs.

[#18287] Ability to send images from a specific AET

We have added a new option for external reading facilities. Now you can specify which AE the system should use when communicating with an external DICOM server. Go to the “Send options” tab of the reading facility properties and set the “Send from AET” option. The list of available AE titles is configured under Setup → PACS → PACS Clients. If you leave the “Send from AET” selection blank, the default PACS server will be used.

[#18148] Facility Billing Improvements and Fixes

We have improved several EMSOW features for facility billing.

We have added the “Auto fill” button to the Payer Assignment module, which allows you to auto-fill billing information for selected exams, based on billing rules. On the left sidebar of the module, you now have a checkbox that allows you to show only those exams that do not have billing information filled. Another new checkbox allows you to show only those exams that have not yet been invoiced.

Besides, we have added a clickable service ID link to every exam, which opens the Processing module. This link is available both in the Payer Assignment module and the “Edit invoice” window.

Also, the system will not anymore print “$0.00” in the “Savings” column of an invoice if the savings amount to zero – the space will be left blank.

[#18258] Increased Speed of Statistics Module

Before this update EMSOW might take some time to count and display studies in the Statistics module. We have optimized the module so that it displays data quicker.

[#18223] Jump to the Wholesale tab in Processing from other modules

Previously, the “Wholesale” tab of the Processing module did not open when you jumped to Processing from another module, such as Billing or PACS Storage, by clicking a service ID or A/N link (the system would always open the “Retail” tab, regardless of which tab the service was under). We have fixed this annoying bug.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#17784] Monthly Reconciliation Report Improvements

We have improved our Monthly Reconciliation Report by adding the following new columns:

• The count of studies flagged as “no read”
• The percentage of studies for which payments have been collected
• “Open studies” (the difference between the count of billed studies and the count of written off and collected studies)

With the extended EMSOW report, you have better control of your financial inflows.

[#18235] Replicating Checks with the Same Number

Payment checks that have the same control number can now be replicated between EMSOW domains. This new feature eliminates replication errors associated with checks for our customers who use multidomain configurations.

[#18245] Aliases for Study Groups

It is now possible to add aliases to study groups. Go to the Tests section of the Setup menu and select Study Groups. Here you can edit the needed study groups and add aliases to them. This feature may come useful for customers who use 3rd party integrations with EMSOW and receive data from external systems, such as EHRs.

[#18144] Extended Default Settings in the Standard Domain Configuration

From now on, the standard domain configuration includes the “performed,” “scheduled” and “canceled” service statuses. Thus, we have streamlined the process of creating new domains for our clients who deal with multiple domains.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Medical specialists who deal with diagnostic imaging, regularly have to communicate examination queries and patients’ demographics to various diagnostic facilities and equipment. At first glance, it is quite simple, because data transmission is a regular part of our everyday life. But if you are a doctor or a medical business supervisor, you are aware of several industry-specific issues.

Quite often medical businesses work with multiple facilities and various equipment. Imagine that you need to consistently inform each technologist which study needs to be done for each of your patients or regularly receive orders from multiple hospitals. Just to perform this single task promptly, you’ll need to hire a dispatcher.

Without an adequate automated task manager, each patient’s data has to be double-entered manually. Several issues are arising out of double manual data-entry. First of all, this process is usually time-consuming, but that is not all. Probably, one of the most pressing problems is high error rate, which means that some of your patients’ information would likely be confused, incomplete or even missing. In such cases, you would have to cover not only the query costs but also correcting expenditures (not to mention that double-entry increases the error incidence twice).

So, the way out of this tricky situation is getting a dispatching service that would automatically send information on required studies to multiple diagnostic providers and equipment.

Some medical businesses hire consultants and managers, or even software developers to create a specific application for transmitting study queries. Of course, such solution is acceptable, but it cuts both ways. The main advantage is that you’ll get a tool designed to satisfy your needs. However, in this case, you likely have to bear huge expenses, mainly because such software would be built from scratch and so you are expected to cover all the development costs. However, that does not mean that the result would meet all your requirements. Besides, you stay vendor- and support-dependent all the time. Another issue is integration into your IT infrastructure.

The Modality Worklist (or MWL) is a feature of the DICOM protocol that allows you to transfer procedure lists to be performed from a PACS server to your diagnostic equipment. This service is often available in advanced specific-purpose software for healthcare businesses. It works with DICOM-friendly equipment, which means compliance with the vast majority of modern machines. Still, before considering this tool, it makes sense to check if your equipment is DICOM-friendly.

How does it work? Each medical equipment unit sends a query to the application (depending on your network configuration, it can be done either directly or via a DICOM gateway). After that, the server replies with a worklist which usually includes patients’ demographics (name, age, gender, etc.) and types of required examinations. This workflow is rather simple and efficient in solving multiple dispatching problems and thus reduces your expenses. Probably you will not get rid of all the processing mistakes arising out of manual data-entry, but you will at least cut them by half because MWL eliminates double-entry.

Needless to say that MWL meets the DICOM standards https://www.dicomstandard.org/current/, which also eliminates concerns related to using various imaging systems (RIS, PACS, etc.).

Modality worklist is a ready-made solution for both clinics and imaging providers. It simplifies the study dispatching process and makes things go much more smoothly. –

Links:

DICOM standards: https://www.dicomstandard.org/current/

An article on MWL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3452969/pdf/10278_2009_Article_BF03168381.pdf

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18160] Improved performance of the Clearing Module

Previously, queries in the Clearing module did not run fast enough to process large amounts of data. This was especially critical for large medical businesses that deal with huge financial flows daily. In this update, we have increased the speed of the queries and improved the stability of the module.

[#18183] Option to reduce CLM01 length for certain payers

The default length of the CLM01 segment (Patient Control Number) in electronic claims has been recently reduced to 20 symbols [#18023]. We have found that certain payers require this segment’s value to be even shorter and made it possible to change the length of the segment for them. Go to Setup → Insurances → double-click the needed payer → open the Billing tab, and change the “CLM01 length” option as required.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18174] Make any file types available in Physician Portal

Good news for providers who pay attention to each and every small detail. We have made it possible to make any file type available to Physician Portal users. Go to Setup → Processing → File types and select the “Show in physician portal” checkbox for the required file types. Now your providers can get as much information from your paperwork as they need.

[#18186] Send claims without Rendering Provider IDs to certain insurances

Billing connectors have the “Include rendering provider” option, which enables the adding of rendering providers’ NPIs to box 24J of the 1500 form. We have made it possible to turn this option off for particular insurances by adding the “Include rendering provider“ checkbox to the “Billing” tab of the “Edit insurance” window. The new checkbox is selected by default.

[#18153] Print requisition forms from Billing

We have developed a printer-friendly requisition form. To use this feature, go to the “Print” menu in the Billing module and select “Requisition form.” If you need to customize the content of the form, please contact EMSOW Support and provide a template.

[#18152] Medical Necessity drop-down list

We have added a new drop-down list to the “Edit service” window in the Dispatch module, “Medical Necessity.” Mobile X-ray and ultrasound providers can use this drop-down to indicate the reason why an exam has to be performed portably. Possible reasons are set up under Setup → Processing → Medical necessity. The selected reason can be printed on the requisition form [#18153].

[#18167] Apply report design rules to template-generated pages only

EMSOW allows reading doctors to create reports for PDF-based studies, such as ANS and NCV, by using a template as the beginning of the report and attaching the original PDF to the end of it. Thus the final report contains both the doctor’s conclusion and the technical report generated by the diagnostic machine.

From now on, you can use report design rules to apply a custom letterhead to such reports by using the “Apply only to reports” checkbox in the “Edit report design rule” window. If this checkbox is selected, EMSOW will apply the letterhead only to the doctor’s conclusion generated from the template and leave the technical part of the report untouched.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18107] Add notes to referring facilities

We have added a new field to the referring facility edit window (Setup → Referring → Referring Facilities), in which users can leave text notes. You will find this feature useful if you deal with many referring facilities and need to add comments to their records.

[#17878] Improved preliminary reporting

We have improved the stability of the preliminary report feature and fixed some bugs in it. Now the preliminary report tab closes immediately after a technologist clicks the “Complete preliminary report” button (formerly “Save preliminary report”). This ensures that the report is properly saved and no duplicate files are created.

[#17930] Removed date of service restriction from Physician Portal

Previously, the default “Date of service” range in the Physician Portal was set to three months. Some of our clients found it inconvenient, especially when they had to deal with older cases that were sent for comparison. We removed this restriction for the “Pending” queues.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18031] Improved Messaging in the Report Tracking Module

Previously, when a user sent an inquiry regarding a report delay from the Reports Tracking module, the system needed the reading doctor’s email, otherwise, it returned an error. From now on, if the reading doctor’s email is missing, EMSOW will use the email of the reading facility, thus increasing the chance of receiving feedback from the responsible party.

[#18079] Notifications in mobile app

From now on, when the status of an exam is changed, mobile app users will receive a push notification. We believe mobile technologists will take advantage of this feature to efficiently manage their schedule on the go.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve! You are welcome to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Dear customers!

This week EMSOW has received a stability update to improve overall service performance.

Among other things, we have improved our phone-based clock-in system and its voice messaging functionality [#18092].

EMSOW can serve as a convenient clock-in system for your employees: all they need to do to check-in is dial a dedicated phone number and record a short message. You can listen to the recorded messages and track your employees’ hours using the Employees Time Tracking module.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#18053] Post payments as received via a collection agency
We have extended the range of options for payment posting. Now, when you are posting a payment, you can mark it as received via a collection agency. In order to do so, select the “Via collection agency” checkbox in the “Post payment“ window after selecting “Patient“ in the “From“ drop-down list. You can also mark a payment as received from the patient by selecting the “Via pt. payment” checkbox.

[#18034] Confirm a dispatched exam from the mobile app
Previously, to confirm an exam, technologists had to use a confirmation link received by email. From now on, they can confirm the exams sent from the Dispatch module by using our mobile app. Tap and hold on the exam in the Resident Visit List (RVL), and then tap the “Confirm” button at the bottom of the screen.

[#18062] Fixed a bug with denied in-patient claims
We have fixed a bug associated with in-patient claim denials. The REF*D9 segment is now reported in the 2300 loop after the DTP*435 segment in electronic claims.

EMSOW appreciates your feedback. Found a bug? Contact EMSOW Support and help us improve!

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#17896] Increased number of diagnosis codes

Now you can add up to 12 diagnosis codes to a study (previously, the system did not allow to enter more than four). This can help you improve the quality of your billing documentation, such as superbills.

[#18018] Updated billing autofill feature

We have updated the billing autofill feature to better handle studies that do not fall under any billing rules. Previously, the system would add a “NO BILL” flag to those studies thus preventing the user from autofilling them again.

From now on, EMSOW will keep the “NOT ASSIGNED” billing status in this situation so that you can add an appropriate rule and autofill the study again.

[#18027] Ability to mark insurance as eligible manually

From now on, you can manually mark a patient’s insurance as eligible in the Processing module. Sometimes you may need to inform other users that the insurance is eligible without sending a query to your clearing house. For this purpose, we have added a new option to the “Eligibility” menu, “Mark as eligible.”

Note that this option works not only for patients with available insurance IDs, but also for patients entered as “self-pay”.

Bugs & Stability

We have improved the stability and performance of EMSOW and fixed a few bugs.

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#17642] Notifications about failed report delivery

Sometimes the system fails to send a report to a referring doctor by fax. This may occur for various reasons, but whatever they are, from now on you will be immediately informed about the failed delivery. If the report has not been delivered, EMSOW automatically sends you an email notification, recommends to resend the report manually, and provides the necessary instructions.

[#17923] Report design based on study type and insurance

We have updated the Report Design Rules module. Now EMSOW can add different letterheads to image interpretation reports for different study types and insurances. Other conditions that you can use in the rules include reading doctors, referring doctors, and branches.

[#18023] Corrected CLM01 field length 

We have reduced the length of the CLM01 field in X12 files to 20 characters. The standard length can be up to 38 characters, but claims with this field longer than 20 characters are frequently rejected. Now, this typical issue is eliminated with our latest update.

[#16480] Received date correction in the PACS storage

Before this update, sending a study for reading might cause a change of the received date in the PACS storage, due to the conversion of attached paperwork into the DICOM format. From now on, the system disregards the creation date of the automatically generated DICOM files and keeps the original date of image upload for easier search.

[#17998] Deleted studies in Statistics

The updated Statistics module keeps track of deleted studies in the Details window. The deleted studies have a warning sign, indicating the name of the user who deleted the study and the removal date. This will help you track the deleted studies for accounting purposes.

Bugs & Stability

We have improved the stability and performance of EMSOW and fixed a few bugs.

Dear customers!

We are glad to inform you that a new version of EMSOW has been released this week.

[#17990] “Documents” button and context menu item are back in the Technologist Portal

We have returned the “Documents” button and context menu item to the PACS section of the Technologist Portal. Just a reminder: in the previous release, we made it possible to create non-DICOM studies (such as EEG, EKG, NCV and SSR) from the Technologist Portal, without giving technologists access to Processing. Please keep the feedback coming!

[#17944] Time tracking for night shifters

The EMSOW clock-in system does not automatically reset an employee’s session at midnight anymore. We believe night shift workers are going to love this—now they won’t have to check out before midnight and check back in to keep their work hours counted.

[#17968] Print CMS-1500 forms without red lines from the Billing Information window

From now on, our users can print CMS-1500 claim forms without red lines from the Processing module. Double-click a service to open the “Billing Information” window and click the “Print form only” button in the row of the required claim.

[#17976] Prefix for Claim Submitter’s Identifier

We have added a new option to the settings of billing companies, which allows to add a prefix to the CLM-01 segment of electronic claims (which corresponds to Box 26 of the 1500 form).

If you are using more than one billing system, you can use this feature if you want your clearing house to identify your EMSOW site as the claim origin, in order to sort or split remits. If the clearing house supports it, you will receive only those ERA files that are intended to be posted in EMSOW.

By default, EMSOW uses Service IDs as Claim Submitter’s Identifiers.

[#17922] Statement of account reason

Now you can add a “Statement of account reason” line to account statements, in order to explain the reason for receiving the account statement to the client, e.g. “We have not been paid on this claim because your insurance company sent payment to you.”

To take advantage of this feature, please send us the list of possible reasons that you want to use, and we will add it to your configuration. Then, the system will prompt you to select a reason when you click “Print” → “Account statements” in the Billing module.

[#17928] Use user links to assign technologists to studies

From now on the system will automatically assign technologist records to studies by using the “Technologist” link of the user who has uploaded images. This will allow to print the technologist’s name on reports and preliminary reports without having to edit services in Processing.

[#17463] Phoned/faxed icon and filter in Dispatch

Dispatchers are now able to indicate if someone has phoned or faxed regarding an ordered case. The corresponding icons are displayed in the grid of the Dispatch module. Also, users can apply a filter to see those cases that have not been marked as “faxed” or “phoned”.

[#15944] Replication for studies with multiple identical CPT codes and modifiers

We have made it possible to replicate studies that include more than one identical CPT code. This should fix certain billing errors in replicated EMSOW domains.

Bugs & Stability

We have improved the stability and performance of EMSOW and fixed a few bugs.