There’s a big gap between what physicians thought they could do, and what they were eligible to do, to collect meaningful use incentives last year, according to a new study, which appears in the May issue of Health Affairs.

The study shows that 91 percent of physicians nationwide were eligible for federal electronic medical record (EMR) incentives in 2011. However, only 10 percent intended to apply for the program.

That number was on the low side of what the federal government had anticipated. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services had estimated that 10 percent to 36 percent of Medicare-eligible professionals and 15 percent to 47 percent of Medicaid-eligible professionals would demonstrate meaningful use in 2011.

According to the authors, among physicians intending to apply for meaningful use, about 21 percent were ready with the 10 core capabilities. Even in the state with the highest degree of readiness - Wisconsin - only 32 percent of physicians were ready with the 10 core capabilities.

The authors say the low level of readiness illustrates the challenges in meeting the federal schedule for financial incentives. Healthcare practices have support options, however. Your IT provider can help you if you need assistance preparing your meaningful use.

VMware is a company that has historically focused on virtualization solutions that make conducting business easier and more efficient. With the company’s purchase of SlideRocket, an online presentation collaboration tool, VMware provides another valuable feature to any business. With integration with a new cloud storage app, this tool has become even more beneficial to businesses.

Google has recently released its cloud storage and collaboration app, Google Drive. What does this have to do with SlideRocket? Well, SlideRocket’s full set of content authoring tools have been integrated into Google Drive. This means that users of SlideRocket can use Google Drive as another way to create, collaborate on, and store presentations.

Chuck Dietrich, Vice President of SlideRocket by VMware, commented, “Together with Google, VMware is helping individuals and businesses embrace new technologies for collaboration in the cloud era.” He went on to note that SlideRocket and Google Drive provide users with a great way to do just that.

If you use SlideRocket and would like to work with other users over Google Drive, simply log into both services with the same account and in Google Drive select Create and More followed by SlideRocket. Once you log in and integrate your accounts, you’ll have access to your presentations without having to log in to SlideRocket.

If you’d like to know more about how you can virtualize your business, or the different products offered by VMware, we’re ready to tell you more. Let’s talk virtualization.

One of the most common complaints smartphone owners have is that it’s tough to get the phone to seamlessly sync with their computer. If your business uses Microsoft Office 365, there aren’t many tools or apps that allow you to use all the features on your smartphone. If you’re a Windows phone user, you’re in luck as your phone has built in features that allow you to use Office 365.

If you would like to connect Office 365 with your Windows phone, follow these steps:

Please be aware that these instructions are for Windows Phone version 7.5. If you are running an earlier version, it is recommended that you upgrade to version 7.5 first.

1. On your Windows Phone press Settings followed by Email and Accounts.
2. Tap Add an Account and select Outlook. This is a catchall for any email service that uses Microsoft Exchange, Office 365 included.
3. Enter your Office 365 email address and password, and your Windows Phone will automatically configure your account.
4. After the configuration is complete, a window will pop up informing you that your Office 365 email and SharePoint Online Team site have been set up on your phone. You’ll also be able to download Microsoft Lync 2010 from the Marketplace if you need it.

When you return to the home screen, you’ll notice that an Office 365 email tile has been placed at the bottom of the screen. It’s a good idea to go into the Email settings on your phone (follow step 1 above) and adjust the settings to your needs. For example, your email account will automatically be named Outlook. To re-name it tap on Outlook and select Account Name.

From the Settings page you’ll also be able to select which Office 365 services you want your phone to sync with e.g., contacts. By default your contacts will show up in your People hub. If you don’t want your contacts to sync, you can deselect it from this page.

If you use Office 365 and a Windows Phone you’ll find that the integration is near seamless. If you would like to learn more about Windows Phone or any other Windows product, we’re here to help.

Android versions have some pretty delicious sounding names. The newest version of the OS, codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich, has some tasty features that many users are now able to enjoy. These sweet new additions and improvements have definitely made the OS easier to use and more appealing to the multitude of discerning users.

Here are some great tips and tricks to help you get the most out of Ice Cream Sandwich:

• Settings. There’s a quick and easy way to access settings. Simply swipe down from the top of your screen and the Notifications menu will open. Press the blue icon (sliders) beside the date to access your settings.
• Uninstall apps. This used to be one of the more complicated actions of Android, but with 4.0, it’s easy. On the home screen press the Apps icon (white circle with 6 squares) and find the app you would like to uninstall. Press and hold the app, drag it up to Uninstall which will be in the top left of the screen and let go.
• Swipe away. A neat feature of 4.0 is that you can swipe away apps and messages in some locations. If you have lots of notifications, open the Notifications menu and swipe the message to the right to dismiss it. You can also do the same with recent programs (double rectangles in the bottom right of your screen) and browser tabs.
• Disable app icons. When you download and install programs from Google Play, a shortcut will be automatically placed on your home screen. You can turn this off by opening Google Play and selecting the icon with three vertical grey squares followed by Settings. Tap Auto-add widgets and app shortcuts won’t be added to your home screen after they’re installed.
• Send text response when you can’t answer. If you’re in a meeting and can’t answer a call, simply drag the call selector button up to be given a number of text responses you can send to the caller.
• Quick browser control. You can streamline the browser controls in the stock Android browser. Open the browser and select the three grey squares in the top right of the screen and tap Settings. Select Labs followed by Quick Controls. You’ll notice that your URL bar and tabs are gone. To see them, press and hold anywhere on the right side of your screen to bring up a selection wheel.

Ice Cream Sandwich is by far the best version of OS and offers users some great features. If you’d like to learn more about Ice Cream Sandwich, or other Android products please let us know. We’re happy to help.

If you’ve been reading tech blogs in the past few weeks you’ve undoubtedly come across news that Google has launched a new layout for Google+. The layout has brought about some drastic changes to the look and feel that make it a more simple and user friendly social network. Does your company have a presence on Google+?

When you first log into the updated Google+ the amount of white space will jump out at you. It’s a startling contrast to the other social networks. After you adjust to it, you’ll notice four main aspects of the new look:

1. To the left. On the left is a bar, or ribbon as Google calls it, with icons for the main features. This ribbon is reminiscent of the Windows Task Bar and works much the same way. Simply click on an icon to open the related function. If you have an icon you don’t use, simply click and drag it out of the bar and it will be moved to More.
2. In the center. In the center of the page you’ll see all your updates along with a bar above them with your top two circles. To the right of your updates you’ll see what’s trending on Google+, the Invite friends to Google+ button and a suggestions box.
3. To the right. On the far right is a very prominent chat bar with all your chat contacts. Above that is the Start a hangout button which allows you to quickly begin a hangout session.
4. Up top. At the top of the page you’ll see the search bar, from which you can search Google+ for posts, topics, friends, etc.

Are you in love with the cover photo on your Facebook profile? Do you like having a picture spread across top of your profile? If yes, Google+ now has the option to set a cover photo at the top of your profile. Not a fan of one picture across the top of your profile? You can also pick and choose multiple pictures. Your profile picture and information have been moved to the right side of the picture with your circles below.

New features There are three new useful features:

1. Explore. On the left ribbon is a compass icon. Clicking this will open Explore, a page that displays what’s currently trending on Google+. The content shown on this page is viewable by all users, and this gives businesses a great marketing opportunity if they can capitalize on current trends.
2. Block. On your social network profiles there may be a user who is leaving rude comments or spam messages on your posts. On Google+ you can block the user from posting. Simply go to their profile and select block under their profile picture.
3. New hangout page. If you click on the hangouts icon on the left hand ribbon, you’ll be taken to the hangouts page. On the page you’ll see current hangouts that you can join or you can start a new one based on any post. To start a public hangout click the camera icon at the bottom of the post.

It looks like Google has taken a big gamble with the new layout, and only time will tell if it will attract more users. If you would like know more about Google+ and how your business can capitalize on what it offers, we’re ready to talk.

The key to patient-centered care - a concept that continues to evolve - is the relationship between physician and patient. Finding the balance between patient engagement and information technology, however, can be challenging.

IT has benefited healthcare practices in many ways. For example, it allows patients to service themselves when it comes to transactional exchanges, such as scheduling appointments and reviewing bills.

There are fears, however, that IT can also create distance between the practitioner and patient, reducing face-to-face contact. Here are three tips to ensure that doesn’t happen:

1. Accept that patient-centered IT initiatives help the physician. Small practices need to adopt the same features as their competitors, including large practices as well as low-cost primary care providers such as CVS and Walgreens.

2. Determine your needs. Patient-centered IT practices vary. Some practices use patient portals to optimize patient input. Others use email, text, video and mobile apps to create an impact across a broader spectrum of their patients' health. You’ll need to find what works best for your patient. Younger patients, for example, might prefer text messaging; older patients might prefer email.

3. Reconsider your reimbursement model. IT advancements have patients emailing, text messaging and video conferencing their doctors without payment. That puts pressure on the physician to do more for less. This is a problem with your business model, not your IT. You can't offer services that eradicate half of your service visits or you'll bankrupt your practice.

For details, please see “Five Keys to IT and the Physician-Patient Relationship.”

The role of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is shifting: now, any support for next-generation business models, such as patient-centered care is key. As more electronic medical records (EMRs) come onto the market,it’s becoming difficult to choose one that will remain usable well into the future.

Tomorrow’s EMRs will need to be interoperable, scalable, easy to maintain, and offer a user-friendly interface and potential for mobile computing.

One EMR, gloEMR from gloStream, can meet these requirements. Below are some of the characteristics EMRs will likely need to have to truly be successful in the years to come - characteristics gloEMR has.

Interoperability. Microsoft Office has been around for decades, and every year Microsoft spends billions of dollars on Office-related research and development. gloEMR is the only EMR with Microsoft Office built right in, which makes the sharing of data simple.

Scalability. It doesn’t matter how small or large your practice is: gloEMR’s Microsoft technology makes it easy to create practice-specific templates for routine encounters, without expensive programming.

Maintainability. Microsoft technology is used worldwide and all IT professionals are familiar with it. gloEMR’s use of this technology reduces implementation time as well as ongoing maintenance.

Friendliness. gloEMR offers a user-friendly dashboard, so one click is all it takes to find, view and work with the most critical patient information. Through the dashboard, doctors can track patient location from admission to discharge, access and share daily schedules and calendars, order labs, refill prescriptions and more. It’s completely intuitive.

If you’re worried that you’ll be stranded by an EMR provider that isn’t in the business for the long haul, choose an EMR provider that protects your investment, such as gloStream.

Businesses have been using Microsoft Office for years and many users, if polled, would count themselves as experts. Users in their numbers have already adopted Microsoft’s cloud offering, Office 365, as their main office productivity suite. The same features from previous versions are included, not forgetting the option to include electronic business cards in your emails.

Here’s how to create and share an electronic business card:

Create an Electronic Business Card

1. Open Outlook and select Contacts followed by Home. Click on New Contact.
2. When the Contact window opens, press Business Card and the Edit Business Card window will open.
3. You will be able to enter contact information into the relevant areas under the Fields box.
4. If you want to add an image or change the layout of the business card, press the Layout button located in the right side of the screen.
5. When you have entered the information, press Ok and the business card will be saved as a .vcf file which is readable by most email clients.

Add an Electronic Business Card to an Email If you have saved a contact’s information as a business card, you can easily attach the card to an email.

1. In a message select the Contacts pane and search for the business card you would like to attach. When you find it, click it.
2. Select the Home tab, followed by Forward Contact. A drop-down menu will open, select As a Business Card.
3. You will see the business card as an attachment in the email.

Add a Business Card as a Signature You can add a business card to your signature in any email.

1. When you create an email message click Signature and select Add signature.
2. Select the signature you would like to use, if you have one. If not, press anywhere in the white space below Edit signature.
3. Click Business Card beside the paragraph alignment buttons in the Edit signature field.
4. Select the contact name you use and press Ok. Your contact information will show up at the bottom of the email as a downloadable .vcf file.

If you’re a user of Office 365 and would like to learn more, or would like more information on Office 365 or other products, please give us a call.

Microsoft is a company that’s well-known for releasing many different versions of the same operating system. With the impending release of Windows 8, they’re aiming to slim down the number offered. There will be a core set of features available across all editions, with each version aimed at different markets.

There are going to be four editions of Windows 8 available at launch:

1. Windows 8. This edition offers all the features the majority of Windows users will need. It will be comparable to Windows 7 Home and Home Premium.
2. Windows 8 Pro. Pro will have Windows 8 components, but also offers more advanced options that businesses and expert users will appreciate. Some of the extras include encryption, virtualization and PC management. Pro will be most useful in a business environment.
3. Windows RT. This version of Windows 8 will come pre-installed on mobile devices and tablets with an ARM processor, which is used primarily in mobile technology. Many of Windows 8’s features will be available on RT, although some older Windows applications will not be compatible. If your company uses Windows tablets or smartphones, chances are you’ll use this OS.
4. Windows 8 Enterprise. Enterprise is an enhanced version of Windows 8 Pro that will be specifically for businesses with Software Assurance agreements. Noted features include stronger virtualization tools, PC management and deployment, and advanced security. At this time there’s no further information on this version, but it looks like a good choice for IT companies.

There’s no official release date for Windows 8 at this time, but it’s expected sometime in the last quarter of this year. If you would like to know more about Windows 8, or any other Microsoft programs please contact us.

There’s no doubt in the value of using social media to build your brand. But opinions differ in the use of social media by employees. It seems that companies are polarized in the issue, but are being slowly awakened to the fact that allowing employees to access social media at work has great benefits. Do you allow employees to access social media in your office?

There are four distinct advantages to allowing social media:

• Increased productivity. There have been a number of studies that have found that judicious use of social media in the workplace will actually increase productivity. A study conducted by the University of Melbourne found that employees with access to social media are 9% more productive than those without.
• Increased buy-in. Employees like to feel trusted and empowered. If they don’t you can expect to experience higher turnover and lower morale. A good way to gain trust is to allow employees to use social media in the workplace. If an employee feels like they are trusted, they’ll be more likely to stay with the company.
• Recruiting. Small businesses have started to use social media for recruitment, but limit efforts to one account. If you have 10 employees in your organization, each with a social media account with 100 friends, you have the potential to reach 1,000 people. This is achievable if employees are allowed to access social media at work and are encouraged to share posts.
• Identification of business opportunities. Through the use of social media, employees in charge of sales and business development can source new clients and build fruitful relationships.

There are many advantages to allowing access to social networks at the office. If you‘re hesitant to completely open the social media floodgates, try doing so in short periods, like the final three hours of the working day.

No matter what you decide, allowing access to social media is a good practice for your business. If you would like to learn more about social media and how you can leverage it in your business, we are happy to talk with you.