Friday, November 18, 2011

Medical Facilities Mandated to Transition to Electronic Medical Records

The Federal Government mandated that all medical records in the U.S. are to be converted into an electronic format by 2014.  Penalties will be levied on healthcare organizations and physicians who fail to convert to an electronic format for storing and maintaining their patient's medical records.

In an article written by Charlotte Crane, (see full article here http://bit.ly/uIOn6U), an organization called the Big Bend Regional Healthcare Informationn Organization is helping to digitize medical records for Leon and the surrounding Counties.

Medical facilities who are training their employees on this new format to ensure accurate data transfers and maintenance of their patient's records are also taking advantage of Florida's workforce grants.  Through these training grants, a medical facility may reduce the cost of training its team by 50%. 

To find out how you can reduce the overall cost of complying with the Electronic Medical Records Mandate, give me a call at (850) 727-0293.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Florida told to track cash incentives

I read an article this morning in the Miami Herald and thought it was worth sharing with you. See full (http://bit.ly/sAH7V8). Economic incentive programs like QTI are usually scrutinized because taxpayers want to ensure that the State is accountable for the dollars being used to support these programs. Often, economic incentive programs are criticized when businesses fail to meet the obligations established under their incentive program agreement. I agree that a business should not receive State funds under these programs if the criteria for receiving the award are not satisfied.

Like any contractual agreement, a business must make every effort to ensure that the requirements of its incentive agreement are at the fore-front at all times. My clients are encouraged to be proactive with their economic incentive project(s). Rather than waiting until the report is due, I usually suggest that my clients consistently analyze their incentive goals during the year to avoid surprises at the end of the year. Clients who adhere to this recommendation are more likely to succeed with meeting their incentive project goals as they are able to make adjustments before the requirements are due.

If you want to ensure that your company satisfies its economic incentive commitments so that your company does not show up on this list in the future, give me a call at 850-727-0293. As an experience Incentives Consultant, I will hold your hand through the compliance process. Together, we will ensure that your company is able to receive ALL of its scheduled economic incentive payments.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Get Your Incentive Reports Right The First Time

The other day, I noticed a gentleman shooting arrows at a target. It was amazing to see that he was able to hit his mark, even from a far distance.
His ability to successfully hit his target probably came from the following:
·         Learning from others’ experiences
·         Determining which type of bow was best
·         Implementing the tools and skills he learned

I immediately thought about economic incentive programs like QTI. I can appreciate that there are a required targets a business must hit before it can qualify for its annual QTI payments. Unfortunately, many businesses miss their QTI target goals because their aim is off. 
Typically, a business being awarded an economic incentive award is celebrated. This is for a good reason. The community is excited that a business has made a decision to grow here. However, it is imperative that the business owners understand that the business must hit all of its incentive goals in order to receive the scheduled award payments.
Just like someone participating in the sport of archery for the first time, a business must learn the rules of the game.

To successfully hit a QTI target on the first try, the following must be done:
  • Learn from others who’ve had experience with the QTI program
  • Determine why one method of documenting QTI goals is better than another
  • Master the skills needed to track and report QTI project results
  • Implement the tools and skills learned to accurately prove to the State that the QTI goals have been met
Knowing ahead of time what is required eliminates the “unknown”. When it comes to any economic incentive project, a business must ensure that its target goals are in sight at all times. For this reason, I usually recommend that my clients start aiming at their QTI target goals at the beginning of the year, rather than waiting until the report is due to determine whether they meet their goals. By then, it may be TOO LATE.