What is Managed Document Service (MDS)?
A Managed Document Service (MDS) is a software solution offered by a provider that meets the requirements of the Electronic Health Records (EHR) and the legal requirements based on the HITECH law (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health).
The HITECH Act was passed on the basis of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARAA) under the Federal Stimulus Plan. These laws mandate the use of electronic health records (EHR) for all healthcare facilities and Eligible Providers (EP). Incentive payments for Medicaid / Medicare providers are paid in tiered annual closings to organizations and DPs that comply with EHR laws.
An MDS helps eligible providers and healthcare organizations comply with federal regulations for converting their medical health records to electronic form. In this way, they help reduce costs, make treatment easier and, indirectly, improve patient satisfaction.
An MDS sometimes uses proprietary software to meet specific customer needs where bespoke applications are required. An MDS also implements data management technologies.
Most managed document services offer an improved document workflow as well as improved EHR security and Risk management. While a typical MDS can be expensive, it can free healthcare workers to focus more on patient care.
An MDS can provide useful IT guidance, training, and implementation of EHR conversion. Larger health care facilities already have IT staff, but small private practices tend to hire private IT experts or learn themselves.
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