In choosing an electronic chart for an internal medicine clinic, the ability to support the lifestyle-disease management fee is an important axis of product comparison. In the FY2024 (Reiwa 6) medical fee revision, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were removed from the scope of the specified-disease treatment management fee, and the axis of evaluation shifted to the lifestyle-disease management fee. Accordingly, creating a treatment plan and reaching agreement with the patient became prerequisites for billing, and how far the electronic chart can support this operation greatly affects the revenue and efficiency of internal medicine. This article explains the comparison axes and how to choose an internal-medicine chart strong in the lifestyle-disease management fee.
Why the lifestyle-disease management fee matters in choosing an internal medicine chart
Internal medicine clinics have many patients with lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. With the FY2024 revision, management for which these diseases are the main disease is, in principle, now evaluated under the lifestyle-disease management fee.
- Diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were excluded from the scope of the specified-disease treatment management fee
- The lifestyle-disease management fee presupposes creating and issuing a treatment plan and obtaining patient consent
- Multidisciplinary collaboration is positioned as a desirable requirement
- Under the lifestyle-disease management fee (II), the treatment-plan form was simplified
In short, because the operation of a frequently billed management fee has changed, choosing an electronic chart that can run that work efficiently has become especially important in internal medicine. For detailed billing requirements, please refer to the official materials of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Comparison axes for a chart strong in the lifestyle-disease management fee
When comparing electronic charts for internal medicine, evaluate their "strength in the lifestyle-disease management fee" from the following perspectives.
| Comparison axis | Point to confirm |
|---|---|
| Treatment-plan creation support | Can the plan be efficiently created and issued from chart information? |
| Billing support / checking | Can it detect missed billing and requirement gaps in the lifestyle-disease management fee? |
| Test values / progress management | Can trends such as HbA1c and blood pressure be visualized in graphs? |
| Explanation and sharing with patients | Can the plan content be shared with patients in an easy-to-understand way? |
| Multidisciplinary collaboration | Can it support collaboration with pharmacists, dietitians, and others? |
| Keeping up with revisions | Are forms and requirements updated in line with revisions? |
The treatment plan in particular is a document that recurs repeatedly in the operation of the lifestyle-disease management fee. If it is fragmented from the chart, transcription becomes laborious, so whether it can be created in linkage with chart information greatly affects the daily burden.
Easily overlooked selection points
Beyond support for the lifestyle-disease management fee, internal medicine also wants to confirm the following.
- Input speed: Is the operability such that many chronic-disease patients can be recorded in a short time?
- Integrated rececon and rezept checking: Can missed billing and returned claims be prevented in advance?
- Test data integration: Can external and in-house test results be imported automatically?
- Online eligibility verification / My Number insurance card: Is regulatory support in place?
- Voice input: Can chart documentation be streamlined from the consultation conversation?
Combined with the operation of the lifestyle-disease management fee, these lift the overall efficiency and revenue of an internal medicine clinic.
AI Karte supports lifestyle-disease management in internal medicine
"AI Karte," developed by Pottech, has functions suited to internal medicine clinics with frequent lifestyle-disease management fee operations.
- AI document drafting: Efficiently create documents such as treatment plans from chart information
- Integrated rececon with AI rezept checking: The AI detects missed billing and requirement gaps in the lifestyle-disease management fee in advance
- SOAP auto-generation via AI voice input: Automatically structure chronic-disease progress records from conversation
- Centralized management of test values: Follow trends such as HbA1c and blood pressure and use them in treatment guidance
- Multidisciplinary collaboration and PHR: Support information sharing with pharmacists, dietitians, and others
- Multi-device support: Operability that can be used flexibly even in the consultation room
With the chart, documents, and billing on the same foundation, the sequence of "plan creation → patient explanation → billing" for the lifestyle-disease management fee is not fragmented, streamlining work while preventing missed billing.
In closing
In choosing an electronic chart for an internal medicine clinic, it is important to compare with the ability to support the lifestyle-disease management fee at the center. Now that the FY2024 revision has changed the axis of evaluation for management fees, how far a chart can support treatment-plan creation, billing checks, test-value management, and multidisciplinary collaboration divides revenue and working conditions. By choosing an electronic chart that keeps up with revisions and even provides AI-assisted documentation and billing, you can realize a resilient internal medicine clinic operation.
Through the provision of AI Karte, Pottech serves as the optimal business partner for clinics—supporting not only better working conditions for physicians, nurses, and medical clerical staff, but also helping clinics achieve to the fullest what they want to accomplish.
For details, please do not hesitate to contact us.
References / Sources
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "About the FY2024 (Reiwa 6) Medical Fee Revision" https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000188411_00045.html
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Overview of the FY2024 Medical Fee Revision (Whole Medical Version)" https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12400000/001252076.pdf
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Lifestyle-Disease Treatment Plan (Attached Form 9)" https://www.mhlw.go.jp/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/iryouhoken/iryouhoken15/dl/2-22-3.pdf