PDA use spreads among physician practices

Why This Topic Matters

It provides a snapshot of early handheld device adoption in medical practices and shows how coding support technology may affect audit, documentation review, and practice operations.

Article Sections

1. Part B News 2002 Reader Survey Results

   Survey findings summarize the prevalence of handheld device use and automation vendor systems reported by physician practices. The section presents practice-level response patterns by device adoption and vendor category.

2. PDA-based coding support in practice

   A billing supervisor describes using a handheld coding tool to review documentation and support coding analysis. The discussion also notes operational concerns and how some practices view these tools.

3. Practice size and specialty usage patterns

   The article compares handheld device use across practices of different sizes and among selected specialties. It also includes survey responses about future interest in adopting the technology.

4. Automation vendor systems reported by respondents

   Respondents identify the vendor systems used in their practices and note that many use other or local systems. The section places the handheld-device discussion in the context of broader practice automation.