The Anatomy of an EHR Rescue, Part 2 -How having the right EHR can rescue your career in medicine.
Where we last left off with Dr. Mack, he had found himself in dire circumstances. His office was in disarray with unorganized business records and patient records that were getting more and more difficult to manage. He had lost his longtime office manager and was trying to maintain both the business part of his practice as well as the clinical part as the physician in charge. He realized that if there was going to be a lasting and successful turnaround that he would have to make changes and quick.
The first line of business was to hire competent staff to assist him in getting the affairs of his office back in line pertaining to business records, as well as patient medical records. He also had to contend with a very serious circumstance of letting things get so far out of his control. That was the complaint that had been filed against his licensed, or against him rather, to his licensing agency. As far as the negative publicity of online blogs spouting of his behavior, and poor care, the only thing that he could do about that was, moving forward, to be the best that he could be and build a practice that would reflect excellence in healthcare in all areas.
Dr. Mack hired a very experienced office manager, top medical and administrative staff. He informed his insurance, and together they decided on the best legal team to assist him in answering the allegations that had been made in the complaint by the patient that was part of the wakeup call that something had to be done.
After assessing the condition of the practice, the office manager discussed with Dr. Mack, that one of the aspects of his practice that had to change was his current filing system which was still in hard copy. The best solution that everyone agreed on was that his practice needed the best EMR systems that, Dr. Mack could get. This would be one that at the very least could manage his patient's medical record keeping, and that would also, assist him with the business part of his office, such as scheduling appointments, managing office human resource records, and salary information, and would keep up with office inventory and equipment information and maintenance. This EHR would also have to program for book keeping, invoicing, and tracking patient insurance and government programs. The really exciting, and even surprising part of the EHR would be its ability to keep current and innovative change in medicine, regulatory requirements in real-time. Was all this possible in one system? Had Electronic Systems for medical office management changed to this degree? Having such a system in place would not only bring Dr. Mack's office into the current century but would also enable him and his staff to be better informed, equipped and educated to give optimum patient care by being efficient and would improve the workplace by making it less stressful for staff and the doctor. Having a better work environment would surely lead to a more joyful experience and a change in attitude, positively affecting everyone, ultimately and more importantly, the patient.
The search was on and the utopia of all EMR systems for this practice was discovered after research and demonstration by many. What should Amy doctor and his staff look for when searching for the right fit for their practice when it comes to the right EHR Company?
The most practical answers are as follows:
1) Reputation
2) Innovation
3) User friendly
4) Great service model
5) Cost and benefit ratio
6) Efficient implementation and updating of new and necessary software and data
7) Data storage management
8) Compatibility with rules, regulations and common entities
The good news was that he was not lacking in patients and if managed correctly, his practice could thrive. Because of his great reputation, the referrals were still coming in. Hopefully, he would be able to change his practice in such a way that he would survive the unraveling of his office. If he could re-focus and keep the new patients coming in, maintain his current patient by giving excellent care, and staying on top of the changes and innovations in his specialty he could see his way out of what was becoming an insurmountable hill in his career. He needed balance in his work. When it came to patient care, management, office proficiency and more. What to do?
Dr. Mack's talent and good relationship with other providers gave him a constant flow of referrals and with his established patients all was well. The new system was quickly acclimated and everyone could see the change. He was able to begin to see balance return and his clinic surpass what it once was and to his great pleasure, his practice thrived more than ever.
An example of just one very clear and surprising way that it affected his practice was in the care and treatment of Matthew H. Matthew presented to Dr. Mack's office by way of referral. His condition of.... had been diagnosed but all of the traditional and known ways of treating him had had no effect at all on this patient. At a loss and as a circumstance he had been referred from one specialist to another. (The EHR opened a door to save Matthew)
See more in my next blog about Dr. Mack and his rescue by way of implementing an EMR systems that would not only assist him with his medical record keeping but would educate and enhance his practice in ways that he did not even imagine.
Author:
Victoria Soto, JD is a Healthcare advocate, published author of "World’s Best Doctors", blogger (Dr. Manners) and consultant to professional organizations worldwide on relationships in the corporate world, centers of excellence.
