A significant portion of the Low T Care physicians I have met over the past two years have purchased the cheapest and most unreliable Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems out there; citing lack of time, a severe budget constraint and the stress-inducing government regulations as reasons behind their hasty decision.
These physicians are understandably unsatisfied with the performance of their EHRs, and many of them still do not understand the benefits a comprehensive solution would bring to their practice. For those of you who have had terrible experiences with their current systems, and are even remotely considering switching your system; here’s what a comprehensive Primary Care EHR will bring to your practice in 2015.
The EHR vendors will transfer your patient data from your old system onto their system, so your workflows can proceed with as less disruption as possible. And this way, the realization of benefits from the new system will be felt from day one.
It will also offer integration with your Practice Management (PM) solution which will expedite the billing process. We would suggest you to purchase the new vendor’s PM in addition to their EHR. Cost should not be an issue here as the monthly subscription, even with an integrated PM solution, is considerably reasonable.
With an integrated PM system of the new vendor, one with a firm market reputation, the switch to ICD-10 codes in October 2015 will also be easier. They will be ready for the switch before time, and help ensure that you are too. This will partly be done through code mapping, by which providers will get a lot of help in easily converting ICD-9 codes to ICD-10 codes.
Workflows for different processes and the functionality of the EHR will also be much easier in contrast to your current system, which might even be devoid of somewhat common features such as customizable templates and settings. Using these, you will be able to set preferences, bring common processes to the top, and manage your EHR according to your own convenience.
Moreover, the new generation of EHRs allows you remote access, using your iPad and even mobile phone. This will mean that you are no longer constrained to your computer screen, and can keep a check on your clinic’s operations even when you are away from the clinic.
You might have had E-Prescriptions in your previous system, but the interface with pharmacies was probably inconvenient, and the number of pharmacies on your database meager. The switch would bring you a system with easy-to-operate connectivity with thousands of pharmacies across the country; making your patients much better off in addition to your market reputation being boosted.
