What to Look for in Practice Management and EMR Software?
Choosing the correct electronic medical record software for your clinic might be tricky. Finding an EMR and Practice Management that achieves the optimal balance of features and cost requires a lot of web research and demo attendance, whether you’re starting a new practice, moving away from paper charts, or seeking to migrate to a new program.
You’ll need a platform to handle a wide range of fundamental medical practice operations, such as record keeping and charting, practice administration, and medical billing and coding. That program will most likely be in charge of additional jobs in the interim.
Because you and your team will utilize the electronic health record for several daily functions, a smooth experience is essential. This blog can serve as a resource for learning about EHR software, Telehealth platforms, practice management software, medical billing software, revenue cycle management, and EHR implementation.
Features of the Electronic Health Record
In a short amount of time, electronic health records have gone a long way. What was a clumsy, desktop-only application that works seamlessly on both desktop and mobile devices? Smartphones are practically ubiquitous, and tablets have played a significant part in how many practices operate daily. As a result, your EHR should adapt seamlessly into a mobile ecosystem.
Mobile EMRs provide a new level of flexibility and allow for more intimate interactions with patients. But that’s only the beginning; after the software is installed on your tablet, it’s up to you to make sure it’s charting efficiently depending on your practice’s needs.
Make sure the electronic medical record platform you choose offers customized medical forms and templates so you can chat in the method that works best for you. Your EHR should ideally come with some pre-made templates to utilize right away, but it should also be able to fit your unique processes as you refine them over time.
Look for sophisticated charting tools, in addition to the forms that physicians use to make filling up a patient’s chart even easier. Dynamic photo charting is one such feature to keep an eye on it. Without leaving the EHR, a practitioner may snap a photo, upload it to the chart, and annotate it in any way they like.
Another common function is medical speech-to-text, allowing doctors to dictate notes into the program using their voice. These features will save your practice a lot of time in the long run.
The second thing to think about is if your provider works with many labs. Integrating local and national labs is essential for ensuring that a physician receives the test findings they want in a timely way. Ideally, the EHR software will automatically upload the results to the patient’s chart.
Finally, make sure your EHR platform offers eRx functionality if you want to administer pharmaceuticals to patients. Modern practices need e-prescribe because it allows them to send prescriptions, including prohibited medications, directly from the system to a patient’s preferred pharmacy.
Though e-prescribe makes the prescription procedure easier, it must adhere to certain guidelines. The program must meet all DEA, NIST, and Superscripts specifications. Look for Practice Management that has two-factor authentication for enhanced protection.
Many additional characteristics contribute to an excellent EHR, but these are the most crucial from a high level. Find out what additional characteristics you should look for in an electronic health record.
Essentials of Practice Management Software
An EMR system should include a spectrum of capabilities accessible to make practice administration easier, in addition to the labor connected directly with what happens during appointments.
By automating administrative processes and decreasing the need for additional employees, these systems may save a practice both time and money. Adding more employees to handle the practice administration task is costly, and it may need seeing more patients while spending less time with each to cover the expenditures.
As a result, you should search for features in your practice management software to help you with the administrative side of things. Online scheduling is an important function. Patients can use a patient portal to make their appointments rather than wait in a long phone line. Some patient portals will also tell you how long you’ll have to wait at the office.
You want to know that the patient will show up after the appointment is set. Automated appointment reminders will help you reduce your no-show percentage significantly. Reminders sent through phone, text message, or email by the program.
Inquire with your vendor about the software’s ability to generate appointment profiles. These may save you a lot of time since they allow you to plan ahead of time how long each sort of visit should last, what kind of intake papers you’ll need, and what medical billing codes you’ll most likely need for that encounter.
Patient check-in is another essential component in the appointment procedure. Allowing patients to fill out their check-in papers electronically from anywhere can help practices cut down on unnecessary wait time. Patients will be able to conduct chores like scanning their insurance information straight into the EHR, which will minimize total data input time over a workday.
In a similar vein, the software must do real-time eligibility checks on patient insurance information. When completed manually, the inspections might pile up over a day. This rapid access to insurance providers is especially important when pre-approval is necessary for surgery.
Following the appointment, collecting funds through the practice management software will allow the service to be completed quickly. You should be able to swipe a credit card and collect payments through a mobile device from anywhere. Check with your merchant to see whether you may save those credit cards on file after completing the transaction.
Finally, seek a platform with a secure, open API that interfaces with third-party applications for more customizability. Many of the holes can be covered by integrated partner software if you locate a vendor that has most of the capabilities you need but not all of them.
Telehealth Features to Prioritize
Telehealth has swiftly become a must-have in the healthcare business, thanks to remote patient monitoring equipment and video visits. Patients have gotten accustomed to the service, and most want it to continue indefinitely.
Thanks to remote patient monitoring technology and video visits, Telehealth has quickly become a must-have in the healthcare industry. Most patients have become used to the service and want it to continue permanently.
Because so many new services are developing due to the pandemic, not every service is created the same. On the other hand, a great telemedicine platform is more than just video visits. It’s based on it.
The platform must first and foremost be HIPAA compliant. Virtual visits must adhere to a set of guidelines to be compliant. A Telehealth service must be designed with these guidelines in mind, and it must be able to adapt fast when the telemedicine HIPAA requirements evolve.
Find a telemedicine provider that interacts directly with your EHR to make these appointments easier. It’s not always worth the time and effort to search for a low-cost third-party service. If your telemedicine software integrates seamlessly with your EHR system, you’ll enjoy the extra benefit of more efficient appointments.
Options for Medical Billing and Revenue Cycle Management
Medical billing and coding are time-consuming and difficult tasks, but the appropriate technology may help you enhance your billing procedures and revenue collection. It will also be easier if you choose an EHR with integrated medical billing solutions.
By automating areas of the billing process that are prone to human mistakes, the finest software can save time while enhancing your clean claims rate.
Billing software similarly accomplishes this to the appointment profiles outlined above. Billing profiles help you save time by allowing you to put up your most common diagnoses and medical billing codes.
On the other hand, your clinic might be able to explore outsourcing your billing to a team of billing and coding experts. If that’s the case, a transparent and dependable revenue cycle management business might help you collect more money. RCM services often charge a percentage of your gross collections rate. As well as a bare minimum monthly or yearly cost.
A clean claims rate of less than 85% or a rejections rate of more than 10%. Also warning signals that your practice’s RCM approach isn’t working for you. Furthermore, if items regularly spend more than 35 days in AR, it may be wise to seek outside assistance.
EHR Implementation Must-Haves
After all, has been said and done, and every feature and integration has been considered, the implementation phase is the final piece of your EHR puzzle. Finding the ideal solution for your office or clinic is one thing; ensuring that you receive adequate help as you learn to utilize it is quite another.
A well-structured implementation procedure can distinguish between a difficult and a relatively painless experience.
When it comes to implementation, it’s better to think of it as a two-way street. Begin by partnering with your implementation specialist to identify your practice’s goals and timetables. During installation, your professionals will consider this as they walk you through the platform’s ins and outs.
