| Keeping up with today's fast-growing healthcare | | | | course, a properly designed website is also a |
| technologies can be both time and cost-intensive | | | | wonderful advertising tool, reaching many patients |
| but there are many smaller-scale services now | | | | in your area who may have been unaware of |
| available for a fraction of the cost of | | | | your practice's presence, when all a patient has to |
| implementing, say, an entire practice management | | | | do is a simple internet search. |
| or EMR solution. If you have an internet | | | | Patient-Physician Email Portal. Some practitioners |
| connection, you can benefit from many of the | | | | may shudder at the thought of allowing patients |
| healthcare technologies out there. | | | | open communication straight to their inbox, but |
| The truth is, with today's complicated payer | | | | experience shows that allowing patients to |
| systems, technology-savvy patients, and even | | | | address issues via email reduces incoming and |
| increasing governmental demands on healthcare | | | | outgoing phone call time, clarifies many |
| technology, upgrading your practice with | | | | pre-requisites for patient visits, and often |
| progressive systems becomes imperative. Some | | | | addresses various patient issues without having to |
| facts:o In a recent poll conducted by professional | | | | schedule time for the patient to come in. Settings |
| from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 80% | | | | can be customized to allow only the physician |
| of patients, given the option, would prefer to see | | | | access, and/or to allow other designated staff in |
| a physician who has the capability to use | | | | the office.ePrescribing. Reduce errors and staff's |
| ePrescribing and/or offers a patient-physician | | | | time of faxing and/or verifying orders, |
| email portal.o Of the doctors polled, 33% stated | | | | automatically check for possible interactions, and a |
| that email contact with their patients said it was | | | | plethora of other benefits can be gained by |
| "time saving," while 28% stated that it "helps | | | | implementing an independent ePrescribing solution. |
| deliver better care."o Regarding online appointment | | | | Remote EHR access With Interoffice |
| scheduling capabilities provided to patients, a study | | | | Communication. For those who already have and |
| done by Journal of the American Board of Family | | | | EHR implemented, setting up a remote access |
| Practice showed that on average, family | | | | connection can allow physicians or other |
| practitioners were able to see 15-18% more | | | | designated staff to access patient records from |
| patients within six months of implementing online | | | | different office locations, at home, or even on the |
| scheduling.o President Bush has assigned nearly | | | | move. |
| $120 million for use through September 2008 for | | | | Web-based Billing. It is estimated that up to 30% |
| the Office of the National Coordinator for | | | | of delinquent accounts are due to patients being |
| Health-Care IT program; an initiative to use IT | | | | unaware of up-to-date charges, or are confused |
| infrastructure to "improve the quality, safety and | | | | by various charges showing on their account and |
| efficiency of health care and the ability of | | | | are reluctant to pay. Sending electronic reminders, |
| consumers to manage their health information and | | | | statements, and providing an online payment |
| health care." | | | | center for patients to pay their bill right away |
| So, what to do if your practice's scale is such that | | | | without putting off mailing a check can all add |
| an integrative EMR or Practice Management | | | | huge value. |
| system is simply not financially viable, yet you | | | | No-Tape Data Back-Up. Instead of worrying about |
| want to improve your practice's efficiency? The | | | | changing and storing back-up tapes, hybrid remote |
| answer is that there are various "a la carte" | | | | solutions are available that give you the security |
| solutions you can implement in your practice, with | | | | of having your data on tape with the convenience |
| much lower up-front costs than all-inclusive | | | | of web-based access and restoring. |
| solutions, and still see a significant increase in your | | | | These are just a few of the many smaller-scale |
| productivity with a usual accompanying decrease | | | | technology solutions available specifically for doctor |
| in operating costs. | | | | practices. Most of them are much lower in cost |
| Online Appointment Scheduling. Allows patients to | | | | than integrative EHR or Practice Management |
| self-schedule appointments with real-time updates | | | | solutions but can still deliver a lot of the |
| to and from your office. Many of these programs | | | | time-saving and workflow improvement. There |
| will send automatic confirmations to patients, | | | | are now hundreds of vendors who offer different |
| immediately notify you of cancellations or | | | | versions of these solutions, and the scale of |
| changes, and give you greater control of booking | | | | quality among them is vast. If you feel your |
| patterns as opposed to paper-booking. | | | | practice may need some "tech tune-up," your |
| Office Website. Can reduce valuable hours used | | | | best bet is to get in touch with a healthcare IT |
| by your staff for answering simple questions | | | | consultant who can guide you along in the |
| about office hours and policy, also freeing up | | | | process. |
| phone lines due to reduced incoming calls. Of | | | | |