According to Researchgate.net “Uptake of EMR is increasing, although it is significantly slower in dermatology, ophthalmology, and psychiatry.”
Although the past decade has witnessed the healthcare sector initiating technological innovation and change. Yet many ophthalmologists are holding onto their paper-based workflow processes. Though the U.S. government incentivized the shift to electronic health records through the HITECH Act, many doctors didn’t see the financial incentives as compelling enough to make the switch.
Some physicians may argue that electronic health records (EHR) can be challenging to use. It involves lengthy implementation timelines, require supporting front office, back office and billing staff to adapt to new processes and tools. Moreover, they are very expensive.
Wrong!
The answer depends on which ophthalmology EMR system you pick and whether opportunity costs are also considered in your decision-making process.
Best ophthalmology EMR benefits make it easier to manage patient care by:
- Provides accurate, up-to-date, and complete information at the point of treatment.
- Allows providers to share information with patients and other providers securely.
- Provides quick access to patient health history and other data.
- Completes documentation for accurate billing and coding.
- Reduces documentation errors and duplicate records.
Read through to analyze hidden high costs to minimize the long-term monetary price of implementing a new ophthalmic EMR.
Acquaint yourself with the short and long-term costs (including opportunity costs) of implementing an ophthalmology EMR.
The first step in controlling costs in implementing an ophthalmic EMR demands due diligence with innovative EMR partners.
EHR Software
Question 1:
Is the EHR on-premises, hybrid or entirely secure cloud-based?
On-premises means that your practice will need to host the EHR solution on local servers .The local IT support personnel has to maintain and defend against hackers. Moreover, they need regular backups, install updates (if there are any from the licensing company) etc. The list is long, and the risks outweigh the benefits.
Run in the opposite direction if you are offered this solution!
Hybrid means that as a practice you are living somewhere in the twilight zone between an on-premise solution and a cloud-based solution.
Run even faster in the opposite direction if you are offered this solution.
Secure cloud-based solution is the one you want to gravitate towards. We said, gravitate towards – not decide. At least, not yet!
A secure cloud-based solution should mean that your data is in an encrypted, secure, cloud-based environment with at least 99% uptime. As a provider and practice administrator you can access the data from anywhere, anytime and on any device!
New Hardware
Question 2:
Do you want to keep spending money on new hardware?
Acquiring new hardware to access the EMR system can be expensive. That is if you choose an on-premises installation, which may require high-cost servers, routers, firewalls, etc.
In the case of a cloud-based system, all you should need to do is buy low-cost laptops, or desktops or tablets, or smartphones.
That’s it!
Training
Question 3: Do I want my practice to be held at gunpoint for training and consultation?
It is imperative a practice owner or private equity group estimate the cost of training members of your front office, back office, providers and billing team that will use the EHR daily.
This includes MIPS consulting!
Are they going to charge you extra every time you have a question about using a counter intuitive and click-heavy ophthalmic EHR? Or every time you have a question on how to improve your MIPS score?
Practice Management Application
Is the ophthalmic EMR that you are considering also forcing you to purchase their practice management software as an all-in-one solution?
Think again!
An ophthalmic EHR should focus on the medical side of practicing medicine to enhance patient care as well as improve productivity.
Most importantly your ophthalmic EMR should integrate with any practice management software.
Remember what happened to Microsoft’s Windows operating system? Eventually, the market forced them to open their doors to a more collaborative world.
Thank you, Steve Jobs!
Remember, in today’s rapidly advancing technological world, you want the ability to customize a sandwich based on your hunger and not on how much an EHR vendor wants to make off you in one big swoop!
Regular Updates and Certifications
Question 4: Is the ophthalmic EHR company keeping with the times?
Day 1: You wrote that first check and are excited to see the new look and feel about the office toy you bought for your practice.
Day 1000: You are still using the exact same software you bought on day 1. In the meantime, the competitor has moved ahead with leaps and bounds. Now you are losing money and sleep. Apart from that your staff is frustrated with the slow application that has been offline 60 days out of 365. On the other 200 days it has that cursed loading spiral sign and the remaining days you are left wondering what happens if this outdated application is going to be hacked!
It is important that a top rated ophthalmic EMR is has all up-to-date certifications and has never been backed. Most importantly you own the medical data and not the private equity firm that owns hundreds of companies like your EHR.
Features That Matter
If you are familiar with an EHR system and even if you are not, make a list of all the must-have features.
Buy what you need and push back against add-ons that you don’t want and more importantly don’t need!
Doctorsoft is a cloud-based top rated ophthalmic electronic medical record (EMR) software solution that can be integrated with any practice management for ophthalmologists. With Doctorsoft, users can use their device’s talk-to-text programs to dictate notes directly into the respective fields. Doctorsoft is the only ophthalmic EHR that features a single-page view, which helps users view patients’ entire data at a go. This solution also includes a drawing tool. Users can draw directly into the system with their fingers or with a stylus on their tablet or smartphone.
Consider Doctorsoft, as an Ideal cost-effective ophthalmic EHR. We are a company where everybody knows your name! Cheer