Patient Data Integration Part I
Electronic Health Records And Your Practice Management System
If you have not yet purchased an electronic health records system for your practice, then reading this series of articles is a must for you. There are lots of things to take into consideration before selecting an EHR system. The decision affects every part of the practice and presents an opportunity to eliminate other systems that don't work and/or make any needed changes in office staffing.
Providers are very busy people so there is always the tendency to make a quick decision and regret it later. I've heard plenty of horror stories so it is wise to use caution. Here are some things to consider:
First, figure out if you want to make changes in your medical billing administration. If you handle your medical billing in-house, have you weighed the pros and cons of medical billing outsourcing? Are you satisfied with how the billing is currently being done? Will ICD-10 changes place a burden on your staff? Decide on this first because if you outsource your medical billing, you may not need a practice management system at all.
Other questions to ask: How do you like your current practice management system? If you are satisfied with it, will you keep it and purchase an EHR system only? Or, will you throw it out and start over with completely new software that handles scheduling, medical billing, and EHR? Do you want a web-based or desktop system.
Let's start with the simplest of these three scenarios and discuss the pros and cons. Then read Parts II and III of this blog for a discussion of the other options.
The Stand Alone EHR
Some practices outsource their medical billing and use only a patient scheduler in the office. They refer all patient accounting questions to the medical billing service and have no access to the data. If this is your situation and you are satisfied with the medical billing services you receive, a stand alone EHR with patient scheduler is a good choice.
Of course, the downside of a stand alone EHR is that the patient data is not shared with the practice management system so staff resources are wasted due to redundant data entry. However, it may not be a significant issue if the practice is small. For your convenience, many EHR companies will perform a onetime patient upload from your practice management system.
To save further, you can choose a free electronic health records system like Practice Fusion which includes a patient scheduler.I suggest thiswith caution.Anything that isfree may not have the bells and whistles that providers want. Doctors that generate long complex chart notes may want to consider a system with more sophisticated templates. After all, time is money.
If you use a medical billing service, perhaps they will consider participating with you in "sharing" the cost of a complete web-based solution.For example, MediTouch by HealthFusion charges two monthly fees, one for practice management and the other for the EHR service. This arrangement makes your part of thesystem much more affordable and provides you with an excellent system. In fact, many medical billing services are offering this type of arrangement as an incentive to secure and keep your business.
Be sure to read Parts II and III of this article for other possible EHR strategies.
For more insights about electronic health records, and information about our medical billing services and other tips and advice for your practice, visit the Medical-Billing-Guide.
If you have not yet purchased an electronic health records system for your practice, then reading this series of articles is a must for you. There are lots of things to take into consideration before selecting an EHR system. The decision affects every part of the practice and presents an opportunity to eliminate other systems that don't work and/or make any needed changes in office staffing.
Providers are very busy people so there is always the tendency to make a quick decision and regret it later. I've heard plenty of horror stories so it is wise to use caution. Here are some things to consider:
First, figure out if you want to make changes in your medical billing administration. If you handle your medical billing in-house, have you weighed the pros and cons of medical billing outsourcing? Are you satisfied with how the billing is currently being done? Will ICD-10 changes place a burden on your staff? Decide on this first because if you outsource your medical billing, you may not need a practice management system at all.
Other questions to ask: How do you like your current practice management system? If you are satisfied with it, will you keep it and purchase an EHR system only? Or, will you throw it out and start over with completely new software that handles scheduling, medical billing, and EHR? Do you want a web-based or desktop system.
Let's start with the simplest of these three scenarios and discuss the pros and cons. Then read Parts II and III of this blog for a discussion of the other options.
The Stand Alone EHR
Some practices outsource their medical billing and use only a patient scheduler in the office. They refer all patient accounting questions to the medical billing service and have no access to the data. If this is your situation and you are satisfied with the medical billing services you receive, a stand alone EHR with patient scheduler is a good choice.
Of course, the downside of a stand alone EHR is that the patient data is not shared with the practice management system so staff resources are wasted due to redundant data entry. However, it may not be a significant issue if the practice is small. For your convenience, many EHR companies will perform a onetime patient upload from your practice management system.
To save further, you can choose a free electronic health records system like Practice Fusion which includes a patient scheduler.I suggest thiswith caution.Anything that isfree may not have the bells and whistles that providers want. Doctors that generate long complex chart notes may want to consider a system with more sophisticated templates. After all, time is money.
If you use a medical billing service, perhaps they will consider participating with you in "sharing" the cost of a complete web-based solution.For example, MediTouch by HealthFusion charges two monthly fees, one for practice management and the other for the EHR service. This arrangement makes your part of thesystem much more affordable and provides you with an excellent system. In fact, many medical billing services are offering this type of arrangement as an incentive to secure and keep your business.
Be sure to read Parts II and III of this article for other possible EHR strategies.
For more insights about electronic health records, and information about our medical billing services and other tips and advice for your practice, visit the Medical-Billing-Guide.
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