Women’s Health Care Center

Frightening IT concerns exist for physicians wondering if or when their practices will be compromised. Physicians need every action to decrease exposure to unnecessary vulnerabilities. Such was the case with Women’s Health Care Center (WHCC). When WHCC sought insurance, it discovered the exorbitant premiums and wondered whether the practice could stay afloat. Fortunately, WHCC was able to secure the last remaining spot with a local, affordable insurer”. “The insurer said having NeuQuest gave us an edge.”

Finding affordable malpractice insurance certainly offered protection for the growing practice with 7 physicians and supporting staff, seeing on average 45 patients a day. Yet for WHCC, it was not just insurance premiums posing as a problem. Common in both small and large practices, the organization had inefficient billing and paper chart systems.

“Having just started our practice, we did not want to become dependent on paper chart pulls.” The large amount of transcription and paperwork being done was too large amounts of staff time, making it difficult for the practice to effectively grow while meeting current patient needs. “We needed to improve our chart access, to be able to answer questions more quickly.”

The practice chose ProMD EMR, a complete stand-alone 360° EMR system that helped to improve administrative efficiency. By easily implementing the technology, WHCC found a complete system that met its needs and offered flexible room for the practice’s growth.

Immediately upon implementation, the organization could access notes and internal information more quickly and easily. In fact, the practice improved its efficiency by 75 percent. One of the practice’s partners was skeptical about the software’s ability to increase efficiency enough to justify its cost. She gladly admitted that the software saved her several hours per week.

“Our billers and collectors were affected the most. They were no longer dependant on paper charts. We had the front desk scheduling from day one. The staff enjoyed saving time from transcription and accessing information as needed. Because of these improvements, WHCC is able to turn around and distribute billing and claims much faster.”

In implementing ProMD EMR, WHCC was seeking an affordable, yet manageable system for their small, growing practice. WHCC wanted assurance the process was fully deliverable and rewarding: “Committing to a system you expect to use for years can make the decision daunting. But adopting NeuQuest’s system was professional, timely, and on budget.”

The organization spent a significant amount of time exploring the market and comparing practice management and EMR systems. “We considered five vendors; but decided on ProMD EMR based on its functionality, ease-of-use, and support services.”

The one criterion that was a must- the vendor needed to provide deliverable dedication to customer support. Customer satisfaction was something WHCC described as “imperative and very important,” since WHCC’s practice size limited its ability to deal with technical problems. “NeuQuest provided us with a seamless transition and an excellent point of contact.”

The results hit the bottom line. WHCC is able to send electronic batch claims, thus exponentially reducing its outstanding accounts. It improved ability to access and record patient information allowed for greater efficiency, better patient care, and additional administration control. Most important to WHCC, because employees will not have to spend as much time performing paperwork, their day opens up allowing additional space to see more patients– their practice is growing without patients feeling compromised.

Case Study:
Clinical
Providence Oncology Associates

Providence Oncology Associates treats patients using the benefits of ProMD EMR. NeuQuest hosts a customized complete stand-alone enterprise solution. Providence’s staff has a list filled with pros about the software, but the general consensus: “ProMD EMR Enterprise lets doctors be doctors and patients be patients.”

Providence Oncology Associates now has 30 employees, including 9 physicians and 3 Nurse practitioners. ProMD EMR created an environment in which everyone is more efficient and has seen a direct result in the practice’s increased reimbursements because of accurately coding the appropriate workflow.

“Combined effects of practice management and electronic transactions was a gradual reduction from staff and errors, now resulting in a 75% cost savings, and revenue is up!”

“Volume is an issue for us, because we see an average of 2,500 cases a month. ProMD EMR allows our doctors to work with greater efficiency, because it eliminates so much of the paperwork trail. Each doctor is seeing 10% to 20% more patients, and staff overtime is down by more than 35%. At the same time the clinic is able to log additional time each month by clinic practitioners.”

Its not just enhanced office efficiency that has Providence Oncology Associates singing. ProMD EMR’s technology and instant customer accessibility helps them manage bigger issues, such as containing costs and staying efficient. “We were looking for a system that would make work easier for our doctors by letting them focus on patient care, while allowing the staff to focus on the business side of the practice.” “ProMD has allowed us to achieve cost containment while gaining increased control and more flexibility to be productive. “

ProMD EMR has also served Providence Oncology Associates with administrational auditing and reports. The results have been significant because many HMOs pay the office directly through electronic fund transfer that automatically post in the system. “Accounting, checking and editing is seamless, so it saves a lot of time.” “In the past we’d have one ’poster’ who worked 40 hours a week for three doctors. We now have one who works 30 hours a week for nine doctors.”

“In addition to providing a methodology to decrease costs and increase revenues, ProMD EMR allows providers to deliver more timely and enhanced quality care to patients. Having access to reliable and critical patient information at any time of the day or night means physicians can provide the highest quality care, without compromising or having to worry about logistics.”

For Providence Oncology Associates, finding the right EMR system was imperative. After spending nearly a year researching 11 different systems before inviting three into the office, NeuQuest won hands down. “NeuQuest won with a live demonstration, its modular focus was on patient charge- money in as the priority. Our cash flow has increased tremendously, while the patient receives better care and more value. The system is extremely user friendly, produces reports easily, and most importantly- the support team is always available. Moreover, Providence Oncology recognized the integrity of NeuQuest’s staff, a commitment for further advances, and their understanding for client needs.

Case Study:
Internal Staff
Beacon Internal Medicine

Leaving a practice management system you have been using for years can be scary. After all, everyone is accustomed to working with paper. How can they live without hard copy files? The staff at Beacon Internal Medicine, however, they decided early on their new office initiative would go paperless. In fact, when building their office, designs to include a chartroom were never considered. The practice is now completely equipped and running paperless, and all the better. “This would not have been possible without the understanding of our patient flow process.”

The office includes three physicians, four fulltime support staff, and two rotating specialist. There is also a physician assigned to the local hospital. Together, each member of Beacon’s staff sees an average of 20 patients a day– a healthy number for a growing practice. The reason for this– no staff member has to see or pull a paper chart. “We used to be part of a larger organization. We wanted to go off on our own and bring everything in house. In doing so, we wanted to resolve problems with our access to medical records. We used to have walls of charts; now, we have none. We used ProMD to scan in all of our charts, and now have all of our medical record information on a central system”. Through a secure encrypted patient portal, ProMD EMR Enterprise consolidated and now securely manages patient tracking, patient billing, and appointment scheduling.

In the case of Beacon Internal Medicine, ProMD EMR has effectively helped its team manage crucial patient data transfers that may otherwise have been mishandled or difficult to access through traditional charting methods during the practice’s startup. “By using NeuQuest’s technology, all physicians look at the database and find consistent and readily available up to date information. We do not have trouble finding patient information. For example, our doctors at the hospital look up information any time with the ASP access. Nobody’s scurrying, digging, misplacing, or losing charts; if a patient calls, our administrative staff can look up that patient’s information immediately, and we don’t spend time pulling charts for the next day.”

The office staff has greatly increased efficiency. One office assistant offers: “We found an incredible ability to reduce time dedicated to medical records by 25%. Prior solutions had been working with our practitioners to ensure all documentation was complete. Only to find out the internal servers would crash or were insufficiently backed up”. She also mentions: “the extensive dictation would fail to cover critical ‘bullets. With EMR templates, we have accurate detailed and appropriate notes. I am confident we will meet all documentation requirements in any record review.”

The use of ProMD EMR has also made life easier for the physicians at Beacon Internal Medicine. Doctors now use laptops, tablets, and PDA’s at point-of-care. They are able to enter patient data directly while treating the patient, rather than having to transcribe it later. “With this system, I feel that I can walk into an exam room and have a patient’s chart done by the time I leave.” The practice’s primary physician finds that she is spending more time with patients, even as patient volume increases. Improved coding to generate more accurate billing has justified the software. She says, “Making existing staff more efficient, and avoiding additional hires. It will save us $50,000 a year. So two or three years of savings is a lot. This user-friendly and fluid workflow system now simplifies our practice while improving patient point of care.”

A survey of Beacon’s ProMD EMR showed implementing ProMD EMR was timely and accompanied by friendly/knowledgeable support staff. “We were committed to making this work, and had a definite timeframe for everything we wanted to achieve. NeuQuest’s client support was very good, and it developed an excellent training program for us. As a result, we met our timeframes, and now we’re functioning at optimal success.”

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