Investigating OpenEMR as a possible solution for my chiropractic clinic

Management and Administration
#1

Hello there!

I’m the office manager / sole CA for a small chiropractic clinic, and we presently use somewhat outdated software for our practice management / EMR / billing (Chiro8000). I’m looking into possible future software solutions, and many of the more modern, fully-featured programs that are tailor-made for chiropractors are exorbitantly expensive, especially given our small size.

I’m also looking around the wiki and searching the forums, and I’m finding very little on chiropractic applications, so I figured I’d ask while I download the client to a test machine and continue to research it on my own:

Do/can chiropractors use this software? Is it a good fit for your clinics? I’d like to hear from any clinics or doctors or sysadmins who are presently in my situation, or one similar to it. How much tweaking and customization was required to get it up and running for you, the way you / the doctor wanted?

We’re open to switching to Linux if necessary; I have some knowledge of that OS and prefer it over Windows, and from what I understand, since our platforms were upgraded from 7 to 10 (as opposed to a clean install), OpenEMR wouldn’t work in any case.

Any thoughts or comments are welcome. Thanks!

1 Like
#2

Welcome to the community @alaskanassistant!

While I am not a chiropractor (nor do I even play one on TV) I may have some insight for you.

One of, in my opinion, the most useful features we have is the ability to easily create custom forms without needing to code. This means all of your chiropractic-specific forms can be added into OpenEMR with ease.

We actually have a couple of ways to create custom forms, so if your needs exceed the abilities of the “Layout Based Form” creator, it is possible to create a form using PHP

To learn more about the Layout Based Forms, see this article

2 Likes
#3

Thanks @robert.down! I look forward to participating more as I learn more.

The layout-based forms feature looks like pretty much exactly what we would need to customize the software to our use, and it’s good to know there’s a backup method as well. Thank you! I have a non-patient workday tomorrow morning, and I intend to do some hands-on testing at that time.

#4

Just curious as to how the testing went? Always feel free to reach out with any questions you have!

1 Like
#5

Thanks for checking back in. Unfortunately, as I got a little farther in, my boss asked me in no uncertain terms not to put any more time into investigating a software switch. We’re non-PAR for Medicare, and apparently our patients not receiving their full reimbursement due to us using a non-certified EMR program isn’t important to him, or at least, not important enough to update our outdated software. For free.

I’m… let’s say I’m “not entirely pleased” with this decision, but it is his clinic, so I have to comply.

I may put some time into learning it at home on my own machine, so that I have that skill set for the future and can bring it to the next clinic I manage.

#6

I’ve been using OpenEMR in my chiropractic office since 2006. It’s well worth a look. The high point is the non-proprietary nature and use of open standards. If I can answer any questions, I’m happy to help. John

2 Likes
#7

@jggoodfe thank you! I’ll keep you in mind as a resource in my studies. :slight_smile:

#8

Hey John, could I give you a call? I’ve been looking for an EHR and have been unhappy with what I’ve found. I’d love to chat with you to see how this one works with a chiropractic office.

#9

This is an old post, but i run a clearinghouse and one of my clients is a non par nedicare provider. Im not sure he is happy with his current software.

So, first id love talk to a chiro about there experience with openEmr and what custom setup needs done.

2nd, im wanting to support openEmr in a technical role. Id love to talk about that as well. Is it run in the office or on cloud. Etc.

Brad