marka1211 wrote on Wednesday, March 16, 2011:
Hi, all! I am a small-town plastic surgeon in the USA, in a group practice with one other plastic surgeon. We recognize the need to switch over to EMR, and find the prospect daunting. I would like to exchange messages with practicing physicians in the USA who are using openemr in their practice, preferably a surgical practice. Are there any pioneers out there willing to help a newbie climb aboard?
zhhealthcare wrote on Wednesday, March 16, 2011:
I havevclients who are bariatric surgeons. We developed some forms exclusively for them. What would you like to know?
Shameem
marka1211 wrote on Wednesday, March 16, 2011:
Thank you for the quick reply!
Mostly what I need to know is how is the mechanics of an office visit different using EMR instead of paper? Do I need a PC in every exam room? Do tablet PCs work well? Is touchscreen useful? Do you use templates, free-form notes, or some combo? Stuff like that.
How long have your surgeons used openemr? Do they like it? What were they using before? Are they happy with the support?
MarkA
zhhealthcare wrote on Wednesday, March 16, 2011:
I hope the following answers help everyone who is looking to switch to OpenEMR, therefore I will try to answer all your questions the best I can.
How is the mechanics of an office visit different using EMR instead of paper?
Only if the practice is fully committed, and only then, will switching to an EMR be successful. The practice can become fully paperless from the time of appointment setting. Here is a workflow we implemented in one of our larger practices. Client calls to make appointment, front office staff makes one, a follow up call via an IVR system to confirm x hours or days before such appointment. Additionally emails/sms can be sent. Client is send a link to fill in his registration forms which gets updated in the system after due review. For walk in clients there is a kiosk setup where they can enter their registration papers. Front office staff checks the client in, and proceeds from there on to read his vitals and mark him as arrived so that an encounter is created for the specified doctor. The doctor then enters his exam into the EMR using various forms, including fee sheet. We pick up the super-bill and process his billing.
Do I need a PC in every exam room? Do tablet PCs work well?
Not necessarily. A tablet PC is a good tool for Doctors. The android also has a voice recognition inbuilt in the key board and with enough practice it works well for soap notes. For forms like vitals and ROS, the touch screen works great.
Is touchscreen useful?
Yes.
Do you use templates, free-form notes, or some combo?
Like I mentioned earlier forms come in different types: some are free texts where you can type whatever you want, others are templates with specific lists. My surgeons have been given specific forms for Surgeries, dietitians, complications so on and so forth.
How long have your surgeons used openemr?
Less than a year.
Do they like it?
I suppose so. They are still using it and we take the super-bills based on their entries to do the billing for them.
What were they using before?
One of my clients was using an appointment setting SaaS, A BOLD certified SaaS EMR, and Lytec to meet their needs. Now they are using just OpenEMR for all three purposes. Plus we converted over 10 years of data for them.
Are they happy with the support?
That is my hope. They refer others to us, so, I guess, yes.
Thanks
Shameem
marka1211 wrote on Thursday, March 17, 2011:
Thank you for your time in providing such a detailed reply. It is very helpful.
Do any of the MDs in the practices you service visit here? It would be good to hear from them, as well.