place to
synchronize patient information (i.e., visitation notes, test and
prescription data, etc.) between facilities, both the practice and
patient suffered delays.
Because the charts resided within our primary office, physician
access to patient information was impeded. In an effort to
compensate, staff members would fax patient records between
locations, or a nurse would read patient information to a
physician over the telephone. Occasionally, these communication
methods could not keep up with requirements of a group whose
Instantaneous
Access to
Patient
Information:
Securely Disseminate
Patient Information
Between Locations
By Robert Hendler, Practice Administrator, Cardiac Specialists
Instantaneous Access to Patient Information: Securely Disseminate Patient Information Between Locations 1
Robert Hendler, administrator at Cardiac
Specialists P.C., Fairfield, Connecticut,
is a highly respected member of a team
passionate about excellence and the delivery of healthcare with
a distinctly humanistic approach. Over the years, Cardiac
Specialists has grown by adding not only expertly trained
physicians, but state-of-the art technology. specialty by its very nature demanded instantaneous access
to patient information in its entirety. In addition, there were
common paper-chart inefficienciesmisfiled, incomplete,
and duplicate chartsthat deteriorated the efficiency of
our practice.
Recognizing that our practice
could not continue along
its current course, we began
our search for a solution.
With multiple technological
products and vendors to choose
from, we decided to conduct a
thorough assessment of our
current challenges, potential
needs, and available resources.
Our goal was to identify
the optimal technological
solution that would address
our needs, position us for
anticipated growth, and give us
a competitive advantage.
Although our knowledge of the
health IT industry was limited,
several of our physicians
were tech savvy. We began
by researching traditional
Electronic Medical Records
(EMR) vendors. We found the
products to be cumbersome,
difficult to learn to use, difficult
to implement, expensive and
risky when looked at as an
investment. We knew several
practices that abandoned
their EMR initiatives after
making considerable investments. Additionally, the extensive
learning curve required to reach maximum efficiency further
contributed to the already high cost of EMRs. We could not
afford to take this risk. After comparing several EMRs with
our practice needs, we concluded that the overhead associated
with the initial purchase, combined with the resulting
productivity loss during the implementation process, would
create an unfavorable return on our investment. EMR would not
solve our chart related problems; it would contribute to them.
During a Connecticut conference, we were introduced to the
concept of hybrid EMR. SRS Clinical Manager, a hybrid
EMR, takes the flexibility and customizability of a document
management solution and enhances it with robust database/
data entry features that
would ultimately allow us to
successfully participate in pay-
for-performance programs,
conduct research, and pro-
actively anticipate and manage
patient care.
After 4 years of embracing
SRS Clinical Manager, we
have fulfilled every one of our
practice goals. The hybrid
EMR solution was one-third
the cost of a traditional EMR
and allowed us to digitize all
our patient records, quickly
implement the solution, and
avoid adversely affecting
physician productivity. Weve
never had to alter the way our
physicians practice medicine;
it has become an extension of
our physicians. Additionally,
the hybrid EMR allowed us
not only to share patient-
chart content with our satellite
offices, but also to provide our
physicians access to their charts
anywhere at anytime.
We reclaimed internal real
estate by eliminating our chart
rooms. We eliminated 3.5
full-time employees, which results in a savings of $122,500
annually. Even with factoring in the cost of the deployment,
we still came out ahead. We reduced physician time after
hours. Since information now flows rapidly throughout our
practices, our patient response time has decreased resulting
in superior patient follow-up. We saved thousands of dollars
of inefficient seepage while consistently boosting office
productivity. Most importantly, we have enjoyed operational
advantages and efficient workflows.
2 Instantaneous Access to Patient Information: Securely Disseminate Patient Information Between Locations
Reprinted by
For more information, please contact
Clay Stobaugh, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing
SRSsoft, 95 Chestnut Ridge Road, Montvale, NJ 07645 | 201.802.1300 ext.1303
cstobaugh@srssoft.com | www.srssoft.com