Choosing a EMR/PM for a new practice

[thefootfixer]

Hi guys

Need some advice on this topic here.
I demoed several EHR systems (prac fusion ecw mod med practice ehr etc)

I was actually really happy with p fusion until I found out there is no true PM service with it and I’d have to scope out another third party for this.

Is PM important component to have if I’m using an outside billing company?

What questions should I be asking and what should I be looking to implement into a new practice. Obviously don’t need to spend a grand a month on a new place so trying to be cost conscious while allowing some type of decent charting capabilities

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[air bud]

Hi guys

Need some advice on this topic here.
I demoed several EHR systems (prac fusion ecw mod med practice ehr etc)

I was actually really happy with p fusion until I found out there is no true PM service with it and I’d have to scope out another third party for this.

Is PM important component to have if I’m using an outside billing company?

What questions should I be asking and what should I be looking to implement into a new practice. Obviously don’t need to spend a grand a month on a new place so trying to be cost conscious while allowing some type of decent charting capabilities

@dtrack22

 

[619]

I use eClinical Works and I am happy with it. Back in 2020 when I started solo, they had this promo where you pay $4.99 per patient encounter for the first 12 months then you can switch to monthly flat fee. This works out because they know you won't be busy first year so you are not paying full price.

On the other side, It's a gamble because if you become busy let say around 8th or 9th month and you are seeing about 200 patients a month then you are paying almost a grand at $4.99 a pop. After a year then you can switch to the $599 or $699 monthly flat fee depending on your location and the deal they have.

Everyone dreams to be busy the first day they open their practice but the reality is you start slowly and build up. You are not going to be seeing 200 patients/month in your first few months.

Another reason I picked eCW is because most of the solo PCPs in my area use it so it has to be good right? Oh eCW also has Healow for online scheduling and appointment that they link to your website. Overall I am satisfied with my EHR.

Find out what EHR the local solo docs in your area are using and join the bandwagon. Good luck!

 

[Pronation]

I use eClinical Works and I am happy with it. Back in 2020 when I started solo, they had this promo where you pay $4.99 per patient encounter for the first 12 months then you can switch to monthly flat fee. This works out because they know you won't be busy first year so you are not paying full price.

On the other side, It's a gamble because if you become busy let say around 8th or 9th month and you are seeing about 200 patients a month then you are paying almost a grand at $4.99 a pop. After a year then you can switch to the $599 or $699 monthly flat fee depending on your location and the deal they have.

Everyone dreams to be busy the first day they open their practice but the reality is you start slowly and build up. You are not going to be seeing 200 patients/month in your first few months.

Another reason I picked eCW is because most of the solo PCPs in my area use it so it has to be good right? Oh eCW also has Healow for online scheduling and appointment that they link to your website. Overall I am satisfied with my EHR.

Find out what EHR the local solo docs in your area are using and join the bandwagon. Good luck!

I’m getting flashbacks of having to click to open pop up windows for everything in eCW, slow and clunky. eCW blows but if that’s what the local PCPs are using then it’s your best choice since it makes sending referrals easier for them.

 

[619]

I’m getting flashbacks of having to click to open pop up windows for everything in eCW, slow and clunky. eCW blows but if that’s what the local PCPs are using then it’s your best choice since it makes sending referrals easier for them.

I agree. It's not the fanciest gadget but I love the price and they have been around long enough that hopefully they won't go out of business and I have to find a new EHR system.

This is my fear with newer EHR or even "free" EHR. How long will they last on the market?

 

[Feli]

Why do you even need EMR for a new/solo office? Seriously.

You need eRx in a lot of places and need some form of scheduling software and claims submit software...

...but when you think it through, what's the EMR advantage for a small (or any) practice?
Sure, you get the slightly higher rate from MCR... but at what cost (fee monthly, time, training, downtimes, lag, snags, hardware)?
As long as you have the scheduling and billing ok, you can do dictation or typed or even paper and save the $ and headaches if you wish.

 

[619]

Why do you even need EMR for a new/solo office? Seriously.

You need eRx in a lot of places and need some form of scheduling software and claims submit software...

...but when you think it through, what's the EMR advantage for a small (or any) practice?
Sure, you get the slightly higher rate from MCR... but at what cost (fee monthly, time, training, downtimes, lag, snags, hardware)?
As long as you have the scheduling and billing ok, you can do dictation or typed or even paper and save the $ and headaches if you wish.

I disagree with your stance on EHR. There are multiple reasons to have EHR. An example - you are forgetting the space it takes to store physical paper. Before EHR, office spaces were larger and you need a separate room just to store medical records. Now you don't need that much of a space thereby saving money on rent since you pay per sq ft for office rent space. Also, it's better to start from the beginning with EHR than having to start with paper charts and then switching later on. Think of the headache in scanning years of paper chart into the EHR system.

EHR is cheaper today compared to when it first came out. Same as tech in general. TV, phones etc are cheaper today than it ever was.

I will avoid free EHR systems but any office can get a decent EHR system for $500-$600/month. About the same for a monthly car payment.

 

[Feli]

I disagree with your stance on EHR. There are multiple reasons to have EHR. An example - you are forgetting the space it takes to store physical paper. Before EHR, office spaces were larger and you need a separate room just to store medical records. Now you don't need that much of a space thereby saving money on rent since you pay per sq ft for office rent space. Also, it's better to start from the beginning with EHR than having to start with paper charts and then switching later on. Think of the headache in scanning years of paper chart into the EHR system.

EHR is cheaper today compared to when it first came out. Same as tech in general. TV, phones etc are cheaper today than it ever was.

I will avoid free EHR systems but any office can get a decent EHR system for $500-$600/month. About the same for a monthly car payment.

Yeah, there are pro/cons.
I am not talking paper charts (although that could be done and scanned and shredded)... more so typed or dictate and just store as PDF, word docs, etc. I know plenty of successful pod and other MD offices that do that. Takes no space and barely any cost or hard drive room. It is already scans/docs... can always give pt copies, send copies to other docs, put into an EMR later if you had to, etc.

It's not the cost of the EMR software that's the issue... just the efficiency that is a detriment. EMRs, definitely the web based but also server ones, always have lag, down times and updates, depend both on your internet connect and their server connect, etc. That's not to mention all of the dumb errors, pop ups, missing required info, etc nonsense they bring every day.

...The billing/sched software is needed without doubt, but the EHR software is definitely not the panacea Obama sold it as. The pay cuts for not having it will probably get repealed at some point and are not very consequential for a small business (actually a loss overall to most SBs). That's the reason all of the major EHR companies tend to sell the billing side, EMR side, or combo pks. A lot of places mix and match or don't use the EHR/charts side software at all.

 

[MountainFoot]

Bump

Curious what other podiatrist are using in private practice. I'm currently using Traknet and it has been a terrible experience, more so now that modmed has taken over ownership. Does anyone actually like the EHR they are using?

 

[Shiyuan]

Athena (MSG). I like it... but then again its expensive and usually used in bigger organizations.

 

[DYK343]

Athena (MSG). I like it... but then again its expensive and usually used in bigger organizations.

Im too lazy after a long day of work to look up the specifics (I did years ago) but I think organizations that move to athena lose on average somewhere about 10% of income from prior year(s) collections. It apparently misses a lot of billing capture charges.

Its fairly easy to use. That said we switched to it and lost tons of money.

 

[heybrother]

This. Athena SUCKS. For small organizations they are MASSIVELY overpriced. However, where they really suck is that chasing denials/slow-pay/insurance issues/missing EOB is just horrendous. I have a million horrible things I could say about them. Just awful at getting you your money.

Here's my big thing though - even if you got their organization rate which is 4% - I suspect they would still be overpriced compared to what you could do if you worked a little harder on your own...

Im too lazy after a long day of work to look up the specifics (I did years ago) but I think organizations that move to athena lose on average somewhere about 10% of income from prior year(s) collections. It apparently misses a lot of billing capture charges.

Its fairly easy to use. That said we switched to it and lost tons of money.