| Most paper-based offices
are unaware of the extraordinary inefficiency of their operations.
The hunt for the paper Chart consumes enormous amount of personnel
time. When that search is successful, the "found"
Chart is no longer usable by anyone else until it is re-filed and
re-found. One of our initial office installations reduced telephone
usage by more than 60 percent from this feature alone. Trained and
certified office personnel, using Team Chart Concept, can almost always
resolve a telephone request the first time a patient calls.
Patient confidence and satisfaction levels soar when they realize
they have finally found a practice that knows what it is doing.
Other well-designed electronic
medical record packages should have the benefit of rapid access
to the medical record, but none that we are aware of allow such
rapid creation of the medical record in total coordination with
Practice Management. Practitioner satisfaction is important
to office morale. Imagine the benefits when that practitioner is
able to complete documentation and treatment plans while in the
room with a patient. The practitioner will not be up all evening
completing documentation. The patient will not likely be calling
back for more information; if a callback is necessary, the information
will be immediately available for review. Most importantly,
the next visit will be to advance care to the next level rather
than completing unfinished work from the previous visit.
For example, ongoing monitoring
of liver function and lipid profiles is necessary for dyslipidemia
patients who take statin medications. Suppose that laboratory
tests are ordered during the first visit, and reports generated
from those laboratory values and patient demographic data create
a meaningful risk calculation. This can be discussed with
the individual patient during the first encounter, allowing the
practitioner to prescribe dietary management and record keeping,
prescription refills or adjustments, and follow-up care plans before
the patient even leaves the examination room. Both parties
know exactly what is expected of them before the next visit. The
Team Chart Concept now applies to the team between the patient and
practitioner in managing outcomes.
Because the documentation is complete,
the patient can be updated immediately during a callback. If a prescription
is lost before getting to the pharmacy, there's no delay in supplying
that information to the appropriate person. Our client office
does not have to offer of the old excuses to a frustrated patient
that we have to wait until the dictation is completed, or transcription
is completed, or filing is completed, or until the Chart is retrieved
from filing.
We do not describe our
system as an electronic medical record because it does so much more
than other EMR systems. The name "Team Chart Concept"
seems to best describe how dedicated, educated professionals working
together can make a difference in health-care delivery. Advanced
Practice Management, billing and accounting procedures, seamless
integration between scheduling, clinical, and financial data, efficient
data input, easily designed and meaningful reports, appropriate
security restrictions, and total customer support elevate our product
to a level that defies easy description. More details about
these features can be found in the office manager section.
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Efficiency
