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EMR-EHRS Blog

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Archive for the ‘Podiatry EMR’ Category

Transform Your Podiatry Practice with Targeted EHR Solutions

Friday, August 30th, 2024
The podiatrist showed a patient an X-ray of her ankle

As a podiatrist, you face a unique set of challenges that generic electronic health records often struggle to address effectively. Your daily practice involves a complex mix of patient care, from managing chronic conditions like diabetes to developing specialized interventions. It’s clear—a one-size-fits-all approach to electronic health records (EHRs) won’t cut it.

This is where specialty-specific EHR modules come into play. These tailored solutions are designed with the distinct needs of podiatry practices in mind, offering features that streamline your workflows and enhance patient care.

Explore how podiatry EHR software can address the limitations of generic systems and provide the targeted tools necessary for effective podiatric practice management. From improved accuracy in documentation to streamlined workflows, discover how these tailored solutions can support your practice in providing exceptional patient care.

Elevate Your Foot and Ankle Center 

Discover the Power of a Podiatry-Specific EHR!

Unique Needs of Podiatry Practices

Unleash the full potential of your clinic’s healthcare IT assets by advocating for your podiatry practice’s specific needs. Kick-start your journey with this essential checklist of features that podiatrists demand in their EHR system.

Specialized Documentation 

  • Comprehensive coverage systemically captures health information, from diagnoses to treatment plans. 
  • Condition-specific fields allow for detailed documentation that aligns with podiatric clinical guidelines.

Clinical Workflow 

  • Precision documentation captures relevant details for podiatric care, reducing errors and omissions.
  • Built-in tools like automated coding suggestions and integrated diagnostic tools reduce time spent on administrative tasks.
A Smooth Transition to Podiatry EHR
Sarah Reichstein, Business Manager, Grand Island Foot Clinic

“Hello, my name is Sarah, and I wanted to take a minute to tell you about my experience implementing a podiatrist EHR program. We researched for about 18 months and, in doing so, looked at over 20 different EHR programs. We recently went live with IMS through 1st Providers Choice and were completely thrilled that during the first two months of the transition of going paperless, we showed an increase in productivity even during training and the implementation process.”
Want to hear more success stories? Click here to read more testimonials.

Benefits of Specialty-Specific Modules

A specialist uses a podiatry EHR to provide the best treatment

Enhanced Accuracy 

When documenting a patient’s condition, a podiatry-specific EHR can automatically suggest relevant diagnosis codes, treatment options, and follow-up care plans. This reduces the risk of errors and, more importantly, minimizes the time you and your staff spend on administrative tasks.

Tailored Templates

When creating notes on a routine procedure such as a bunionectomy or a diabetic foot exam, the tailored system can provide a template that includes all the relevant fields, such as medical history (e.g., arthritis, diabetes) and foot condition (e.g., deformity, skin condition). 

This pre-configured template ensures that no critical details are overlooked and that documentation is thorough and compliant with clinical guidelines.

Integration Capabilities

When using emerging treatments, foot and ankle specialists and orthopedic surgeons would benefit from having podiatry EHR systems that can integrate with new devices. For instance, smart sensors that alert surgeons (through the EHR) or caregivers (via smartphone app) when the patient puts weight on an injured foot or ankle.

Integrating with Practice Management and Billing

A medical coder uses podiatry EHR software

Many clinics still use separate EHR and practice management systems, but modern EHRs offer convenience and time savings. Customized EHR systems allow foot and ankle clinics to combine specialized tools with business acumen for high-quality care and a thriving podiatry practice.

Practice Management

The best EHR for podiatry should not only include specialty-specific modules—it must combine with operational management and billing features to create a seamless experience for the clinic. A complete software solution should include scheduling functions, security tools for compliance, and effective communication among team members.

In addition, it’s common for patients to arrive at appointments with questions after seeking information about foot health online. A podiatry EHR’s practice management module should enable doctors to offer patient education tools, such as sharing foot care tips and debunking myths about musculoskeletal injuries through downloadable guides or pamphlets.    

Billing Module

A podiatric clinic uses X-rays, MRIs, and other imaging tests to ensure accurate diagnosis, as particular foot and ankle conditions are linked to deformities, lifestyle and walking patterns, and chronic illnesses such as diabetes and obesity. 

The ideal EHR and billing software should address you or your medical coder’s needs, like the ability to quickly search a code by name or root procedure, choosing the correct modifier, and so on. Such features are handy, especially when coding for complex conditions requiring more documentation.  

Due to this wide-ranging scope, your clinic would benefit by implementing a billing module that enables thorough documentation (with easy access to test results), reduces claim denials, maximizes revenue capture, and lessens administrative burdens for you and your staff.     

Boosting Revenue with Expert Support
Christine Woodson, Office Manager, Sedona Foot & Ankle Specialists

“We were uncertain and a little skeptical about bringing the billing in-house because I had never done billing before. Our office was able to bill in-house during this time of implementing IMS, and our revenue is up, and our turnaround time is quicker than ever before. We are happy that we decided to go with 1st Providers Choice and made the transition to utilizing IMS for Podiatry.”

Tap Into Our Expertise 

Imagine being able to quickly pull up codes for any podiatric condition or simply enjoying the ease of not having to customize patient forms manually. An EHR software explicitly designed for your podiatry practice offers these benefits and more, making life easier for your staff and patients. 

With this specialized EHR, your clinic can focus on delivering high-quality care for patients dealing with foot, ankle, or lower leg injuries. The practice management and billing modules, along with other specialty features, handle the heavy lifting—from keeping your documents organized to ensuring your profitability stays on track.

Are you ready to enjoy these top-tier benefits in your clinic? Contact us at (480) 782-1116 to request a demo or callback. Our podiatry software experts would be happy to learn about your unique challenges and discuss how our specialty-specific EHR can help address those issues point by point.

Tackle Your Clinic’s Unique Challenges 

Uncover the Best EHR Software for Podiatry

This article is reviewed by Jason Keele, a healthcare technology expert with extensive experience in electronic health records (EHR), practice management solutions, and digital health innovations. With over 42 years of industry expertise, he specializes in optimizing healthcare workflows and enhancing patient care through technology.


5 Must-Have Tools and Features for Your Podiatry EMR and EHR

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022

Podiatry

Podiatrists with solo practices or that do nursing home visits need the best Podiatry EMR and EHR software to have a smooth workflow and provide their patients with the best care possible. Moreover, neither the staff nor physicians have to go through the stress of trying to use software that doesn’t align with their processes and settings.

We present you with the top 5 must-have tools and features for your Podiatry EMR and EHR software before you use and implement it in your practice.

1. Secure Messaging for Patients via Patient Portal

The National Library of Medicine study found that patient portals improved psychological outcomes, medication adherence, and preventive health care use. To encourage patients to take part in their health care, we must understand patient portals’ role as effective interventions.

Look for an EHR system with secure messaging capabilities for your podiatry practice. This patient portal feature has been shown to improve provider and patient workflow. For instance, if a patient does not appear to attend the clinic in person, he can contact you directly through the portal. It helps reduce no-shows and provides excellent interaction between the patient and provider.

Furthermore, the patient portal allows patients to view charts, vaccination records, treatment plans, diagnoses, appointment history, lab results and can refill their prescriptions, 

The importance of patient engagement in healthcare has grown with the advent of value-based care. With an end-to-end EHR system, you can provide your patients with the convenience they want and enhance the security of patient data.

2. Clinical Charting Tool

Keeping track of a patient’s medical history, visit notes, and treatment plan takes time but is essential. That’s why a reliable charting feature is a must in your podiatry EHR software. For example, in a dynamic photo charting tool, you can take pictures, upload them to the chart and add annotations. Meanwhile, a clinical charting tool in your podiatry EHR software can make your job easier and help you ensure patient records are accurate. After setting up the clinical chart to your standards, you should have no trouble navigating it.

Furthermore, you can create macro buttons to automate your notes further. Using these buttons can speed up charting and improve billing and claim accuracy.

3. Integration

For your practice to be successful, your EMR system must be able to integrate with existing systems. Almost all EHRs connect with labs so that healthcare providers can share information with other clinicians involved in the patient’s care. However, the best EHR system won’t help your podiatry practice if it doesn’t integrate with hospitals and large healthcare systems.

Consider these factors when choosing an EHR system for your podiatry practice:

  • Is it capable of single-system billing?
  • Can you simultaneously use a single log-in to access key performance indicators, outcomes, and patient engagement tools?
  • Is it an API-dependent product?
  • Are your team members required to undergo additional training? Do you have sufficient technical support to make the process easy?

System integration reduces paperwork, lowers costs, and makes it easier for you and your patients to keep results organized.

4. Built-in Templates

It is better to choose an EMR software for podiatry that offers pre-built podiatry templates for completing CPT codes, reviewing systems, facilitating prescriptions, and accommodating specific problems in podiatry. This podiatry EMR software should provide templates for conditions such as:

  • Foot pain
  • Ingrown toenails
  • Foot Deformities
  • Amputation
  • Hammer Toe
  • Ankle fractures
  • Bunions
  • Foot Ulcers
  • Diabetic Foot Care

Podiatrists should utilize templates that automatically populate the correct information enabling faster, more efficient, and more secure paperwork.

5. Continuous Support and Training

Reviews of all software consistently highlight the importance of support and training. An EHR system with detailed FAQs is a trustworthy system.

Ideally, EHR systems should provide excellent responsive customer support and an easy-to-use interface in a low-cost package. Rather than troubleshooting technical issues, spend your time delivering exceptional service to your patients.

In contrast, outstanding EHR systems contribute to the growth and success of healthcare providers through an efficient onboarding process. Consider negotiating a support contract with your EHR vendor that includes free and unlimited training.

As the EHR market evolves, physicians now possess more “buying power” than ever when selecting the perfect EHR. Health care providers use the best EHR systems to improve patient care, including safety, communication, and timeliness. Moreover, they integrate patient data across multiple systems to make better clinical decisions.

Choose the Top EMR/EHR Software 

Over the years, we have assisted podiatrists with EHR/EMR selection, implementation, and software usage. The podiatry business is our expertise, and we can customize EMR/EHR software to meet your office needs. 

For more personalized information, schedule a demo or contact us through the contact form. Let’s work together to find the best software for your podiatry office.

Do you have a favorite EHR add-on service? You are free to comment below!

This article is reviewed by Jason Keele, a healthcare technology expert with extensive experience in electronic health records (EHR), practice management solutions, and digital health innovations. With over 42 years of industry expertise, he specializes in optimizing healthcare workflows and enhancing patient care through technology.