Difference Between a Document-Management Tool and a True EMR

You know that the way you’re managing your documents today is just not working. But what is the best solution to this problem? Today, you have many software platforms to choose from, and each platform has many embedded decisions within it. Do you own or rent the hardware? Do you buy or lease the software? Do you host your documents in-house or in the cloud? The decision to add a document management tool to your business may seem so complicated that you decide to do nothing, but that leaves you with the same problem — paper that can lead to inaccuracies or far worse and inefficiencies which will continue to erode your profits.

Fortunately, you can not only manage your medical records, but you can also manage your entire practice effectively at the same time. While a good EMR will help you effectively manage your documents, not every document-management solution will help you manage your business. By choosing a true EMR platform, you can gain in many substantial ways. First, you can get a handle on all that paperwork. Second, you can make it easier for your patients to interact with your practice. Just as importantly, you will also benefit from end-to-end workflow management, ensuring you practice reaches its maximum efficiency and you get maximum return on your investment and hard work.

An EMR Improves Your Workflow

Let’s start with the big picture. A true EMR will improve your workflow. By hosting all your past records in electronic form, and creating new records electronically, you will save significant amounts of time retrieving records not to mention the time you will save refiling or trying to find that lost record.

A true EMR, however, goes beyond managing your electronic records. In addition to finding the right record fast, you can also retrieve client educational literature, post-operative care instructions and prescription forms quickly. This just scratches the surface of the true power of an EMR solution.

A PatientNOW EMR, for example, can send patient appointment reminders so you can minimize no-shows and also automatically send reminders for follow-up appointments, so your patients get the aftercare they need. You can also build add-on revenue through automated marketing emails which your EMR will send to your existing patients — suggesting the next procedure they may be ready for — automatically.

What about your inventory? A PatientNOW EMR can also track everything you store in-house, so you never run low on items you use regularly, and so you will never forget to bill for everything you’ve used in your patient care. A PatientNOW EMR can transform every aspect of your workflow so that you never lose patients or billings.

An EMR Benefits Your Patients

An efficient and comprehensive workflow will benefit your patients in numerous ways. The obvious benefit is that they will receive better in-office care from your practice, but your patients will also directly benefit in other ways. For example, a true EMR, unlike a document-management tool, can allow your patients to set-up their own appointments, so your staff doesn’t get tied up on phone calls, and your patients can also download information about you, your practice and their procedures of interest right from your practice portal. Your patients can also communicate directly with you through the EMR patient portal so that they never feel out of touch with your office, and so you can address any issues which come up right away — a win-win for your patients, you and your practice.

A True EMR Increases Your Recurring Revenues and Returning Patients

When you choose a true EMR over a document-management tool, the end result is not only better care for your patients, but efficiencies all across your practice and satisfied patients who will return. When you free your staff from time-consuming administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments or dealing with paper records, they can then focus on your patients. Attentive, focused patient care will have a huge impact on how your patients see your practice and their overall experience, and it will affect their decision whether or not to return.

The same goes for your patient interactions. When you can call up records faster, have accurate information at your fingertips and get your patients what they need right away — whether that’s information or a prescription — they will get better care quickly. Everyone saves time and feels better about the experience, and your patients will leave your office feeling confident in their choice of doctors. This, too, will translate into return business when it comes time for that touch-up or next procedure, and you can rely on your EMR to inform your patients of these next steps automatically.

Don’t just manage your records, manage your practice

A true EMR like the one PatientNOW offers can manage your medical records — but it can also do so much more. Why choose to make just your records-handling more efficient when you can make your whole practice more efficient? A PatientNOW EMR offers tools which can help you improve every aspect of your workflow, and we will train you on all aspects of the EMR so that you can get the maximum benefit from the tools a PatientNOW EMR gives you and achieve the most impact on your practice.

And should you need a special feature, we would be happy to talk to you about custom solutions also. Selecting a document-management tool or EMR can be one of the biggest and most impactful decisions you make for your practice, but the decision to act can make a huge difference in your profitability this year and every year.

To learn more about the advantages of a PatientNOW EMR over other document-management tools and to find out how a PatientNOW EMR can transform your practice and increase your revenue base and your number of returning patients, call us today at 888-644-2987. We want to help your practice thrive.