Practice Management and EHR Software. Shopping Kit

Transcription

1 Practice Management and EHR Software Shopping Kit

2 How to Use this Shopping Kit Evaluating the various practice management and EHR software options can be a lot of work. It s not a decision that any practice should take lightly because it s going to have such a big impact on the way you do business. But, the process can be a little less daunting if you have some help! We filled this shopping kit with a number of templates that you can use to help get you through the evaluation process as easily as possible. We hope this will be useful as you compare solutions! The Software Shopping Kit includes the following: Practice Profile Template Functional Needs Template Requirements Description Template Which Technology is Best for You? Flow Chart Total Cost of Ownership Worksheet Software Comparison Charts 2

3 Practice Profile Template The first step in preparing your practice to start evaluating practice management and EHR solutions is to develop a clear and concise practice profile. You ll want to think about your current practice situation in terms of your staff, your hardware and IT infrastructure, and your practice workflow. You should be able to write this profile in a few paragraphs. 3

4 Practice Profile Template Sample We asked Dr. Palmer of All About Eyes in Georgetown, TX to put together a practice profile. She came up with a great example that we had to share. Check it out! Lori Palmer, OD All About Eyes - Georgetown, TX I run a single location practice where I am the sole practitioner. I have a staff of 3 employees that manage the front desk duties, and I do not have a practice management and EHR solution. My staff isn t technical, and unfortunately, I do not have the IT expertise nor the bandwidth to add an additional resource for IT needs. Because of this, I am looking for a solution that is going to be easy to use and that doesn t require me to maintain a server setup in my practice. I need something that I can implement quickly without a huge investment in hardware. I like to work from home sometimes, so it would be a big benefit if I could access the system anywhere. 4

5 Functional Needs Template Once you ve created your practice profile, it s time to think about functionality. What do you want your system to be able to do? What processes do you currently have in place that the system can help improve? List the functional needs that you expect from a system, along with additional functional wants that you would like to gain from a new solution

6 Requirements Description Template Much like writing a job description for a new employee, creating a requirements description can help you clearly define your needs and expectations. We made it easy for you with these mad libs! is looking for a practice Practice Name Cloud-Based/Client-Server/Cloud-Hosted management and EHR solution that will help our practice and. We are a doc, location Secondary Goal Number Number practice with staff members. We use for claim Number Claim Filing Solution filing and for product ordering. We currently Ordering Solution Do/Do Not have a practice management and EHR solution. We utilize and want to Third-Party Solutions for Patient Recall, Inventory, Coding, Patient Education. continue to utilize these or similar solutions with our software. The solution needs to be,,, and List Key Attributes You Want from a Solution. Can your solution? Will it be compatible with people that technologically savvy? Is it Are/Are Not if our practice grows? How You Want it to Scale Need You Want Fulfilled Primary Goal 6

7 Requirements Description Template Our ideal solution will: (List the attributes you re looking for in a solution, think about how it will interact with the practice) Required functionalities include: (List the functionalities you want the system to be capable of handling) 7

8 Requirements Description Here s Dr. Palmer s Requirements Description. Notice how she takes both functionality and the overall fit in her practice into consideration. Template Sample All About Eyes is looking for a practice management and EHR solution that will help our practice function more efficiently and provide better patient care. We are a single-doc, single-location practice with 3 additional staff members. We use a clearinghouse for claim filing and an online solution for product ordering. We don t currently have a practice management and EHR solution. The solution needs to be easy to install and implement in the practice, adaptable to our workflow, easy to use, and able to work with our existing equipment and hardware. Can your solution reduce or improve our workload? Will it be compatible with people that aren t technologically savvy? Is it affordable and scalable if our practice grows?? That s the solution we need! 8

9 Requirements Description Template Sample Required functionalities include: Claim filing Scheduling Patient Recall Product Ordering Patient Education Electronic Health Records Our ideal solution will: Support our workflow without overhauling the way we interact with patients Be easy for someone that isn t computer savvy to use Make it easier for our OD to complete an exam Be easy to operate but capable of handling complex tasks Be certified for 2014 standards for meaningful use so that we can attest Be accessible without having to maintain a server Work well with the computers and tablets that we already have Be packed with features, such as a scheduler, that will make our work easier Help us avoid coding errors and maximize insurance reimbursements Improve patient care and facilitate patient education Be affordable and not require a major upfront investment 9

10 Which Technology is Best for You? Do you have an IT department? No Are you okay with spending thousands of dollars on servers? Do you know how to maintain a network of servers? No Are you feeling dizzy or otherwise ill? No, but I have a brother-inlaw that does! Ok, well No Would you trust them in your office when you aren t there? Do you know that you don t have to? You re too sick to make any decisions today! No Okay, next question, I m really ok with it! No Do you already have perfectly good computers in your office? If your system has an upgrade, do you want it? No No How do you want the upgrade to happen? In a controlled manner, with a complete update managed in my practice. Periodically, when there is a big overhaul that my vendor manages for me. Would you like to buy a bunch anyway? I want updates all the time without any disruption. No Who should decide which computers you use? My vendor If you are cool with vendors picking your computers, what about them managing your servers? No Myself Client Server Cloud-Based Cloud-Hosted 10

11 Which Technology is Best for You? So you completed the flowchart and it says that either the client-server, cloud-hosted or cloud-based solution is best for your practice. Read on to find out what these terms mean. Client-Server Cloud-Hosted What it is: Client-server refers to the situation where your practice owns servers that are housed locally in your practice. The software and all of your data is stored on the local server. What you might like: Full ownership of software and hardware Everything is on-premise and easily accessible What you need to prepare for: Cost of hardware Knowledge on installations and maintenance Manual data backup and security measures Expertise to make updates or install upgrades Commitment to one device What it is: Cloud-hosted refers to the situation where your software vendor hosts your software and data remotely on a server that is off-site. You will access the same application that you would use if you had a local server; it s just not stored in your practice. What you might like: Low upfront cost and no hardware to purchase Easier implementation No maintenance What you need to prepare for: Manual installation of software Investment on reliable internet connection Commitment to one device Time consuming upgrades Inflexibility for multiple users 11

12 Which Technology is Best for You? Cloud-Based What it is: The cloud is simply the Internet. Cloud-based solutions are those that are accessed and programmed through the Internet without having to store data or software locally. What you might like: Low upfront cost Predictable, subscription-based pricing No servers to install or maintain Freedom to choose the device and hardware used Accessibility through any location and device Automatic data back-up and upgrades Flexibility and scalability for multiple users What you need to prepare for: Ensuring a reliable internet connection Keeping a 3G or 4G device as backup Policies on data management and availability 12

13 Total Cost of Ownership Print a copy of this for each of the vendors you want to evaluate, then compare the 5 year totals for each. 13

14 Ease of Use Easy to Use Features Vendor 1 Vendor 2 Vendor 3 Number of Clicks Accessible from Different Devices (e.g.: Tablets, etc.) Interface Designed for Different Devices Patient Patient Portal Patient Education Patient Notification (e.g.: Scheduling, Reminders) Secure Messaging Claim Filing Eligibility Checks ERA Software Comparison Here are some important features to look out for when shopping for your solution. Fill up the table with checkmarks when shopping around for a solution, and feel free to add other features that you think are essential. Secondary Insurance Submission Claim Tracking 14

15 Software Comparison Features Vendor 1 Vendor 2 Vendor 3 Third Party Tools (List desired integrations, e.g.: Frames Data, Reimbursement Plus, etc.) (1) (2) (3) Optical Ordering Preloaded Catalogs Inventory Management Order Tracking Practice Management Scheduler Internal Messaging System EHR Reporting Easy Documentation Graphical Annotation Instrument Integration 15

16 Software Comparison Features Vendor 1 Vendor 2 Vendor 3 Other Features (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Notes: 16

17 Know what you want in your practice management and EHR software? See if Uprise fits your needs! Uprise was built specifically for independent optometrists, based on three simple principles. The system must have a beautiful design, a smart workflow, and enable practices to go-live fast. The result is a cloudbased practice management and EHR system like nothing you ve seen before.

18 Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Uprise is a product of VisionWeb, the leading provider of software and technology solutions to the optical industry. As a technology pioneer in the eyecare industry, VisionWeb aims to drive practice efficiency through the delivery of dynamic solutions, all available via the Internet. Services include direct-to-supplier online ordering, online multi payer insurance transaction processing, and Uprise, a completely cloud-based practice management and EHR solution. With over 17,000 connected ECPs, over 400 suppliers, and thousands of insurance payers, VisionWeb services are to the benefit of opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, optical manufacturers, laboratories, distributors, and payers alike. StartYourUprise.com