“I know I have to convert my patients’ paper files to electronic records but I don’t have the time to assess all of the available software packages. And I can’t shut down my practice to convert to an electronic environment even if I were to find the right package. My patients need access to me 24/7.”
“I had a software package installed several years ago, but now it’s woefully out of date. It’s crippling my staff’s ability to work efficiently.”
“My patients don’t want to fill out pages and pages of medical history information using paper and pen. They want an electronic portal to our office so they can submit their contact and insurance information and authorize us to retrieve their medical records from previous providers, before they come in to see me.“
“The software vendor’s people put my practice online and left. Job over and done. Now who do we turn to for training so everyone in the office can use the program to maximum benefit?”
If these scenarios give you a twinge of angst and familiarity, you might want to call PremEHR (pronounced Premier) Solutions. Based in Coral Springs, PremEHR Solutions delivers seamless end-to-end Electronic Health Record (EHR) or Electronic Medical Record (EMR) implementation and support services.
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“We offer a unique approach to the process of transitioning to an EHR environment,” said Iryna Chapman, PremEHR’s Director of Business Development. “We know EHR implementation inside and out, and we’re vendor neutral. We don’t push one software vendor over another, and we don’t work on software re-seller commissions. We work closely with our clients to determine the best solution for their organization. After all, what is good for a sole family practitioner may not be right for a multi-specialty multi-doctor office. Importantly, we’re business people first; we are not just IT consultants, so we understand how to bring staff ‘onboard’ to drive organizational change.“The requirements of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act are dramatically changing the way doctors and healthcare facilities interact with their patients and payors. Our goal is to make that transition seamless for healthcare providers, their staff, and their patients. Everyone on the PremEHR Solutions team – from implementation managers to IT specialists to trainers – knows the industry and its unique needs.”
The PremEHR Solutions approach starts with the basics. “We first meet with each client to determine their EHR needs,” said Chapman. “We identify what functionality is important to the practice, and assess their clinical and IT environments. Once we understand the requirements of the office then it’s time to begin the EHR software selection process.”
There are many variables to be considered in the EHR software selection process. According to Chapman, there are over 700 EHR/EMR packages available. Choosing the right one is critical. “We assess each candidate system’s functionality, flexibility, customizability, interoperability, and hardware requirements, and determine if the client should buy a client-server license or subscribe through a cloud-based model,” said Chapman. “Overall it’s a three-dimensional evaluation, filtering through functionality, market dominance and reputation and cost. We also determine what government subsidies might be available.”
PremEHR Solutions strives to minimize disruption to their client’s’ operation throughout each implementation project. Through “Tracey,” PremEHR Solution’s cloud-based, real-time, collaborative project management system, the practitioner and office management can keep track of what’s happening at any given time during the implementation process. “Tracey describes each task in detail, who’s working on it, and what the status and schedule are,” said Chapman. “The client can stay heavily involved or just monitor our progress, even from their iPad or smartphone.”
PremEHR Solutions also puts emphasis on staff training. “People don’t like change,” said Chapman. “We know that. And we know that people only retain 20-30 percent of the vendor’s initial training. We then assess the staff’s knowledge gaps and re-train before Go-Live. Our trainers have strong backgrounds in IT as well as behavioral knowledge. We work in a non-threatening and fun way to demonstrate the importance of change and how their new system will deliver benefits to everyone in the practice, not just the patients. With everyone onboard and fully trained, we can begin a phased-in Go-Live.”
PremEHR’s support doesn’t stop when the switch is turned on. “We monitor the implementation and staff performance closely, and make any necessary adjustments, including re-training where necessary,” said Chapman. “We don’t walk away from an implementation and move on to the next sale. We consider ourselves partners with our clients, so we also offer related support services, such as data migration and meaningful use consulting.”
