Physicians Practice - February 2008 - (Page 37)

not going to be super-speedy on Day One.’” Whatever system you choose, you’ll have to get through the novice phase. Enthusiasm for the technology, patience with yourself, and honesty with your patients are key to easing the transition. THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESENTATION Want to expedite patient approval for using an EMR in the exam room? Position the EMR so you can involve the patient during its use. Maintaining a line of sight with your patient is crucial. “I’ve seen a number of practices where they patient can look at each other easily without unnatural body movements. “We designed the rooms so that where we sit we have good line of sight,” says Schnakenberg. Indeed, patient and physician sit knee-to-knee at Community Care. Bierster of MD Logic recommends attaching a ﬂat-screen monitor to an expandable wall bracket so that the physician can pull it over to the patient — a workable solution for a touch-screen. Another option is to purchase mobile carts for your EMR computer, A ROOM WITH A VIEW “You might need different solutions for different exam rooms. It does require some thought. But you absolutely just cannot set it on the counter and turn your back on your patient.” Sarah Corley, chief medical officer, NextGen This unhappiness can spring from many sources. Schilder, whose practice uses IMPAC’s oncology-speciﬁc EMR, describes one encounter that occurred when he was busy entering some critical information into the EMR. “The patient got quiet — really quiet,” he says. “I ﬁnally turned and asked why. She said, ‘I don’t want you to make a mistake.’” If your EMR is new to the practice, take some time to “introduce” your patients to it. Explain its basic purpose. Answer their concerns about privacy. Even if you’ve had your EMR for awhile, don’t assume that all your patients are happy with the way you use it. Seek that critical connection with a patient “almost every moment,” Zaroukian says. “You have to know whether or not you’re connected to the patient, and every time you’re not looking at them, you could miss it.” An EMR can be a fantastic tool for reaching into a patient’s sensibilities if the time is right. Zaroukian calls this an “aha!” moment. For example, if you have a patient who smokes and you show her a screen that explains how her risk of a heart attack decreases dramatically over 10 years if she stops smoking now, this can be a very teachable moment. But you have to be connected to the patient enough to perceive any underlying reasons why the patient just set it up on the counter near the sink,” says Corley. “Look at every exam room. You might need different solutions for different exam rooms. It does require some thought. But you absolutely just cannot set it on the counter and turn your back on your patient.” At Community Care, exam rooms are small — only eight feet by eight feet. The practice reclaimed some critical space by reversing the doors so they swing out. “We have a small table and chair so we can interact with the patients,” says Schnakenberg. “I can ﬂip the screen around and show the patient. I can even bring the laptop to the patient on the exam table.” Whatever your circumstances or EMR choice, make sure you and the WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM although they can be costly. A little creativity can stretch hard-earned dollars. Corley says, “We spent about $35 and had these custom-made little shelves made so we could make eye contact.” CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? READ MORE ABOUT IT! Visit this story on PhysiciansPractice.com to: Connecting with your patients is always important, but when you add an EMR to the mix it becomes even more so. “The nature of having a human being interact with a computer is innately unnatural,” says Lawrence Schilder, oncologist at and director of the Midwest Center for Hematology and Oncology in Joliet, Ill. “Patients are very happy we’re on top of things. But they’re unhappy that we have to sit at a computer terminal.” • Learn what the research says about how your practice style influences the way you mingle patient interactions with your EMR usage. • Avoid others’ EMR mistakes. Type “EMR Disaster Stories” in our Search Articles box. • Learn other sure-fire ways to enhance patient communication by typing “Curing Hearing Impaired MDs” in our Search Articles box. FEBRUARY 2008 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | 37 http://PhysiciansPractice.com http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - February 2008

Physicians Practice - February 2008 Contents The Bigger Picture: Your Future is in Your Hands Letters Physicians Practice Pearls: Creating an A+ Practice Noteworthy Cover Story: Conquering Time: 5 Keys to a More Efficient Practice In Balance: A Family Affair Technology: Making EMRs Work in the Exam Room In Practice: "I've Got Some Bad News" The Tech Doctor - The EMR: Savior or Poseur? Ask the Experts NEW! Healthonomics: How to Handle Health Savings Accounts The Administrator's Desk: Finishing School for New Managers Human Resources: Is Your Partner Impaired The Great Practice Makeover: Too Well-Liked for His Own Good? Coding Idealab: 'Why I Blog' Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physicians Practice - February 2008

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