Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008 - (Page 52)

IT ENHANCEMENT Even with regular upgrades, older practice management systems simply cannot keep pace with today’s data handling needs. Yet a surprising number of practices are still working with ancient systems. OLDER ISN’T BETTER TALKIN‘ ’BOUT MY GENERATION software can draw upon millions of color choices to simplify practice management processes. For example, one color can be assigned to a specific physician or procedure. Then when your front-desk person schedules a patient appointment — often a hectic and distracted affair, especially over the phone with a worried parent — the colors communicate meaningful information that can lead to fast problem-solving: Hmm, what’s that pink doing there? We don’t do well-child visits on Friday afternoons. Beyond aesthetics, an upgraded user interface offers functionality far beyond even the most well-implemented old-school systems, and your younger support staff are likely to be familiar with them, which greatly eases training. “We can teach them the philosophy of their jobs as opposed to the navigation of the system,” says Darlene Jenkins, practice administrator for Obstetric & Gynecologic Afﬁliates of Katy, a township near Houston, Texas. “They immediately know ‘drop-down.’ Now I can talk about the art of scheduling and not ‘backslash-R-C-L.’” Jenkins is spelling out a typically cryptic Unix-style command her ofﬁce’s previous practice management system — Medical Manager — used. Absorbing this “language” took some time, but once users had mastered it, they became über-efﬁcient in system navigation. But, Jenkins notes, this hard-won expertise can actually work against an otherwise smooth practice management transition because old habits are difﬁcult to break. Ever dream about what you’d do with an extra $42,000? Travel? Relax? Drive? Automated eligibility, claims and payment solutions from Emdeon can help simplify your business and save you money! Free setup and no annual maintenance fee! Start saving* and realize your dream! Call us at 866.369.8805 or visit us online at www.emdeon.com/simplify to start saving today! Call and mention promotion code TechGuide and to get FREE setup. And, as always, there’s no annual maintenance fee for our Emdeon Office solution! Simplifying the Business of Healthcare *Source of cost and savings data: Milliman. Electronic Transaction Savings Opportunities For Physician Practices, 2006. To read the full Milliman study visit www.emdeon.com/simplify. 52 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | TECHNOLOGY GUIDE WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM http://www.emdeon.com/simplify http://www.emdeon.com/simplify http://www.emdeon.com/simplify http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

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

Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008 TG Cover Story: Protect Your Practice and Sleep Better Operations: Paperless? Not Quite The Internet: You've Got Mail...Or Do You? Patient Relations: Attention Grabbers The Tech Doctor: All About Blogs Lessons Learned: 'My EMR Nightmare...And Why I'd Do It Again' Scheduling: No More No-Shows The Marketplace: Who's Got Your Back IT Enhancement: Time, at Last, for an Upgrade? Online: 'Yup, I'm a Junkie. And Proud of It.' In the Office: New Technologies in the Workplace: Blessing or Curse? Web Surfing: If You Build It...

Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008

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