Technology That Will Change the World: EHRnotify
EHRnotify
Jeff Wilson, E-Scribe, LLC
We've all been there — driving down the road when you suddenly remember the doctor appointment you missed last week. Or, if you work in a healthcare office, you might have had the task of calling to remind patients of tomorrow's appointment if and when time permits during the day. With these scenarios, it's no surprise patient compliance is one of the most significant obstacles a medical office faces. Time is money and appointment no-shows cost both the healthcare provider and the patient. But Jeff Wilson, President of E-Scribe, has a mutually beneficial solution — a tool that eliminates the burden from office personnel while simultaneously issuing a friendly, convenient patient reminder. Working in pharmaceutical sales for more than 10 years, Wilson heard many clients discuss the need for electronic health records (EHR) to streamline practice operations. In 2009, Wilson, along with partners Mike Smith and Jim Grayson, joined forces as Greenway Medical Technologies' only value-added reseller in the Carolinas. This enabled them to offer EHRnotify, an automated appointment reminder solution, from EHRsolutions, another Greenway reseller. But EHRnotify goes beyond traditional EHR systems that simply store data, by initiating a dialogue between the patient and the health record itself. By enabling flags within the system, the EHRnotify automatically notifies patients of appointment information, no-show notification and balance reminders via patient-choice methods of text, e-mail and/or voice. Most importantly, each notification is documented within the patient chart as a quick reference point for future inquiries. "It's difficult for doctors' offices to keep up with scheduled appointment reminders and alerts for when annual procedures are due for each patient. Our system automates the process so nothing falls through the cracks," says Wilson. "The EHRnotify increases the efficiency of office operations, increases patient accountability and, in the long run, can significantly impact patient health." Looking forward, Wilson hopes to see EHRnotify use expanded to communicate procedural and lab results directly to the patient while enabling doctors to monitor patient progress on treatment regimens in order to offer best care possible.
For more information, go online to www.ehrtools.com.