Electronic Health Records For Dummies

Practice management and billing systems

Your clinical and operational workflows are tightly integrated and dependent upon each other, so it’s no surprise that your information technology (IT) infrastructure needs to be tightly integrated as well. Tight integration of your EHR with practice management (PM) and billing systems is essential. For all the useful and functional things you can do with an EHR to replace paper files, you have just as many benefits that serve your greater PM and billing needs.

PM has a lot more to do with people management than just managing how you use and share files; it can involve improving communication among staffers, creating stronger methods of communication with outside entities or patients, and setting up your office for financial success through accurate billing and coding. Setting up PM and billing systems allows you to

Computerize current processes.

Improve interoffice communication.

Increase efficiency by helping you electronically assign tasks to various staffers.

Chart staff output and productivity.

Set up more efficient scheduling functions (such as setting up multiple appointments, coordinating appointments with specialists, viewing appointments for various providers simultaneously, and so on).

Improve patient wait times.

Store and access notes on patients about everything from special needs and issues to recurring problems with scheduling or insurance.

Automate processes related to confirming or updating insurance coverage.

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