Starting day one with the practice in 2008, Dr. Kevin Crawford, founder of Advanced Dermatology, began implementing NextGen® Ambulatory EHR and NextGen® Practice Management. “I looked into several different options, but after seeing NextGen’s solutions it seemed to fit the best with what I had envisioned for the office,” explained Dr. Crawford. After viewing several EHR demonstrations choosing NextGen Healthcare was the most logical choice. “NextGen’s EHR just seems to flow better and the product design makes the most sense,” he said. Dr. Crawford’s experience in the Air Force and his residency at Emory University allowed him to compare the ease of using an efficient EHR vs. paper charts. “Judging from my experience in the Air Force and during my residency, an EHR is much more efficient,” Dr. Crawford described. “EHRs are easier to navigate rather than leafing through a chart, and it allows me to be more mobile, which is convenient since I have a satellite office.”
Dermatology templates help fulfill a vision, increase efficiency
Envisioning a thriving practice that ran smoothly and efficiently was Dr. Crawford’s goal for his practice from the beginning. NextGen Healthcare’s dermatology-specific templates helped him achieve exactly that by providing a framework for an effective workflow. “The templates are efficient and fast when you have everything you need on the screen,” Dr. Crawford said. “I like how the clinical and surgical templates flow—it covers everything that a physician needs.” Specifically, Dr. Crawford describes the Quick Exam template. “It allows you to examine and document multiple lesions within a short period of time, which allows for an efficient office encounter,” he said. Not only is Dr. Crawford a fan of Quick Exam, but as a dermatologic surgeon he values NextGen Healthcare’s surgical solutions. “The surgical dermatology templates are specific to the needs of dermatologic surgeons. The templates offer simple and efficient documentation for the vast majority of Moh’s surgical procedures—including flaps, grafts, excisions, and other surgical cases, and that is what I like the most,” he said.
Integrated EHR and Practice Management for better billing
An often confusing and cumbersome undertaking, medical billing and coding can be costly — especially if your practice is not current with government regulations. “We use an off-site third party billing company that has direct remote access to our medical system,” said Dr. Crawford. “Without an EHR that wouldn’t be possible,” he stated.
Fast, easy MU attestation
By making the patient encounter more efficient, the practice met MU guidelines and received its government incentive within six to eight months. MU attestation “Wasn’t terribly difficult by any means,” said Dr. Crawford. Since NextGen Ambulatory EHR and NextGen Practice Management are progressive and fully compliant solutions, the practice is confident it will be prepared for any new government regulations down the road.
Increased patient volume—case load counts
Increasing the number of patients from 20 patients daily to approximately 60 daily was one of Dr. Crawford’s goals. Since reimbursement is decreasing, practices must treat a certain number of patients in order to maintain costs and provide proper care. “You have to see at least 30 to 50 patients daily and provide treatment accurately and efficiently — I think that NextGen allows you to do that,” described Dr. Crawford.
“I’ve had NextGen since the first day I opened my practice,” said Dr. Crawford. “NextGen has allowed me to efficiently see patients as I have steadily increased my case load. I don’t believe I could be any more efficient in a paper system in a paper system, “ he added. Although there is an uncertain healthcare environment, and fiscal pressures are mounting, NextGen Healthcare has been there for Advanced Dermatology as it has met and exceeded its goals.
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