Power Your Practice continues to focus on the state of certain medical specialties and on the best software functionality for practice management and EHR systems.
Each medical specialty needs different software capabilities to meet distinct clinical, financial, and operational challenges — and neurology is no exception.
The State of the Specialty
Neurologists treat patients in both a primary care capacity and as consultants. They typically diagnose and manage patients with complex conditions and advise other doctors on disorders affecting the brain and central nervous system.
Neurology patients often need more evaluation time than patients seeing other physicians (clinical visits average 25 minutes). In addition, neurologists see a mix of scheduled and urgent patients, so electronic health records and practice management software must be flexible enough to easily transition between the two.
Neurologists primarily work in private practice settings but also spend time consulting in hospitals. About 25% of neurologists spend between one to four hours a week in hospitals.
Even though neurology earns a great deal of respect as a specialty, many neurologists feel unsatisfied with their career choice. In fact, at least 41% of neurologists report physician burnout, citing an abundance of bureaucratic tasks, too many hours spent at work, and substandard compensation.
What Type of Functionality Do Neurologists Need?
Neurologists’ unique software needs stem from the complexities of patient care and practice management.
For example, billing for neurology procedures can be challenging. With ICD-10 codes right around the corner, expect accounts receivable processes to become more intricate. Make sure your practice management system can handle the greater specificity and other requirements of the new ICD-10 coding system. This strategy will help you streamline the transition and lower disruptions in collections.
When it comes to clinical encounters, neurologists should seek EHRs with well-designed templates, efficient documentation, and letter writing capabilities. Templates designed to include CT scans, CAT scans, MRIs, lumbar puncture tests, electromyograms, and polysomnography exams can speed workflow.
If neurologists keep these features in mind when shopping for neurology software, they should be able to find a system to improve their daily workflow and advance their level of patient care.
Xavier E. Martinez contributed to this post.
