Your orthopedic surgery training is very focused and specialized, so why spend your day working around software that doesn’t fully align with your needs? More efficient surgery scheduling, access to imaging, and processing of workers’ comp claims are among the many distinct needs that can be met with effective specialty-specific software.
Power Your Practice continues to focus on select specialties with a series of articles that highlight the current state of each specialty and the functionality they should demand from health IT software. In this updated installment of our specialty snapshot series, we take a look at the field of orthopedic surgery.
The State of Orthopedic Surgery
While orthopedic surgeons spend most of their time diagnosing, treating and preventing musculoskeletal injuries and diseases, an increasing amount of time also goes to paperwork. If you’re like most orthopedic surgeons, you split your time between a private practice setting, ambulatory care center and a hospital operating room. Because of the financial pressures of private practice, though, a growing number are turning to hospitals for full-time employment.
Even with increased financial burdens, orthopedic surgeons remain the highest-paid doctors in the United States, earning an average of $413,000 a year, according to a 2014 Medscape report. However, declining reimbursements and rising costs persist as primary concerns when it comes to future financial viability.
What Software Functionality Do Orthopedic Surgeons Need?
Seeing how most orthopedic surgeons divide time between clinical settings, many consider cloud-based EHR solutions. In contrast to client-server software, cloud-based EHRs can be accessed anywhere with an Internet connection, giving orthopedic surgeons the option of securely taking patient information offsite.
Cloud-based EHRs offer a full range of time-saving options that include customizable templates. These templates speed assessment and planning of orthopedic surgeons patients through all stages of the treatment cycle from initial evaluation through rehabilitation.
In addition to enhanced efficiency, orthopedic surgeons need practice management software that will battle the declining reimbursements and rising costs that threaten their revenue.
The right orthopedic practice management solution can help orthopedic surgeons who see more patients or add ancillary services to offset any financial hindrances. Real-time patient flow charts, for example, can pinpoint where bottlenecks occur, allowing orthopedic surgeons to distribute resources most effectively.
Practice management software also must get orthopedic surgeons’ revenue cycle in peak working condition through code scrubbing, rules checking and patient eligibility review capabilities. By reducing errors, orthopedic practice management software lessens the financial blow inflicted by denied claims and can help to boost revenue after ICD-10 implementation.
Although orthopedic surgeons continue to be the highest-paid specialists, taking action will be necessary to remain at the top. Effective, specialty-specific EHR and practice management systems can help orthopedic surgeons increase productivity and maintain profitability, even with the greater anatomic specificity required by ICD-10 codes.
The material and information contained on this website is for general information purposes only. You should not solely rely upon the material or information on the website as a basis for making any business, legal, medical, or any other decisions. While we endeavor to keep all information up-to-date and correct, all information in this site is provided "as is," and CareCloud Corporation and MTBC Inc. make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the information contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such material is therefore strictly at your own risk.
Do you know what you need when setting up a new medical practice?