Tere Salazar-Krauss was facing a big challenge. After 14 years on Allscripts Misys, her 5-surgeon, Miami-based practice needed a new integrated EHR/PM system. She was given one year to search for the right system.
“The outside world was pushing us toward an EHR,” Tere said. “We looked at Misys but found it to be too expensive and too complicated.”
Over the course of the next 8 months, she reviewed 7 different systems. “All the major names,” Tere said, including NextGen, Intergy, Sage, and others.
After receiving sales pitches and presentations from each of these companies, none was a good fit for what the practice needed. Tere found the systems were too cumbersome and required too many screens to get where she and EHR team needed to go in the system.
Eight months into the process, Tere said, a consultant mentioned the CareCloud EHR.
When they looked at the system, “the MDs were wowed,” she said. “It was very different, user-friendly with an appearance like an iPad or iPhone. All the other systems involved a lot of screens, but CareCloud was much easier to use. We loved the look.”
To make the final decision, Tere conducted a complete analysis of the system, including the financial aspects. “At that point, a local hospital was offering to subsidize one of the systems for two years,” Tere said. “We took all the proposals and did a 5-year projection of the costs.”
“CareCloud was more inexpensive than any of the others, even with the subsidy,” Tere concluded. “Plus, other companies were asking for long-term commitments; one asked for a 10-year commitment!”
In the end, Tere chose CareCloud for both the financial benefit and the look/ease of use.
Next, Tere planned out the integration of the new system. Many in the industry warn of reduced productivity and revenue while implementing a new EHR, but in the end, Tere’s practice didn’t experience any significant decline.
“We saw no dip in cash flow,” Tere says. “In fact, after the first 6 months, we had increases of 11% in billings and 6% in cash flow.” And, the practice has already received its first Meaningful Use incentive payment.
How did Tere and EHR practice accomplish this? She recommends several key steps, including implementing the system in phases.
You can learn more about how Tere and her team got more from their EHR/PM by checking out our most recent webinar when Tere will discuss her experience in detail and take questions from you. You’ll hear about:
- The biggest challenges to improving profitability and how to overcome them
- How to increase productivity with your EHR
- What the practice would have done differently—and how you can benefit from their experience
- Answers to your key questions about using your EHR and PM to improve profitability and productivity
Plus, you’ll have plenty of time to ask all of your toughest questions and hear about real-life solutions firsthand.
Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity!
Kathy McCoy, MBA, has written on practice management and revenue cycle management for more than 5 years for leading medical software, medical marketing, and medical billing companies. She has more than 17 years of experience in continuing medical education, developing programs with respected educational institutions including Columbia University, Johns Hopkins, and Cleveland Clinic.
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