In the following Q&A, Chad Darling, senior product manager, EMR Business Development, Midmark Corporation, provided Repertoire with insights on EMR solutions and its importance in today’s current environment for healthcare providers.
Repertoire: How can EMR solutions improve workflow?
Chad Darling: A well-integrated EMR solution can save time. Our customers can see this time savings in the EMR-connected Midmark® Digital Vital Signs solution. When using the EMR-connected Midmark Digital Vital Signs Device and the Midmark 626 Barrier-Free® Examination Chair with Digital Scale, customers can bring all vital signs acquisition including weight to the point of care and import patient data directly to the EMR saving the practice more than a minute per patient.
Customers can also see time savings when using a Midmark connected digital diagnostic device through the reduction of clicks. A Midmark® ECG or Spirometer test can be easily launched directly from the EMR, eliminating the time it takes to manage a paper workflow or disparate systems.
Midmark is the leader in integrated solutions and the only company that offers ECG, Spirometer, Holter and vital signs offerings that integrate into the EMR. Midmark has partnered with leading EMRs to solve workflow and interoperability issues, providing an integrated workflow that makes device interoperability easy to adopt.
Repertoire: What about patient safety? Reduced staffing?
Darling: Studies have shown that manual transcription of vital signs data produces a 17% rate of error on average.1 Assuming six vital signs are taken on 20 patients a day, that equates to approximately 20 errors each day – and that’s just relating to vital signs capture. When using the EMR-connected Midmark® Digital Vital Signs solution, patient vital signs data can be imported into the EMR eliminating manual transcription errors.
Repertoire: Why are these benefits important in today’s current environment of COVID, and even for post-COVID health care?
Darling: It’s important in today’s current environment and post-COVID to provide customers with timely and effective support. Midmark provides a robust technical support and training program. Our goal is to fix the customer’s need on the first call every time. Our average technical support wait time for customers is 30 seconds.
The Midmark Clinical Education team, led by registered nurses, is available to help customers understand how to properly use their diagnostic devices and effectively incorporate them into their existing workflow both in-office and remotely.
Repertoire: What are common challenges and pitfalls as it relates to deploying EMR platforms?
Darling: Midmark works with customers and the EMR system to make the experience as seamless as possible. Our technical support team of Microsoft, HDI and CompTIA Healthcare IT certified specialists are available by phone, email or live chat to assist customers with any issues they may have. While our clinical education team is available to ensure the practice understands how to use the devices within their new workflow.
Repertoire: How can reps help providers with EMR challenges? What questions should they ask clients?
Darling:
Q: Do you know that studies have shown manual transcription of vital signs data produces a 17% rate of error on average?1 Assuming you take six vital signs on 20 patients a day, that equates to about 20 errors each day and that’s just relating to vital signs capture. The Midmark® Digital Vital Signs Device helps eliminate errors by importing data directly from the device to the EMR.
Q: Do you know it takes approximately 69 seconds longer per patient if vital signs are acquired manually using multiple devices compared to capturing all vital signs at the point of care using a single EMR-connected, automated device like the Midmark Digital Vital Signs Device?
Q: Do you know that 69 seconds equates to 5% of wasted time per medical assistant or $1,440 per year?2 For only five medical assistants, automated vital signs capture can save as much as $7,200 a year. Using the EMR-connected Midmark Digital Vital Signs Device with a Midmark Barrier-Free® exam chair with digital scale allows the customer to bring all vital signs capture to the point of care, including weight, and reduces wasted time and the associated expenses.
1: Source: Fieler, V. K., Jaglowski, T., & Richards, K. (2013). Eliminating errors in vital signs documentation. Comput Inform Nurs, 31(9), 422-427; quiz 428-429. doi:10.1097/01.NCN.0000432125.61526.27 PMID:24080751
2: Based on $15/hr, 8 hr/day and 48 weeks/yr