By Laurie Morgan, Capko & Morgan
Not that long ago, the EHR conversation was mainly about surviving the implementation process – and whether to go through it at all. Government incentives were weighed against acquisition and conversion costs. “How to” articles focused on choosing a system, meeting Meaningful Use, and converting to electronic records without destroying practice productivity.
Even as recently as five years ago, many of our clients were still considering whether to implement an EHR. Some even considered retiring early as an alternative to what they perceived as a tedious and thankless journey from paper to electronic records. When we visited practices that had already implemented an EHR, it was often a source of aggravation to physicians and staff alike.
What was usually missing from the conversation about EHRs was their potential to help the practices themselves. Practices implemented EHRs mainly to earn government incentives – incentives designed to persuade doctors to use the technology for the greater good, not for the good of their own practices.
Lately, though, my partners and I have noticed an encouraging shift in how our clients perceive their EHRs. Now when first we visit a practice site, providers and staff usually have several years’ experience using their EHR. Resistance to using the system was once an expected source of inefficiency in practice workflows, but this is no longer typical. It’s often the case that our client physicians even like their system! They’ve often come to see the value in tools like e-prescribing and messaging tools that save time tracking down staff.
Maximizing the potential
Despite this shift, practices are still often not using their EHR technology to its fullest advantage. Industry media seem to perceive this missed opportunity, too. The conversation is shifting to the strategic potential of EHR technology for physicians and their businesses – and we view this as a very good thing.
Many of the tools that practices don’t regularly use are like second nature to those of us that worked in corporate environments – and especially to sales professionals. Can you imagine managing a client base without having information immediately at your fingertips about recent purchases? Without being able to search and segment your clients by size, location, or other criteria? Without a system to quickly look up what your clients had told you about their changing needs?
These everyday tasks that might take you a moment to complete on your laptop have never been simple or routine for many physicians and their staff. Decades of working with paper charts, plus a disdain for any activities that look like “selling,” have codified siloed work patterns that would be considered odd and inefficient outside of medicine. This key cultural difference may have even prevented physicians from understanding the benefits EHR systems could offer to them – not just to the government and the industry as a whole.
This knowledge gap hits a sweet spot for those of us with corporate experience and represents a big opportunity. When we show our clients how they can get more from their EHR, it’s an eye-opening experience for them – and fun and rewarding for us. Sales reps can add value in a similar way, simply by sharing some of the basics of what you know about using data. For example, your clients may simply not know their EHRs can segment their patients for special programs like PCMH or group visits, and for communicating with patients about services that can help them stay healthy (while also strengthening the practice’s finances). Introduce them to ideas like this, and that’s a win-win-win for your clients, their patients, and your own business.