Do you know what time it is? It’s turkey time, people! (Apologies to the vegetarians out there). But yes, Thanksgiving is upon us once again. As per tradition, this is the time of year when we consider the things for which we are most thankful (and spend a whole day eating ourselves into food comas and then the brave or mad among us choose to go out the next day for an annual shopping event with its own casualty rate). And this Thanksgiving there are certainly a lot of things to be thankful for—we aren’t locked up in our houses like we were last year, COVID vaccines are widely available, new episodes of Dexter are back on Showtime, and it looks like we will be able to openly travel this holiday season (and on that note, if you do travel, please be kind to airline personnel).
For Nextech’s EHR and Practice Management (PM) users, there is even more to be thankful for these days. In this blog, we will take a look at a handful of the new and beneficial Nextech features and services that your specialty practice can be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Give Thanks for Integrated Telehealth
Widespread use of connected care solutions had long been slow to start until the COVID-19 pandemic kicked off the Age of Telehealth in a big way. In order to keep seeing patients during forced shutdowns and quarantine lockdowns, practices across the country turned to telehealth as a solution. However, many practices first turned to free solutions that were not secure or HIPAA compliant.
By the start of 2021, the huge surge in telehealth use reached its peak and a steady decline began. Many believed that was the beginning of the end for telehealth. New data shows this is not the case, and that telehealth is here to stay (so give thanks). Research shows that, after a short decline, telehealth use climbed back to rise another 2 percent over the summer of 2021. Interestingly, many of these telehealth visits were not on direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms as many suspected. In fact, according to new data the vast majority of telehealth users access virtual care services via their regular healthcare providers or health plans, and not from a DTC service.
This means that telehealth is no longer a perk or luxury, but an expected healthcare option for today’s patients. Therefore, be thankful that your practice has the power of integrated telehealth to help you meet this growing demand.
Patients Will Thank You for Digital Payments
A digital payments solution is more than just something you’ll be thankful for. Your patients will be thankful for it, as well. We’ve discussed the rising demand for digital payments on this blog before. We’ve even posted a whitepaper on how digital payments have become integral to creating a successful patient payment experience.
Additionally, a digital payments solution improves financial efficiency and bookkeeping accuracy. And leaders in the industry agree with this. In fact, a recent survey found that 59 percent of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) believe that digital payments are key to maintaining better balance sheets for any company.
RELATED: Patients Demand a Better Payment Experience
Be Thankful for Data Entitlement
No one likes being forced to keep track of multiple usernames and passwords. That’s why you should be thankful for data entitlement, which makes it possible for EHR/PM users to set up everything in their EHR/PM platform in one place with one password.
Data entitlement allows practices within your enterprise organization to operate independently in one single database through the establishment of financial and clinical “walls” between these practices. Therefore, you can manage all of your practices and assign data entitlements for your users with one login, providing greater security for both your practice and patient information data by ensuring that only those who have entitlement for a specific patient are able to view their clinical and financial information. If a user who doesn’t have entitlement attempts to gain access to the patient’s information, the failed access attempt (as well as the reason for trying to gain access) will be logged in an easily viewable notification, providing an added layer of data protection.
Be Thankful for Integrated ASC
Experience greater efficiency with one system that works for both your practice office and your ambulatory surgery center (ASC). In addition to saving time with the ability to import the patient’s medical history and surgery plan, an ASC-integrated EHR allows users to send physician orders along with history and physical to the ASC directly from the EHR. The ASC can then send the op note to the clinic, providing streamlined communication for the staff at both the practice and ASC locations.
Thank Goodness for Consulting as a Service (CaaS)
Learn the true meaning of thankfulness by gaining the assistance of a highly-experienced consulting team that helps you put time back into your day with a customized consulting approach designed to improve practice performance. With a CaaS team on your side, your practice will be guided in best practices for greater efficiency, higher profitability, and simplified compliance. A strong CaaS partnership will empower you and your staff to get the most out of your EHR/PM software, as well as aid you in sorting out situations such as future mergers and acquisitions by helping design a standard profile that standardizes chart content across your entire organization.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Nextech! Whether you plan to travel, eat turkey like there’s no tomorrow, or go shopping on Black Friday, we hope your holiday weekend is a fun and safe one!
Learn more about how Nextech’s portfolio of useful features and services can help your specialty practice achieve the highest possible level of success.
