Between 2015 and 2021, the dermatology industry experienced a period of consolidation. Thanks to rising overhead costs and an influx of private equity investments, the number of solo dermatology practices decreased while the number of larger practices increased. At the same time, demand for dermatological care grew. Now, practices must find new ways to keep up with the record demand and fast-growing teams, and the right EHR is one of those ways.
With a dermatology EHR, practices experience greater ease of use, more dermatology-specific features, and less time on administrative work. Along with a smoother workflow, a dermatology-specific EHR ensures you meet the regulatory requirements to stay in business and the security level needed to keep patient records safe.
Still unsure if your practice should make the switch? Here are five warning signs your outdated EHR is getting in the way of your dermatology practice’s growth.
Lack of Practice Insights
A lack of insights is a clear warning sign that your EHR isn’t up to the job. If your EHR makes you do more work, such as heavy manual oversight and fixing data redundancies, instead of doing some of the data collection and analyzing for you, it’s not the EHR which will help your practice grow.
In contrast, a dermatology-specific EHR collects data faster and provides insights and trends on your practice, such as which marketing campaigns are working. These insights free up your team’s time so they can focus on big picture concerns, like growing the business and providing excellent patient care. 
Separate EHR and Practice Management Systems
If you’re like the majority of dermatology practices, you are probably operating with a separate EHR and practice management system. Disparate systems require your team to manually enter data twice (doubling time spent and the likelihood of data entry errors). It also means you’re operating on two systems with two different ways of working and two different customer service contacts.
Like peanut butter and jelly, your EHR and PM system are better off together. When selecting a dermatology-specific EHR, make sure it integrates with a PM so data flows smoothly between the two. In fact, an integrated system with the right features can make your practice faster than ever.
Inefficient, Complex Technologies
If your team is wasting hours manually typing in information in your EHR, it might be time for an upgrade. A general EHR requires you to enter data multiple times and to brainstorm workarounds since it's designed for all medical practices. This extra administrative burden makes it difficult to scale — or even learn how to best use your EHR.
With an upgraded dermatology-specific EHR, everything changes. Because it’s simple to use and designed for your speciality, your practice can save valuable time on each patient after upgrading.
Frustrated Patients
A waiting room full of impatient, frustrated patients is not the ideal scenario for any healthcare provider. The wrong EHR can lengthen the administrative time spent per client, resulting in fewer patients seen per day and longer wait times for all. Without an integrated PM system, your patients can spend more time trying to pay bills and your team has less access to actionable data and insights on how to improve the quality of care and attract more patients to your practice.
A dermatology-specific EHR that integrates with your PM can create a more seamless experience, resulting in shorter wait times and easy payment options. With an upgraded EHR, your practice can also gather valuable information to support marketing efforts and increase revenue and boost your bottom line.
Regulatory and Security Problems
When you think about investing in new technologies, you’ll likely consider the impacts on the patient experience and team productivity. However, there’s another benefit to an upgraded EHR: regulatory and security protections.
With a cloud-based system, your patients' data is safeguarded against cyber threats and a dermatology-specific EHR is also designed with your specialty’s unique regulatory requirements in mind. Upgrading your EHR can provide you with peace of mind, knowing your regulatory and security responsibilities are in good hands and giving you more time to focus on your patients.
What to Do When These Warning Signs Pop Up
If you are experiencing one or more of these warning signs, it might be time to switch systems. By upgrading to a dermatology-specific EHR, your practice can experience:
- Enhanced and streamlined workflows, not forced workarounds
- An expedited charting process
- Unmatched support from a high-touch, responsive support staff
- A robust system to acquire, retain, and engage patients
Ready to upgrade? Nextech’s EHR and PM are designed for dermatology EHR from Nextech. Our speciality-specific solutions can help your practice simplify the delivery of excellent patient care.
No More '90s
Finally escape the past and embrace today's technology. Nextech's single solution for dermatology EHR and practice management technology can bring you to the forefront of innovation in the industry. Get a demo today!
