Client Background
The client is a renowned healthcare provider based in Alaska, managing various traditional practices and delivering chronic care to patients in the primary care specialty. The client has gained popularity in the nearby region because of their medical expertise, commitment to care, and passion.
Business challenges
The client was using EHR software to manage patient medical records and deliver care. While managing patients, the client identified some challenges that made it difficult to provide value-based care to patients and hampered the efficiency of practice. Therefore, the client experienced a lack of revenue opportunities from the care coordination services.
Some of the challenges faced by the client are:
1. Lack of healthcare professionals
While managing more patients, the client identified that the smaller number of care providers within the practice caused delays in providing quality care to patients. Also, the client was unable to deliver care services to a huge patient population that is eligible for chronic care management programs and willing to participate in the program.
2. Time consumption in manual activities like patient creation and enrollment
The client's EHR software lacked the functionality to create multiple patients in the software at a single time and obtain consent to enroll them into CCM. Hence. It took more time for practice staff to manually create each patient and obtain consent.
This consumption of time hampered the efficiency of practice staff, thereby hampering patient consultation time and quality of care.
3. Difficulties in providing personalized care
The practice had fewer care providers, and software limitations made it difficult to monitor each patient’s health and deliver preventive care. Unawareness about patient health and delays in interventions by the care providers caused patient hospital readmissions and emergency visits.
Solution
The client has experienced the business challenges and their impacts. To improve care delivery by maximizing efficiency with a few healthcare professionals, the client has approached Medarch Inc. for eCareMD chronic care management software.
To resolve the business challenges and understand the client’s requirements, our team of business analysts and subject matter experts has taken multiple calls and demonstrations with the client. Upon receiving approval from the client, we implemented the eCareMD software into the client’s practice.
After implementing the software, the client experienced an increase in practice efficiency, reimbursement amount, and improved quality of healthcare delivery.
Solution Highlights
The eCareMD software consists of various advanced technological features that streamline the workflow and efficiency of the practice.
Some of the key features that addressed the client’s business challenges are:
1. Telecommunication capabilities
The eCareMD software consists of telecommunication capabilities that enable care providers to consult patients remotely, assign them to care plans, and resolve health complications that arise. This eliminates the need for patients to visit the practice and receive treatment.
Hence, using telecommunication capabilities, the care providers were able to attend to the maximum number of patients, which resulted in time savings and increased practice efficiency.
2. Bulk patient registration and invitation
The consumption of time in manual activities for creation and sending invitations to multiple patients has been significantly resolved by the eCareMD software’s bulk patient creation and send invitations feature.
The software allows care providers to import all the patients available in the CSV/CCDA file exported from the EHR software and send them consent forms for enrollment in the CCM program within a second with just a click.
3. Alerts and Notifications
eCareMD enabled care providers to configure reminders for medication instructions to patients and also if the patient's health vitals go beyond threshold levels. For such situations, alerts have been generated, and the respective care providers have been notified. Based on the notifications received, the care providers make necessary interventions and resolve the patient's health complications.
It resulted in a reduction in patient hospital readmissions and improved preventive healthcare delivery.
Value Delivered
1. Accessibility to serve more patients
Using the telecommunication capabilities and various features of eCareMD software, the client was able to manage more patients with fewer staff.
2. Increased practice revenue
With the help of eCareMD software, the client was able to manage more patients. This increased patient count resulted in increased revenue for the practice from the payer.
3. Improved patient health outcomes
Features like bulk patient creation and sending invitations helped care providers spend maximum time on patient consultation. It resulted in improved patient health outcomes.
4. Reduction in patient hospital readmissions and emergency visits
Features like alerts and notifications and configurable reminders for medications enabled care providers to make necessary interventions if patient health vitals go beyond the threshold levels.It resulted in a reduction in patient health complications and hospital readmissions.