Making your EHR an Asset, not a Liability
Joy Kerr is one of the managers at CheckpointEHR, serving thousands of therapists across the country with their 3-in-1 electronic health record solution.
I recently asked Joy what her most successful clients are doing to get the most out of their EHR.
Her response was simple: Training and ongoing training.
“It’s vital that teams are completely bought in at every level to consistently interact with EHR processes and content.”
No one wakes up in the morning excited for logging clinical notes or submitting claims, but by being proactive in team adoption and continued development, teams can be more effective, efficient, and better off financially.
Practically, she encourages all clinic staff to take advantage of these 5 resources:
Webinars. Most EHRs offer regular, live trainings and Q&As with personalized support.
Customer Success Managers (CSMs). Submit ticket requests or send your account manager a direct email for guidance. If it’s difficult to get in touch with your CSM, that might be a red flag.
EHR Blogs. Stay informed with what’s going on in your field and continue learning from new perspectives.
Help Centers. You’d be shocked at how much there is still to learn just by reviewing help center material and video walkthroughs.
Product Announcements. Technologies change rapidly. Make sure you know how to adapt and get the most out of each new EHR enhancement and feature.
In discussing common stumbling blocks she sees with therapists, Joy shared that a lot of them revolve heavily around Authorizations and Compliance.
In her words, “Delays in authorization and even pre-authorizations can cause a disconnect between the therapist and the client. And from a compliance-perspective, therapists are great when it comes to facilitating their sessions with clients but often struggle with charting and making sure they stay within the guidelines of governing bodies.”
These can often be features that are lacking or under-utilized in clinical EHRs, so it’s essential to either develop a system, or (preferably) take advantage of these facets that already exist within your health record portal.
As Joy concludes: “Especially when it comes to group practices, I can’t over-emphasize the importance of investing in self-development and team development for staff.”
While your EHR needs to be seamlessly easy-to-use and functional, directors and owners still need to make sure the selected EHR price structure makes sense and take lead on internal implementation, training, and team culture around EHR usage.
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I’m truly grateful for our partnership with CheckpointEHR. If you are reevaluating or in the market for an electronic health record, or just want to learn more, I’d highly encourage you to reach out and book a demo with them here.
