By Pascal Helou
Determine the number of charts pulled and re-filed in a week. A typical week for most doctors is 375 charts per doctor. If it takes on average 8 minutes to file and re-file a chart, then your staff is spending 50 hours per week to pull and re-file charts. If you are paying your staff $15 per hour, this translates into a yearly cost of $39,000 per physician. The costs of $117,000 add up quickly for a 3 physician office. You can reduce those costs by $81,900 per year by implementing an EMR. An EMR solution also scales much easier and costs are further reduced as physicians are added.
A basic EMR solution that simply allows the staff to scan your current patient encounters has been very popular among my clients in the NYC area because the system is a fraction of the cost of a full blown EMR solution, is implemented in a few days, requires little training and you use your current forms and documents. The system simply stores all documents electronically. To pull a file simply requires that you type the patient name into the system. The second selling feature in the NYC area is that it saves on all that storage space required to keep all those paper records. That space can be used for another exam room or office. The third selling feature is providing disaster recovery. Since the records are electronic, they can easily be backed up offsite. The forth selling feature is the ability to have access to these records in more than one location. No more having to carry patient records in your car which can be a HIPAA violation.
Additional Savings
More savings can be realized in the investment of a more complex EMR solution.
o Paper storage costs add huge savings. A typical space used to store the paper records is on average 500ft2. The average costs for space in NYC of $65 ft2 leads to savings of $32,500 per year.
o Transcription costs can either be eliminated or drastically reduced in a well designed template system. This can translate into $36,000 in savings per year per physician. Systems that require you continue hand-writing in the charts will increase costs do to the added steps of the process.
o Malpractice premium costs may go down as the improved documentation leads to better patient care. New government initiatives, grants and tax incentives are also planed to encourage the deployment of EMR solutions.
o Storing records electronically also eliminates the need to print expensive microfilm.
o Increased productivity has also allowed the addition of providers without additional staff.
Conclusion
Implementing a basic EMR solution is the cheapest and easiest to get up and running with the lowest risks. Complex EMR solutions have so much more to offer but also are more expensive, complicated, time consuming to implement and carry much more risk. I have implemented many flavors of both and find that a basic EMR solution (electronic document storage) works best for small practices and even some large offices. Implementing a full blown EMR solution is a complex undertaking that requires extensive workflow analysis, project management skills, stake holders, a large budget, a timeframe of 12-18 months and commitment from everyone involved. This solution has worked well in larger offices and has the greatest productivity gains in the long run. You can always contact us and we will be happy to give you a free consultation and or point you in the right direction!
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