WebPT Blog - clinic
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0 CommentsOct 23, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
Today's blog post comes from WebPT Copywriters Char Bohnett and Erica Cohen.
You’ve done your research; scoured the tradeshows; evaluated your options, and frankly, the writing’s on the wall: Digitally documenting with a rehab therapy-specific EMR just makes more sense than charting on paper—for your practice, for your patients, and for your sanity. But before you go ditching the pen and paper, you need buy-in, maybe from the clinic decision maker or maybe from your staff. Here’s how to go about pitching an EMR so everyone’s on board.
Tailor the Benefits
Sure, the EMR you have in mind (WebPT, of course) has tons of great benefits, everything from intuitive initial evaluations and professional finalized notes replete with your clinic’s logo to a color-coded front office scheduler and helpful alerts and reports. But no one wants to sit through a lengthy barrage of features (read: boring). Understand your clinic’s pain points first, and then tailor your conversation to how an EMR will help you solve these specific issues.
Have a front office staff who spends most of their time contacting patients to remind them they have upcoming appointments? Bring up the automatic appointment reminder feature, which can significantly reduce no-shows and cancellations, so your staff can focus on more pertinent items.
Have a clinic director who’s concerned about how much revenue he or she is losing each month because of missed referral opportunities? Remind him or her about the referral tracking report, which provides direct line of sight into which physicians are frequently referring your clinic’s services and which ones may need a reminder about your team’s fantasticness.
In short, create an emotional connection first by showing how your proposed EMR will address a real need and you’ll have one more advocate on your side. -
Jun 20, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
therapy is, and always will be, about exceptional patient care. Therapists want to improve the lives of their patients. From Ancient Greece to World Wars I and II to today, physical therapy has been about treating people, not research methods. It’s no surprise, then, that the profession isn’t as evidence-based as other medical professions.
But times are a-changin’, and everyone from insurance companies to the educational and medical fields are craving uniformity, autonomy, and validity. Evidence-based practice has become essential. WebPT owner Heidi Jannenga, PT, MPT, ATC/L, puts it quite succinctly: “It’s time to prove what we do works.” How do we do that?Conduct Research
What better way to prove what you do than to set up and complete studies within your own facility? Easier said than done, sure, but you can enlist help. Find nearby schools with therapy programs. Students typically must complete capstone projects for their doctoral degree, and a study within your clinic makes a fine final project. Plus, college students totally understand that whole research methods thing. For an example of a therapy student study, check out Lauren Baier’s undergraduate thesis. She studied how video and photos in WebPT’s Home Exercise Program influence patient compliance. -
Oct 19, 2011| Matt Wolach
Today's post is brought to us by Matt Wolach, the Director of Sales for WebPT. Thanks for contributing Matt!
Most are aware of Southwest Airlines’ legendary ability to stay solvent in a fierce industry. Especially remarkable is the company’s ability to stay in business when so many airlines were filing bankruptcies. But few know the secret.
Sure the company’s commitment to customer service and funny flight attendants and pilots are renowned. It doesn’t hurt that Southwest doesn’t turn away customers by charging for extras like checked bags or window seats. All of this helps.
But the reason Southwest continues to thrive, even when charging the consumer less, is that they clearly understand their core business. They are in the business of flying. ‘Well of course,’ you say. Ok, so let’s put it another way.
Southwest knows they only make money when their planes are in the air.
Southwest does not make money when the planes are on the ground. Thus, they do everything they can to shorten the time on the ground as much as possible. This is what’s called a “turn time.’
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Jan 12, 2011| Heidi Jannenga PT
As we start a new year and a new decade, many of us want to start fresh with something that can improve our lives. 2011 has the potential for some game changing technological innovations in healthcare.In April 2010, Apple released the iPad, which has taken the world by storm. More importantly it has given healthcare professionals mobility, easy access to web-based EMR, real time data access and a more interactive method of patient education. It is not the answer for everything, but it is a great tool that is less intimidating to patients than a laptop or computer.
PTs have embraced the iPad with enthusiasm. One of the most common questions that we get at WebPT is "Can I complete my documentation on the iPad?" Approximately 20% of WebPT users have iPads in their clinics as the point of service tool of choice. There are different opinions on how much the iPad can really impact healthcare, but the iPad and other tablet computers are already becoming very practical and useful.
Here are the three main benefits of the iPad for for therapy clinical care:
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Jan 9, 2011| Heidi Jannenga PT
By now you have heard all of the buzz surrounding the Apple iPad, which is already one of the most revolutionary tech products to hit the healthcare industry. Over 20% of US physicians planned to buy the iPad before it was released. Pundits are now calling 2011, "The Year of the Tablet."Many WebPT members use an iPad for their documentation and more PTs have surely received or bought one for Christmas. After you sift through all the indiscriminant praise and the coffee-table novelty of this product, you are probably hit with an all too real question: How do I actually implement this product into my professional life? There is a current statistic that 30-50% of EMR implementations fail due to poor planning and potential technophobia.
If you are ready with iPad in hand, there are some key things you need to know regarding implementation using an EMR in your PT clinic. There are simply a few things that a PT, OT, or any healthcare provider should know before running out and spending the $500 on a new iPad.
1. Does your EMR work on the iPad?
Most EMR software is older, Windows-based software that will not work on the iPad at all. If you are using a modern, web-based EMR software like WebPT, you can use your iPad to run your EMR software wherever you have an Internet connection. WebPT works on the iPad without any tricks or additional software. If your current EMR claims to be compatible with smartphones and tablet computers, make sure you actually test it before diving in.
