Today’s blog post comes from WebPT Copywriters Char Bohnett and Erica Cohen.
With this month’s theme being Ditch the Pen & Paper, we thought it fitting we feature some of WebPT’s founding Members—the original ditch the pen and paper trail blazers, if you will. Here’s our mini Q and A session with Michael Mullaney of Mullaney & Associates and Jim Prussack of In-Home Therapy Services, two tech-embracing physical therapy clinics.
Meet Michael Mullaney and his team at Mullaney & Associates (MAPT)
WebPT: What was life at your practice like before WebPT or your first EMR?
Michael Mullaney: Being a new small startup private practice, we couldn’t afford the software-based EMRs that were on the market at the time. It wasn’t until we were audited by Medicare within our second year in business that we made transitioning to an EMR a top priority. Medicare’s audit revealed many cases of illegible documentation that caused our young practice to suffer financially. This is when we needed to find the most affordable, reliable EMR option for MAPT.
WebPT: How has Mullaney & Associates evolved as an EMR user?
Michael Mullaney: We went to CSM the year after our audit with the goal of finding an EMR that was affordable, reliable, and offered good customer service. The idea of using a web-based system that placed no software or hardware worries on our shoulders and cost a flat fee per member appealed to us. We don’t have any clinical experience using other comparative EMRs. The idea that we would be able to access our system from any secure internet connection was a key component in our decision-making process.
WebPT: Where do you see your practice going technologically? What other techy trails would you love to blaze?
Michael Mullaney: It has been a great experience being a beta test site for the various developmental modules for WebPT. As we have gained experience with WebPT over the years, we have continually added the other modules to our membership, including the front office scheduler, telephone appointment reminders, and the Home Exercise Program.
Our communication with our patients through email has increased significantly over the years. Patients continue to contact us via email to schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments; this is because we’ve increased our use of email and text reminders to patients through WebPT.
We think it would be great to have a “secure” module that would allow us to hand our patients a laptop or iPad that they could then use to fill out such forms as outcome surveys and medical history information, all from the waiting room. At this point, we still don’t feel comfortable giving a patient an iPad or laptop because if they push the wrong button they might be able to access someone else’s information. Allowing the patient to work right from the laptop would save both time and money because we could skip the “filling out forms” step.
Meet Jim Prussack and his team at In-Home Therapy Services
WebPT: What was life at your practice like before WebPT or your first EMR?
Jim Prussack: Before WebPT, we had to do all of our documentation on paper, which was quite challenging because our therapists are spread out in the field visiting patients’ homes. Not only that, but trying to read people’s writing and stay Medicare compliant added to the challenge. Then, add in the manual faxing, storing of charts, and piles of paper building up in the office; it was not fun. I couldn’t imagine having to go back to paper. I don’t think we could do it knowing what we know now with WebPT.
WebPT: How has In-Home Therapy Services evolved as an EMR user?
Jim Prussack: We have really relied on the advancement of technology to allow our therapists to work remotely and be connected at all times. Most of our therapists are using iPads now and are connected via 3G and 4G connections. We are able to use voice recognition on the latest iPads with our WebPT documentation. Everyone is on the same page because we can all access and use WebPT, and our office manager can coordinate the care quite easily across therapists and doctors.
WebPT: Where do you see your practice going technologically? What other techy trails would you love to blaze?
Jim Prussack: We will continue to follow the trail of technology advancements for health care and use whatever tools are out there that can not only help our patients, but make our therapists’ lives easier as well. We are already using the video camera on the iPad to record and show progress and give feedback to our patients, and we would love to be able to upload and integrate that with WebPT down the road.
A big thank you to Mullaney & Associates and In-Home Therapy Services. We really appreciate your insight and feedback, but most importantly, your trailblazing, paper ditchin’ inspiration.
What about the rest of the PT blogosphere? Are you a techie-trailblazer? How has your life changed since ditching the pen and paper?
