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Building Better Relationships--and a Better Business

The Ying and the Yang of information technology--that’s what we’re bringing to you in this issue of the NeedMyDoctor newsletter.

To start, we take a look at how Dr. Jack Zoldan, a primary care physician who believes in holistically treating patients with a combination of traditional medicine, alternative treatments and wellness initiatives, is using our online patient-doctor communications system to establish close relationships with his patients. By doing so, Zoldan is getting to know his patients better – and ultimately providing better care. That’s the warm and fuzzy side.

Information technology, of course, can also address business matters. An online communication system, for example, can result in a plethora of bottom-line benefits. In this issue of the NeedMyDoctor newsletter, we are specifically looking at the advantages and disadvantages of turning to information technology as a means to improve office workflow—and how an online patient-doctor communications system might be the quickest and easiest way to get on the fast track to improved operations.

So, take a few minutes and take it all in. Learn how information technology can play a big role in your practice – whether you’re looking to reach out and touch someone or you are interested in bolstering your bottom-line. With an online communications system, there’s something for everyone.

Joe Sameh, Founder and CEO of NeedMyDoctor

Using IT to Improve Workflow Management

Shrinking reimbursements, rising insurance costs and a number of other financial pressures are combining to make it difficult for physician practices to make a go of it. Many medical groups, however, are staying in the game by addressing one thing that they can control: the efficiency of their practice’s operations.

To do so, some practices are zeroing in on workflow management. A look at what constitutes workflow in physician practices, how to go about evaluating workflow – and the promise (and limitations) of information technology solutions that can help practices successfully improve office operations.

Workflow refers to how a practice organizes its staff and resources to conduct defined tasks to produce outcomes. An important part of workflow is the interactions among staff as they fulfill their tasks using available resources. Also critical is how information is (or is not) exchanged, according to the National Institute for Healthcare Management Foundation.

Examples of administrative workflow tasks include: scheduling, recording patient information, medical record retrieval/storage, billing and claims processing and answering phones.

Example of clinical administrative workflow tasks include: triage, documentation of patient history, examination and assessment, development of a treatment plan, prescription, lab and procedures orders and clinical follow up.

To improve workflow, physicians or medical practice administrators need to closely analyze the following:

Which staff members are responsible for which tasks
The order in which staff members complete tasks
How staff members synchronize tasks
Where staff members complete tasks
How staff members share information to support the completion of tasks

The National Resource Center for Health Information Technology at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality suggests using the following steps to analyze workflow:

List all the stakeholders in a process
Document all activities occurring, including data exchanges among stakeholders
Document times and costs for activities
Develop a prioritized list of activities
Relate all activities to a desired goal
Define redundant/unnecessary steps
Define necessary but inefficient steps

After analyzing workflow, many medical groups embrace information technology as a means to eliminate cumbersome processes or speed up interactions. Automating manual processes through information technology, of course, can make complex tasks simpler, more efficient and less costly.

Although there are many potential long-term benefits that go with adopting technologies such as electronic medical records and computerized physician order entry systems, medical practices need to realize that the pay-off sometimes is difficult to achieve.

For example, some health information technology systems require practices to reengineer work processes and learn new technologies, both of which consume time and resources. Here are just a few of the potential obstacles associated with implementing technology in the practice setting:

Slow launches. A study of primary care internal medicine practices found that computerized order entry systems required more time per patient initially but with experience, these systems can save physicians’ time.
Attention deficits. Time spent managing and implementing new IT products may detract from time spent providing patient care.
Distracting bells & whistles. Excessive alerts and pop-up screens can be frustrating, slow down tasks and lead to work-arounds.

Adopting an online communication system, though, is one relatively easy use of technology that can quickly pay off in improved workflow.

With an e-mail communication system in place, medical groups automatically decrease the number of incoming phone calls. That’s a huge plus for medical practice staff members who find themselves constantly trying to keep up with the ringing phones—and the sometimes frazzled patients on the other end.

As a result, office staff members are able to take control of their work processes. Instead of answering individual calls, taking the time to locate information and responding to patients who expect quick answers, staff members can work more methodically. For example, a staff members could access e-mail messages, analyze what’s needed, pull the ten needed charts at one time—and then respond to the e-mails with appropriate answers. With such a process in place, there is no waiting on hold or getting caught in a never-ending game of phone tag.

Online Communications Enables Doctor to Nurture Positive Relationships with Patients

Jack Zoldan, M.D., likes to get up close and personal with his patients. Establishing strong relationships, as a matter of fact, sits at the center of his care philosophy.

“I like spending a lot of time with people in my office. Besides patiently listening to someone’s concerns, I enjoy teaching about being healthy and the nature of illness. I want people to know how to pursue total well-being and how to prevent medical problems,” says the internal medicine physician who practices in Chicago.

To establish close relationships, however, Zoldan realized that he would have to find a way to interact with patients outside of scheduled office visits.

Unfortunately, the phone has become more nuisance than help. Besieged by a quagmire of phone trees, voice mail and other such annoyances, communicating by phone has become off-putting for doctors and patients alike.

Because the phone presents so many problems, Zoldan, who practices as a solo practitioner, wanted to offer his patients online communications.

Like many other doctors, though, he was concerned that, with e-mail communication, he might:

Miss an urgent message. With e-mail communication, Zoldan thought that messages—some of which might require immediate action—might sit in an electronic in-box for hours, days or even weeks.
Open his practice up to security blunders. With e-mail communications, Zoldan worried that private medical information might fall into the wrong hands.
Burden himself with lots of unnecessary online communications, which would, in turn, interfere with his established workflow. By offering patients the option of e-mail communication, Zoldan worried that some patients might use the system for unnecessary communication--or might contact him to address administrative and billing requests, matters that are handled by the three members of his office staff.

However, when he discovered that his answering service was offering NeedMyDoctor, an online patient-doctor communication system, he felt like he finally found a viable way to communicate with patients outside of the office.

With the system in place, patients simply go to Zoldan’s Web site (www.drjackzoldan.com) and click on an online communication link. An encrypted, secure, formatted e-mail is then sent over the Internet and received by an operator at Zoldan’s (medical communications center) (answering service).

The call center then routes the message to physicians via pager, phone, fax, or e-mail, depending on the nature of the message and office-approved protocols. The patient receives an immediate electronic response, telling them their message was received, the action that is being taken, and the time frame in which they will receive a response.

With this system in place, urgent calls are handled just as if they had been phoned into the answering service. Even when he is unavailable, his coverage is seamless. In addition, Zoldan’s work routine remains unaffected, since all messages are routed to him according to pre-established protocols. Although Zoldan chooses to answer some of the incoming messages via e-mail, doctors could participate in the system without even using a computer.

Best of all, though, the system has resulted in a number of benefits for Zoldan’s practice.

To start, the online communication system provides an easy way for prospective patients to contact Zoldan and initiate a relationship. Zoldan estimates that he has been able to add about NUMBER of patients per month to his patient roster via the system.

“NeedMyDoctor has made the process of introducing the practice to new patients much easier. When people can send a message at their convenience and know that there will be a timely response, it is a great aid to the growth of the practice,” Zoldan says.

Of course, the service also provides existing patients with a way to contact Zoldan to discuss health-related concerns. Through the system, Zoldan is able to stay in contact with patients and offer advice on medications, diet and exercise.

The service also enables the practice to improve its “customer service” with existing patients. In addition to contacting Zoldan to discuss health concerns, patients can use the online communication system to conveniently take care of billing and scheduling concerns.

“If someone discovers that they need to change or schedule an appointment at 8 p.m., they can send a message right away and not have to concern themselves with remembering to call the next morning, when the demands of the day may take precedence. This simplifies anyone’s life when they can address an issue when it arises as opposed to a later time that is less convenient,” Zoldan says.