Patient Engagement Impacts Recovery, Wellness and Profitability; EMR Solutions can Help, ACOM Chiropractic Software Designer saysPublished: 2009-05-06 14:37:57Author: ACOM | March 26, 2009ATLANTA, Georgia, March 26, 2009 -- It is almost axiomatic that when a
patient is well engaged with his/her doctor and therapists, cooperation
and compliance improve and the healing process generally proceeds more
quickly and more effectively.
With a well-conceived software system supporting the doctor-patient
relationship, active engagement in identifying problems and organizing
and executing the treatment plan can begin at the front door and
continue at a high level through recovery, discharge and beyond,
according to Vais Salikhov, Chief Software Engineer at the Healthcare
Division of ACOM Solutions, Inc.
Salikhov is responsible for design and development of the division’s chiropractic software
and in that capacity, he has researched and engineered ways in which
patient involvement can be developed and sustained throughout the
doctor-patient relationship.
"Using old-fashioned paper-based office processes, this has not always
been easy," he said. "Paper-based notes and reports take time. They
require front office effort, distract the doctor during the exam and
often can distance the patient from the caregivers, leaving him or her
feeling uninvolved in his/her own healthcare."
Electronic medical records
(EMR) solutions like ACOM’s RAPID EMR incorporate gateways for patient
involvement almost continuously as they support doctors in inaugurating
and monitoring the treatment plan:
* Self-registration: On arrival for the first visit, the patient fills
out an electronic form comprising not only personal and insurance
information but also describing the nature and severity of the
complaint. This opens the patient file, which the patient updates on
each subsequent visit, generating an immediate sense of participation.
* Examination: Using a tablet computer, the doctor opens the patient
file and reviews each element of the complaint in detail, creating
notes interactively by means of diagrams and checklists with associated
text. Personal contact is maintained throughout and as the patient
elaborates, the doctor can supplement the notes with on-screen scribing.
* Treatment: As treatment progresses, the doctor demonstrates progress
using on-board interim reports that underscore what is working, and
where the patient might do more.
* Conclusion: Once the treatment plan has been completed, the doctor
can review the complete electronic record thoroughly with the patient,
discuss what was done and why, and demonstrate the efficacy of the
process.
* Wellness: Often a wellness program can be beneficial to the patient
and using the comprehensive case records that have been assembled, the
doctor can more easily establish the rationale
"It is important that the patient feels like a partner in the treatment
and recovery process," Salikhov said. "When we design and upgrade our
software solutions, we do so with the guidance of successful
practitioners. Most of them have been emphatic about the need for
doctor-patient rapport and they generously have shared ways in which
relationship-building elements can be included and even automated in
the software."
About ACOM Healthcare Business Division
The ACOM Healthcare Business Division serves chiropractic and the
broader healthcare community with products and services that enhance
efficiency, cut costs, increase revenues and propel practice success.
ACOM’s RAPID software suite simplifies and speeds clinical notes and
reporting while supporting compliance, collections and front office
operations.
For more information about RAPID chiropractic software:
Call: 866-286-5315
Email:
rapidinfo@acom.com
Visit:
www.acomemr.com
Contact Information
Anna Lour
ACOM Solutions, Inc.
562-424-7899
PR Leap