The right time to switch EHRs and how to not blow up your revenue in the process

EHRs are about finding something you don’t hate that much versus finding something you love. And there is an art and balance to determine which system is right for you and your practice.

Sometimes, that balance is off. It could be in month 15 or in year 18. Whenever it does happen, you are faced with the decision. In the words of your favorite high school reading assignment, “to switch, or not to switch? That is the question.”

Let’s answer it.

And then look at a few best practices to minimize the suckage.

When to switch

There are 3 buckets to think about when determining if your EHR is as unlivable as that summer you spent backpacking through southeast Asia with you college across the hall dorm mate.

1/ Clinical

This is where you are going to live day in and day out. There are three more components here to think about. I know, lots of lists. Sorry not sorry.

Usability, functionality, and time.

The first two are a little more preference driven. That doesn’t mean they aren’t important. At the end of the day if you and your whole staff wants to pull their hair out using the thing, you are bumping up against needing to switch regardless of other factors. EHRs can be the straw that breaks the camels back.

And good staff is hard to come by.

The last one is quantifiable and can cost you money. If you are spending an extra 10 minutes per patient because of limited functionality then that’s time you could be spending on other revenue generating activities.

Or napping. Equally important.

2/ Administrative

Is your team constantly wrestling with the system. Faxes don’t work. Getting orders put in and sent out is clunky. Changing a template takes an act of congress. There are 74 settings that need to be perfect to create a decent note. No one is really sure if the schedule is setup properly. And eligibility is questionable at best.

You may need to switch. Again, time is important. What other things need to be done rather than sitting on the phone with support 3 hours a day. Or sending a ticket that goes into a black hole.

And lastly,

3/ Billing

You may not be using your EMRs billing, but no matter what it’s part of the equation.

If your system isn’t producing worklists for your team or vendor to easily pickup and use or it’s coding things wrong over and over, or it’s not filling out claims properly, then you might have a problem.

Or are they charging you a percentage for just clicking a button to make a claim go through and then not doing squat after that?

If after spending the afternoon deep in thought listening to your favorite Fleetwood Mac album on vinyl, you think two of these buckets are out of whack, it may be time to switch.

But how???

Well, keep reading. Here’s how and how to make it not the worst thing ever.

Best practices for the switch

1. Work down your A/R as much as possible. You are about to be doing a whole thing. So if your team. And the switch is going to increase A/R due to down time. So get your RCM team in gear and attack that A/R.

2. Get the patients loaded in the new system. Start porting patients as soon as you can. And get their dang insurance information, including photocopies of insurance cards in the new system. Nothing is going to grind your gears after a perfect rollout than realizing that you have no insurance info loaded for patients to start billing.

3. Stay on the same clearinghouse. It may not be possible, but this is a big one. If you have to go through EDI enrollments again, that will be a whole thing and really slow the process down. Look for flexible systems or ones on the same clearinghouse.

4. Plan ahead. Ya but for real, plan ahead. Look to time periods when patient volume is lower for the switch. Also be sure to have sufficient cash on hand. Even in the best of times, it can be the worst of times and payments may get delayed.

5. Get configured early. We get it. You don’t want to foot the bill for two systems for long. But running both is going to help with a smooth transition. You can be configuring all your fancy new functionality, while still operating in the old system until it winds down.

A little bit of light prayer or good old fashion finger crossing also helps.

Wrapping up

EHRs don’t have to be the worst thing in the world, but they will also probably never be the best. Regardless, there may come a time when it’s time to switch. Make sure you are set up to succeed in a transition. Cash on hand and a solid plan.

And since that rhymes it has to be right.

Disclaimer: The content provided is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. This content is not intended to create, and receipt of the launch guide does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. While efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, it may not necessarily reflect the most current legal developments or regulations and does not provide a complete representation of all associated legal and compliance considerations for any given topic. Therefore, readers are encouraged to seek professional legal advice or consult with appropriate professionals regarding specific legal issues or concerns related to their individual circumstances.