Dr. Jonathan Feistmann Documents Faster with the Intuitive Ophthalmology EHR System, EMA®
Case Study
The Goals
- Open new practice with advanced ophthalmology EHR technology
- Reduce EHR training and implementation time
- Find a native iPad EHR system to enhance mobility and patient interaction
- Use a cloud EHR versus a server-based model
Key Benefits Experienced
- Ophthalmology-specific electronic health record (EHR) system
- Convenience of a cloud-based platform
- Improved patient experience
- Ease of use saves time
Here’s why this ophthalmologist selected Modernizing Medicine®’s ophthalmology software for his new practice.
“We have really turned a corner with how quickly we are able to move through our patient encounters. I have not had to decrease my volume and EMA has made documenting much faster. I don’t have to stay after hours or finish documenting on weekends. You cannot handwrite a note more quickly than using EMA.”
‒ JONATHAN A. FEISTMANN, MD, PC
This post was originally published on December 11, 2014 and was updated on January 7, 2018.
Background
Dr. Jonathan Feistmann, a retina specialist in New York City, was starting his own practice and knew he wanted to implement an ophthalmology EHR system as opposed to continue using paper. “My wife and I wanted our office to be tech savvy and to me paper is very outdated. Knowing we wanted to start out electronically, I had been keeping my eye out and looking at numerous ophthalmology EHR systems for about six years,” Dr. Feistmann explained. “I think other systems have slowly gotten better over time, but when I saw EMA my jaw hit the ground. I thought that technologically it was the slickest thing out there and it was ophthalmology-specific.”
“We also didn’t want to spend a lot of time and money on implementation. With EMA, the hardware cost and training time were minimal. We started with just two iPads, a few existing laptops and we were live after a short six weeks of training,” he said. “With other EHR systems, it’s like having to take a college course to learn how to use them. EMA’s training consisted of web-based lessons that we could do from the comfort of home. Training was quick and extremely easy.”
Practicing in the Cloud
EMA runs on a cloud-based platform allowing Dr. Feistmann to access his medical records almost anywhere with an internet connection using EMA’s native iPad application. “I really love using EMA on the iPad. That was one of the main aspects that stood out and why I liked it so much before I even started using it,” Dr. Feistmann said.
“When we were searching for an ophthalmology EHR system, most were server-based which would require us to purchase additional hardware. EMA is cloud-based and I like that I can go on any computer or iPad, be almost anywhere in the world and have the ability to upload documents and send prescriptions in seconds,” he explained. “It’s also very convenient to take the iPad to the operating room. The beauty of EMA being cloud-based is you can store an infinite number of notes and you don’t have to carry a million charts. You can also go to any computer in the hospital if needed and pull up your patient information. The transition from iPad to PC is nearly seamless. You can also rest assured knowing your data is secure whereas with paper, if you lose a chart, it’s gone forever and patient data is compromised.”
Documenting Faster With Our Ophthalmology EHR, EMA
Using the keyboardless entry of the iPad, Dr. Feistmann is able to speed through his workflow. “We have really turned a corner with how quickly we move through our patient encounters. I have not had to decrease my volume and EMA has made documenting much faster. I don’t have to stay after hours or finish documenting on weekends,” he said. “You cannot handwrite a note more quickly than using EMA. Those using paper would never go back if they tried it.”
Dr. Feistmann explains, “I had a patient who was telling me the phone number of their pharmacy and before they could finish, the prescription was already sent. EMA is just so quick and easy. I can open up the application, sign in, enter a note, open a consent form and sign it, all within a matter of 30 seconds or less. It’s fun and a novelty for me to be able to complete my notes on an iPad.”
Common Vision for Ophthalmologists
EMA was built by ophthalmologists and was programed to think like a physician. “EMA is so intuitive and learns how I treat my patients. After I get a diagnosis multiple times, I feel like EMA reads my mind but that’s how it’s programed,” said Dr. Feistmann. “EMA thinks of things that I wouldn’t, which really amazes me. There is no other ophthalmology EHR system that compares.”
“I really believe in the product and share in the vision of the Modernizing Medicine team. They want doctors to be able to enter patient data quickly and have the information we need in an organized way to help us treat patients better. I think that’s the future of healthcare, and the ideas that come from Modernizing Medicine put us at the forefront of technology. We were excited to sign up with EMA and the years of using it have been really incredible and enjoyable.”