Ward MD Facial Plastic Surgery Switches Software Systems and Reports Satisfaction With Results
Case Study
Practice Goals
- Implement all-in-one plastic surgery software
- Collaborate on an easy-to-learn, intuitive system
- Improve payment processing
Key Benefits Experienced
- Streamlined patient check-in
- Boosted team efficiency with all-in-one system
- Enhanced plastic surgery diagnoses and plans
- Simplified the patient payment experience
Find out how this practice installed all-in-one software to realize greater efficiency and easier patient billing
“As a facial plastic surgeon, it’s a huge benefit that an actual plastic surgeon, not just any doctor, is heavily involved in the development of EMA — and it shows! The diagnoses and plans are highly specific. It’s pretty impressive.”
P. DANIEL WARD, MD
Founder of Ward MD Facial Plastic Surgery and Form Derm Spas
Ward MD Facial Plastic Surgery and Form Derm Spas, in Salt Lake City, Utah, provides a variety of plastic surgery procedures that include rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty, face-lifts, facial rejuvenation and hair transplants, as well as nonsurgical procedures such as Botox injections, filler treatments and every sort of laser procedure. The practice also features a surgery center and three medical spas.
Unhappy with the inefficiencies built into his software systems, P. Daniel Ward, MD, was not certain where to turn. He knew that he wanted easy-to-use, intuitive software that would increase the efficiency of his practice and improve the experience and satisfaction of both his patients and his staff.
Dr. Ward explains how he found, and continues to benefit from, the all-in-one plastic surgery software from ModMed®, including EMA®, the award-winning* plastic surgery EHR system, Practice Management (PM), Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) services and Patient Engagement tools.
A RECOMMENDATION TO START
I mentioned my search for better software to one of my medical assistants, who shared how happy she was using EMA while working at a previous practice. Surprised to hear a strong endorsement for an EHR, I took a closer look at ModMed and ultimately decided to look no further.
EMA is an intuitive plastic-surgery-specific system that makes documentation and coding easier. As a facial plastic surgeon, it’s a huge benefit that an actual plastic surgeon, not just any doctor or software engineer, is heavily involved in the development of the plastic surgery EHR, and it shows. The diagnoses and plans are highly specific. EMA just makes sense, and it’s not difficult for new staff members to learn.
The ePrescribing feature is the easiest I’ve ever used.
TIME-SAVING FEATURES
There are many ways that EMA has made my life easier. I use PocketEMA
to pull up my schedule quickly from my phone, and the ePrescribing feature is the easiest I’ve ever used in any EMR. I can view attachments, view my notes, sign prescriptions, etc., all within the patient’s chart.
Some features save my patients time as well. If patients spend 10 minutes checking in followed by 20 minutes of paperwork, it’s not enjoyable for them. With ModMed’s patient moble app, patients can enter all of their information ahead of the visit. In addition, we can communicate via the app. It’s a smooth process and patients feel that they have better access to us, which we believe optimizes their experience.
Our team is no longer overwhelmed with logging into multiple systems.
GOING ALL IN
One of the many strengths of ModMed Plastic Surgery is the all-in-one integrated platform. Our team is no longer overwhelmed with logging into multiple systems. It simplifies and streamlines daily processes while helping us to fulfill our mission of optimizing patient care.
The Analytics platform is another solution that helps me better understand the subtleties in my practice numbers. One of the real challenges in medicine is that we train to be physicians, and we don’t always learn the business nuances. Analytics provides reports that help me manage my practice. For example, there is a report based on revenue collected by zip code and by CPT code, which helps us direct our marketing efforts more effectively.
With the quoting tool we can quickly create a quote on the iPad.
MORE FINESSE WITH FINANCES
We switched from a third-party point-of-sale system to ModMed Pay, and our efficiency has greatly improved. It automatically syncs transactions to the Practice Management system so patients know what they owe immediately versus waiting to receive a bill in the mail.
In addition, with the quoting tool we can quickly create a quote on the iPad, and the patient can sign it before leaving the exam room. This simplifies the process and improves the patient experience. We can enter multiple procedures to include the surgeon, anesthesia and facility fees, along with inventory items.
Furthermore, since switching from in-house billing to ModMed BOOST RCM, we’ve seen an increase in our collection rate. I’d rather have the BOOST team, who are RCM specialists, handle this for us versus a member of my team who has multiple responsibilities.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The team at ModMed actually wants to hear from other physicians and clinical staff, who are in the trenches daily, and apply their experiences to the solutions. The company continues to release new features that enhance both the user and the patient experience.
Change is hard, no matter how big or how small the change is. But if you have a system that seems like it may be holding you back, it probably is really holding you back. For me, switching to ModMed ultimately led to long-term happiness and success. Also, having happy staff who feel like they’re getting their jobs done and being efficient at work is so important.
*2022 Black Book
Note: The statements and conclusions contained herein reflect the opinions of Dr. P. Daniel Ward and not those of ModMed. ModMed makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy of any such information. Dr. Ward is a member of the ModMed Plastic Surgery Advisory Board and he was compensated for his time on this case study.