Bone and Joint Center of California Switches to the All-In-One ModMed® Orthopedics Suite

Integrated orthopedic EHR, PM and RCM solutions help improve office and billing efficiencies.

The Bone and Joint Center is a concierge orthopedic practice that specializes in outpatient total joint replacement. The practice is comprised of three orthopedic surgeons and about 10 staff members that work across four office locations and three surgery centers.

Practice Administrator Mary Partin discusses the benefits of ModMed’s all-in-one orthopedic software and how the comprehensive solutions have helped improve office and billing efficiencies.

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

Our practice runs very lean and efficiently, so it’s essential that our orthopedic software solutions do the same. The entire office was frustrated with how inefficient our prior EHR system was. On top of that, the training and support the vendor offered was minimal, so we never felt like we were using the system optimally. We always felt like we were in survival mode, and we had to enlist the help of various outsourced solutions to help us scribe our notes and clean up our claims backlog to keep the practice moving.

As a member of the American Association of Orthopaedic Executives (AAOE), I reached out to my fellow members and asked for new EHR recommendations. The CEO of another large orthopedic practice responded that they were using ModMed’s orthopedic EHR, EMA^®, and they loved it, so I organized an onsite visit to their practice. During my visit, the CEO picked up an iPad and showed me how easy it is to document a visit in EMA. I was blown away that this system was so easy that the non-clinical staff could use it. Additionally, ModMed offers a true all-in-one solution with EHR, Practice Management and Revenue Cycle Management solutions, known as ModMed BOOST, which was a requirement for our practice.

SMOOTH TRANSITION

Implementations are always challenging because even though you don’t like your current system, it’s what you know, and you are nervous about having to start all over. ModMed’s implementation team was fantastic and made the transition very smooth. They came onsite for training and were very patient and understanding while we learned the new system. We have a great relationship with our trainer, and we actually asked her to come back six weeks after go-live to make sure we were doing everything efficiently.

DESIGNED FOR ORTHOPEDICS

Our prior EHR system was very difficult to navigate and did not reflect the workflow of an orthopedic practice. Our providers were taking over 20 minutes to document a simple visit and multiple days to finalize notes. We had to hire an outsourced medical scribing service to help us finalize notes faster. This had a domino effect in delaying our claims and reimbursement. Over the years, our prior EHR vendor made promises of delivering orthopedic-specific content or workflows, but they rarely followed through.

With EMA, the workflow is so simple and tailored to orthopedics that our providers are able to finalize notes within 24 hours of the visit. We have been able to eliminate the third-party scribing service, and it has had a significant positive impact on our billing process.

The Practice Management system is also geared to running an orthopedic practice. Everything from appointment scheduling to insurance verification to patient collections is very easy for our staff to use. ModMed’s EHR and Practice Management solutions have made our days so much smoother that we could easily add 10-12 more patients to the schedule.

CONFIDENCE IN BILLING SERVICES

With our prior EHR vendor, we had very limited visibility into our billing process and we did not understand how we were performing against industry benchmarks or whether we were collecting all that we were owed.

One of the biggest differences with ModMed BOOST is that we have a dedicated client manager, who I meet with regularly. She reviews our financial metrics, along with any denials or rejections, and identifies trends in our collections by payer. We never had this kind of clarity and support before. We were able to save money on billing staff and services, and I have more confidence in their management of our billing process.

ENHANCED PATIENT ENGAGEMENT

ModMed’s technology-forward solutions have helped contribute to an improvement in the patient experience and engagement. Our patient population isn’t the most tech savvy, so we were a bit nervous that they would have difficulty using the iPad kiosk for intake, but it was quite the opposite. The ModMed Kiosk has been a huge success with our patients and staff, and it has been fun to see our patients embrace technology. It has also saved a ton of time and paper with our staff, since they aren’t having to manually enter patient information from paper forms.

Additionally, our providers use iPads to document, which allows them to maintain eye contact and better engage with the patients throughout the visit. Overall, we are able to shift our focus from fighting through inefficient office processes to being able to spend more quality time with our patients and provide more personalized care.

VALUED CUSTOMER SERVICE

Everyone we have been in contact with at ModMed — from sales to training to support — has been great to work with, which is drastically different from our experience with our prior vendor. Early on, we submitted a suggestion for streamlining the fax queue management, and within a week, the change was implemented. The support and development teams really listen to client feedback, and issues are addressed quickly.

Disclaimer: The statements and conclusions contained herein reflect the opinions of Mary Partin and not those of ModMed. ModMed makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy of any such information.