Kamerlink Pain Institute Speeds Up Documentation and Improves Billing Process With the ModMed® Pain Management Suite

Dr. Kamerlink shares his positive experience with all-in-one pain management software

The Kamerlink Pain Institute was established in 2017 by Dr. Jonathan Kamerlink, with the goal to help reduce or eliminate patients’ pain with minimally invasive, non-surgical treatment. Dr. Kamerlink shares his practice’s success with the pain management electronic health record (EHR), EMA®, and Practice Management software from Modernizing Medicine®.

EMA—THE RIGHT EHR FOR ME

Prior to opening my own practice, I used a very archaic generic EHR system. I spent countless hours building templates and customizing my previous EHR, but it was never what I needed it to be. I heard about Modernizing Medicine through a colleague, and when I first saw a demo of EMA, I was impressed with the advanced technology. EMA has an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that really mimics the workflow of a pain management physician. If you can learn how to use an iPhone, you can learn how to use EMA.

When I opened my own pain management practice in 2017, I knew it was the right EHR system for me.

MORE TIME WITH PATIENTS, LESS TIME ON NOTES

Many physicians complain that their EHR slows them down, but EMA allows me to be much more efficient with my time and effort compared to my previous system. It is so easy to use and requires minimal clicking and typing, allowing me to maximize valuable face time with my patients.

I am able to do all of the visit documentation myself without the need for a scribe or medical assistant. For follow-up appointments, I am able to use my prior notes as a structure for future visit notes, saving me time on documentation. After the visit, I quickly check that I have collected my MIPS data and that the coding and billing are accurate before finalizing.

MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THE CLOUD

One of my must-haves when opening my practice was a cloud-based system. My practice has a very simple IT network. I did not want to have to deal with servers, maintenance or data storage. Modernizing Medicine has more IT expertise than me, and I trust that all of my data is stored safely and securely in the cloud.

Having a cloud-based EHR gives me the freedom to access my patient charts easily and quickly from almost anywhere with an internet connection. I regularly handle phone calls from patients, pharmacies and hospitals outside of normal office hours. On my laptop or through the PocketEMA™ mobile phone app, I can pull up my patients’ charts in just a few clicks.

STREAMLINED PAIN MANAGEMENT WORKFLOW

Modernizing Medicine has done a great job of working with pain management physicians to understand our workflow and how we want to enter and access data.

The pain management plans built into EMA help me better manage my chronic pain and opioid patients. I can screen for at-risk patients and monitor prescription medication compliance. Additionally, many of these plans also help me collect the data I need to meet MIPS reporting requirements.

I see a lot of patients in the hospital that are discharged to an acute rehab facility. With electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS), I am able to send prescriptions directly to the specialty pharmacy at the rehab center in just a few clicks. This can shorten the time my patients have to wait for their prescriptions and streamline the transition of care.

IMPROVED MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING PROCESSES

The automated suggested coding feature in EMA does a great job of getting the billing and coding process started by providing a suggested code based upon my visit documentation. Having proper coding supported by documentation can help speed up claims processing, which can have a big financial impact. I feel that the auto-suggested coding from EMA is very helpful.

SIMPLIFIED OFFICE OPERATIONS

Modernizing Medicine’s Practice Management software provides transparency into the claims management process. My staff can see where claims are at every step, and if a claim is denied or rejected, they can see why. The check-in and checkout process is also very simple. The patient’s information is clearly displayed, and the front desk staff can discuss copays and balances before the visit.

FOCUSED ON HEALTHCARE INNOVATION

Modernizing Medicine is more than just an EHR company; they are a cutting-edge technology company that is always striving to innovate and improve their services and solutions. They foster a culture that values physician feedback, and I have had the opportunity to collaborate with them to further enhance their pain management software solutions. The dedicated employees and customer-focused mission make Modernizing Medicine a great company to grow my practice with.

Jonathan Kamerlink, MD

Pain Management Doctor and Anesthesiologist