athenaClinicalsSM Go-Live: What We’ve Learned So Far
athenaClinicals, our unique EMR solution, has been getting lots of attention. And with clients implementing athenaClinicals in ever-increasing numbers, we’re getting better at bringing them live.
“We have continually increased the scope of what we’re able to accomplish during go-live,” said Kevin Tolin Scheper, athenahealth’s director of clinical implementation services. “It was only 15 months ago that it took two phases and a lot of professional services support to bring a small clinic live on athenaClinicals. For example, we used to recommend that a 10-provider practice go live in stages, but now we’re implementing groups all at once and much more smoothly. I expect this trend to continue.”
This summer, we began successfully implementing our first Orthopedic practices, the latest specialty group to be added to athenaClinicals. Since then, three more Orthopedic practices have begun with athenaClinicals. We’re now preparing to bring several large Orthopedic practices (20+ providers) live with athenaClinicals this fall.
“After the first few Orthopedic implementations, we learned a lot about how surgical specialties need a somewhat different approach than primary care specialties. We’ve adjusted our implementation, training and product to make both the process and the outcome more positive,” said Tolin Scheper.
For example, we have spent time reviewing the product design with providers to ensure that the flow of the software matches the flow of the provider. If we can develop a coherent clinical workflow, we will enable providers to capture their clinical thought process accurately and easily.
We’re also working on a variety of other workflow enhancements, including a refined surgery scheduling workflow, templated HPI documentation and more flexible user preferences for configuration.
Another area we’re looking at improving is the number of “clicks” a provider makes each day within athenaClinicals. “We know that even one extra click per encounter can potentially take away a full appointment slot’s worth of time by the end of the day,” said Tolin Scheper. Julie Holmes, the athenaClinicals practice performance manager, is examining the workflow to eliminate extra clicks and further maximize the provider’s time.
“Ultimately, athenaClinicals is about better patient care and improved revenue,” said Tolin Scheper. “We’re providing tools to help physicians who want results in both these areas.”