Tomorrow’s Cardiology Practice Software TODAY

What is Cardiology Software?

At a basic level, cardiology software electronically stores cardiac-patient medical information. Ideally, the software not only takes into account the unique needs of cardiologists, it also helps them spend more time with patients. But no matter how modern or feature-filled an electronic health record (EHR) is, unless it easily integrates with all other software used in the cardiac practice—everything from medical devices to billing software—it’s not a good choice.

Tomorrow’s Software Today

Today’s patients expect simple, fast, multi-channel communication with all their providers, along with virtual visits when appropriate. To keep up, cardiology practices must provide secure text and chat for appointment making, automated appointment reminders, electronic registration, mobile check-in, telehealth connected to EHR, and automated e-billing and statements.

How Can Modern EHRs Benefit Cardiologists?

1. Simplify coding. EHRs that are difficult to learn, counterintuitive to use, and require multiple steps for simple tasks leads to physician burnout faster than any other issue. Cardiologists are especially vulnerable to this phenomenon because of coding complexity and encounter frequency. They need software that improves efficiency by quickly leading them through the process to enter, for example, a flutter type or vessel category.

2. Streamline e-prescribing. Cardiac patients skew older, and older patients have often been prescribed a variety of medications, so robust e-prescribing is essential to cardiology software. EHRs with a strong focus on drug interactions lower the need for manual medication reconciliation and help patients avoid harmful drug interactions.

3. Improve practice management. Features like note-taking templates, PQRI reporting functions, clinical decision support, and patient-progress dashboards all help cardiologists create practice-specific workflows that help them spend more time with patients and less on administrative tasks.

4. Improve revenue cycle management (RCM). You may think you need more staff or expertise to solve your A/R issues—the truth is today’s technology can identify and fix lost revene from patient balances and unpaid claims; benchmark your reimbursement rates; and help you understand how to increase patient satisfaction, increase revenue on routine appointments, and reduce no-shows.

What’s the Biggest Mistake Cardiologists Make When Choosing an Office Solution?

No matter how modern or feature-filled a system is, unless it is integrated with all other office software used in the cardiac clinic, it will not be able to give you the granular data you need for RCM. Put simply, the cardiac office software you select should help providers:

• Provide in-office and remote patient care
• Quickly create superbills
• Easily track revenue to avoid leaks
• Create customized notetaking templates
• Create dashboards to track patient progress
• Easily gather data from devices such as ECGs and DICOM imagers

Lastly, the cardiac office system should be able to quickly integrate with patient-facing systems such as patient portals and personal electronic medical records.

Sources:
1. Keswani, Amit, MD. “Death by a Thousand Clicks.” American College of Cardiology, 21 May 2019. https://www.acc.org/membership/sections-and-councils/early-career-section/section-updates/2019/06/11/07/42/death-by-a-thousand-clicks
2. Parker, Anna. “5 Benefits of E-Prescribing for Hospitals and Patients.” EMR Finder. 8 February 2021. https://emrfinder.com/blog/5-benefits-of-e-prescribing-for-hospitals-and-patients/
3. Phillips, Marissa. “Top 10 Cardiology EMR & PM Software 2020.” EMR Finder, 12 February 2020. https://emrfinder.com/blog/top-10-cardiology-software-2020/