Read About the Recent PIVOT Conference

May 22, 2007 – The 6th Annual Pivot Conference hosted by Memorial Hermann Health Network Providers (HNP) was held Friday, May 4, 2007 at the Renaissance Hotel in Greenway Plaza. Approximately 300 Practice Managers & Physicians attended the all-day event, focused on “Empowering Your Practice”. As part of the event, participants had the opportunity to learn more about eClinicalWorks, the award-winning Electronic Medical Record (EMR) that is being introduced to HNP members through the Clinical Integration program.

The morning began with an early-bird session hosted by Tim Schauer, Systems Executive for Government Relations. Tim shared with the group the latest Austin happenings. Specifically, he spoke about the issue of Houston’s uninsured population and described the tri-share program which is being championed by Dan Wolterman. This is a new initiative that would allow low-income citizens, employers, and the state to split the cost of insurance 3-ways. He also educated the group on important issues before the legislature such as CHIP Restoration which would facilitate more families who qualify for Medicare to receive the help they need without the additional paperwork.

Next, HNP CEO Scott Fenn welcomed the group and provided background information on the history of HNP and its role as the largest Physicians Organization in the Southwest. He led the group on a look-back at the last PiVOT conference and explained how HNP determined which EMR to roll-out. eClinicalWorks was chosen from a large group of EMRs by the HNP board and physician users. Considered a leader in the industry, it scores an impressive 97 percent for usability. Physicians throughout the System, in different areas, of various sizes and specialties have agreed to pilot it and share their feedback with the HNP membership.  In addition to the financial support HNP is putting into the Clinical Integration program, they will also work to support physician practices currently using other EMRs.

Guest presenter, Cindy Dunn, R.N. of MGMA Healthcare Consulting Group presented on “Traveling the Technology Trail: Is Your Medical Practice Ready?” Dunn described common barriers to practices adopting EMRs such as cost, time, data entry, and lack of technology infrastructure. She urged practice managers and physicians to wait until their practice was fully prepared to make the change. “Technology is a step in the evolution of your practice. Plan, prepare and communicate so it’s not a revolution, but an evolution in your practice,” said Dunn. Also featured was advice to practices on joining the technology age by developing a website, and allowing patients to utilize the site to pay on line.  She also indicated that it is important to educate patients when a practice is making a shift to using EMRs so they understand why the paperwork may look different or wait times may be slightly longer initially.

David Bauer, M.D. of Memorial Hermann Family Practice served as the keynote luncheon speaker. Dr. Bauer has been using an EMR for 1 year and had many interesting findings to share with the group.   He walked the audience through some of his common uses of his EMR. For example, since, according to Dr. Bauer, physicians are “bad at math” they can make use of the calculator to determine dosing amounts and prevent costly and potentially dangerous mistakes. Another great tool is the ability to select from a list of common H&P (what is h and p?) items, such as “patient has family history of colon cancer”. Based on specifics checked, the EMR will produce an automatic algorithm for patient care.

Participants learned more about the benefits and obstacles of adding an EMR to your practice when Dr. Riley and Dr. Zabrek, along with their practice managers, spoke of the challenges and successes rolling out an EMR at their respective offices.  Specifically, they spoke of the benefits of eClinicalWorks compared to some of the other EMRs tested. At the same time, they offered a realistic glimpse into some of the challenges faced.  For example, Dr. Riley pointed out the importance of schedulers allowing for more time between patients when initially adopting an EMR. Since the new technology may take some getting used to, physicians and practices should initially plan on working at a slower pace.

Later in the afternoon, PiVOT conference attendees heard from Dr. Richard Blakely Physician-in-Chief of HNP. Dr. Blakely shared his thoughts on the need for Clinical Integration. He quoted a recent issue of Doctors Magazine which states that 60 percent of physicians have considered leaving the practice of medicine. Apparently, the main reason for physician discouragement is tied to low reimbursement rates from insurers and government plans. Clinical Integration, however, provides reason for optimism. Dr. Blakely informed the audience that Clinical Integration would help improve patient care, would enable joint contracting and, through this special HNP initiative, make Electronic Health Records accessible and affordable for physicians to adopt.

Throughout the day, participants had the opportunity to learn more during breakout sessions held in smaller groups. These breakouts included such diverse topics as staff motivation, OSHA Compliance, implementing an EMR from the practice perspective, employment law, managing numbers, and a demo from the founder of eClinicalWorks. Practice Managers and Physicians left the program with a heightened awareness of the avenues to success in running a thriving practice.