Drchrono releases app so doctors can get their moolah

The mobile EMR platform also releases a study finding doctors save 62 minutes a day with EMR

If you’re a healthcare practitioner, switching over to electronic medical records (EMR) seems like a no-brainer.  You save time, money, filing-cabinet space, and you pocket something like $44,000 through Meaningful Use (MU) certification.  And yet…there are those few that remain stubbornly grounded in their ways.  They won’t after checking out a new survey released Thursday by mobile EMR platform drchrono, which found that 75% of physician respondents said they’ve achieved major efficiency gains by switching over to electronic medical records. 

So to help the remaining stragglers get on board, drchrono has launched an iOS app to automate the Meaningful Use sign-up and compliance process for medical practitioners.  The app breaks Meaninful Use sign-up into a simple step-by-step process so that health practitioners can sign up instantly. 

App features include a real-time dashboard on the iPad, real-time MU qualification checking for each patient appointment, an itemized list of data points that count toward Meaningful Use, a checklist validation tool, and faster pay from Meaningful Use incentives via the iPad.

Interestingly, however, drchrono’s survey found that the vast majority of healthcare practitioners surveyed (77%) said that Meaningful Use incentives were not their primary reason for adopting electronic medical records.  Instead, survey participants cited other reasons for adopting EMR, including increased efficiency and better patient care.  Increased operational efficiency was the most commonly cited benefit of switching to EMR, with reduced paperwork coming in second.

Of the 1,300 physicians surveyed, fully 82% said that patient feedback on their EMR has been positive.  Survey respondents saved an average of 62 minutes per day—or 10% of their day—using EMR. 

“The real measurement of success for EMRs should be about efficiency gains in doctors’ time, so they can focus on seeing more patients and spend more time with them to ultimately raise the standard of care that is provided. It shouldn’t be about just billing more hours for the sake of increasing revenue,” said drchrono co-founder and CEO Michael Nusimow, in a statement. “We fielded this survey to highlight the importance of incorporating EMRs in medical practices, and we wanted to point out that EMRs can help limit the high volume of paperwork that comes with every medical appointment and give doctors more time to focus on the number one priority – the patient.”

Drchrono has been making big strides to make the switch over to EMR as easy and desirable for healthcare practitioners as possible.  In June, the platform began automating insurance checks to cut down on billing errors, and it also integrated Square, allowing doctors to keep patient payments and information all in one spot.

Drchrono’s mobile EMR platform faces some steep competition from the likes of Practice Fusion, as well as CareCloud, which raised $20.1 million in a Series A round last year.  

Drchrono is rising up in the EMR ranks.  The company has made a name for itself as the first major mobile EMR platform, allowing medical practitioners to check patients in, access patient records, send images and reports to other specialists, and make notes all from their iPad.  In June, drchrono integrated Square to allow doctors to charge patients via an iPad, thereby keeping patient records and payments all in one spot, rather than manually re-entering information.

The Y Combinator graduate has raised $4.13 million since launching in early 2011.

Image source: cio.com