Care Beyond Your Clinic Walls

digiChart has empowered Dr. Kelly Shanahan to balance life as a solo physician. Before implementing the EHR, it was very difficult to manage patients when traveling away from the office. Because digiChart is an Internet-based application, Dr. Shanahan can access records from anywhere and handle any issues. Since implementing digiChart, Dr.Shnahan has traveled to China, Africa, Chile and Malaysia, keeping up and communicating with her patients and staff when necessary. She no longer worries about leaving her practice. digiChart is allowing Dr. Shanahan enjoy a lifestyle she couldn’t have before going to an EHR.

It is not just about 24x7 access for the physicians at Women Physicians Associates OB/GYN. It is much more than that. Before implementing digiChart, clinicians had to stay late to dictate at the end of the day, they often could not find charts and tasking others was completely a paper-driven process. Now, every chart is created, changed and housed in digiChart’s system. Patient information moves to the right person for action. Time at the hospital or elsewhere is used efficiently, reviewing a task or a patient’s request. What does all of that easy access really mean? Time at ballet practice, on the soccer field, at home to put children to be or relaxing with friends.

Forest Women’s Center used another company’s EHR for 5 years, but the software did not meet the clinicians’ needs as specialists. digiChart’s complete focus on OB-GYN helps the practice enjoy an ROI unattainable from their first EHR. digiChart’s “Software as a Service” technology architecture means the practice no longer invests in expensive servers, data backup solutions or additional IT staff. Records are completely safe and stored in digiChart’s disaster-proof facilities. In addition to these quantifiable gains, the practice has seen many “soft” ROI benefits. It is difficult to put an exact value on the freedom and flexibility afforded by having 24x7 access to records, but providers can leave minutes after seeing their last patient and never here the dreaded words “Where is that chart?”

Before digiChart was implemented, the practice tried to have weekly reviews of high risk pregnancies. If charts could be located, the clinicians could talk through the issues and share the paper chart. Since digiChart was implemented, this meeting has changed considerably, because physicians simply bring up each woman’s chart on their tablet PCs as each case is discussed. They can see updated information and now rather than wasting time finding or repeating information, the clinicians can immediately have a meaningful and decisive conversation about each case. The practice can discuss more patients, reduce liability risks and improve care with this innovative and productive way of working with partners and colleagues on high risk issues.

As one of the busiest and largest practices in northeast Texas, Tyler OB-GYN struggled in the past to keep up with paper charts, constantly pulling and misplacing records. digiChart changed that and more. Now, records are always available and current, but moreover, internal and external communication is seamless and more efficient. Patients benefit because their records are always legible, and they receive faster responses to their questions and requests. Finally, an unexpected benefit of implementing digiChart was conducting a full IT inventory review. Tyler OB-GYN is now in full control of their technical environment and can better manage their assets, saving them money each year.