MedePresence practice management software was first
developed for M&M Orthotics & Prosthetics Centers in Las
Vegas. Paul Laria, director of orthotics for M&M, and
Jenefer Edelen, M&M’s billing specialist, were instrumental
in developing clinical and financial systems for the
program.
Kris Madsen is the owner of M&M, and her husband, David
Dugan, founded MedePresence in 2002 and have since expanded
the software to encompass other medical specialties.
What sets MedePresence apart, according to Mark McNeill,
vice president of marketing and sales, is that “MedePresence
is the only solutions provider that not only offers a
customized EMR and practice management system for the O&P
market, but also one that offers value-added business
services. We offer a total package, a soup-to-nuts solution
for the O&P practitioner."
Additional offerings include billing and collections,
insurance authorizations, verification and explanation of
benefits and chart editing and transcription. MedePresence
also provides marketing creative services, including Web
site development, and the ability to create brochures and
business cards.
MedePresence consists of a full complement of patient,
clinical and administrative management tools, including
patient scheduling and registration, electronic medical
records, billing and financial management.
Roy Riding, CO, is owner of Red River Orthotic
Specialists in Shreveport, La. Riding recently established
his business after 10 years as director of O&P at the
Shriners Hospital for Children in Shreveport.
He has been using MedePresence software and billing
services since August 2005. “We had used electronic
recordkeeping at Shriners, so I found the transition fairly
easy,” he notes.
“And once the initial setup is done, it’s much less
expensive than hiring billing personnel. I like that
everything is electronic; it makes us automatically HIPAA
compliant.” Riding has used MedePresence marketing services
as well, both for creating brochures and developing a Web
site.
McNeill highlighted several features of the MedePresence
system: Expedited billing. According to McNeill, many
practices are able to bill patients for their share of the
cost before they even leave the office, as a result of
MedePresence’s insurance authorization service and Quick
Bill, its proprietary billing program built into the
software.
As the practitioner works with the patient, he or she
enters information into the system, which is automatically
sent to the front office or billing manager for processing.
The software calculates what percentage of the bill will
be assigned to the insurer and how much is the patient’s
personal responsibility, generates an invoice and, once
paid, a receipt.
Digital
tablets:
MedePresence generates authorization and compliance forms
for patients, who can digitally sign the documents using an
electronic tablet. Not only does this eliminate the need for
paper, it stores the information securely and makes it
easily accessible in the event of an audit.
Practitioners can also use electronic pen tablets for
making clinical notes, as well as the traditional keyboard.
Some practitioners dictate notes to create audio files,
which are then transcribed and entered into the patient
record.
Patient registration options. MedePresence offers several
ways for patients to register. In addition to traditional
paper registration, patients can use a wireless pen tablet,
which electronically captures the information for immediate
input into the system.
Riding says, “If you do clinics or hospital visits, it’s
really convenient to register patients with the pen tablet
and you don’t have to carry around a lot of paperwork.”
Patients can also register from home using the Internet,
which saves time and inconvenience on the initial visit.
McNeill says, “We focus on obtaining accurate demographic
and insurance information so that claims can be processed
more quickly and with fewer denials.”
Auto
Notes:
This feature, exclusive to MedePresence, helps
practitioners construct various
sections of progress notes by creating full sentences and
paragraphs based on information entered by the patient and
from the physical exam. This both saves time and ensures
that documentation is complete.
MedePresence also offers the Progress Notes Composer
Tool. With a single click, practitioners can compose a
patient’s entire progress note in a format that can be used
for clinical correspondence and insurance claims. Notes can
be e-mailed or printed as needed.
Exam templates:
Based on the patient’s diagnosis, MedePresence displays
templates for orthotists and prosthetists to record
measurements and other data. A screen for work in progress
displays the status of each task, showing what has been
completed and what remains to be done.
Financial Dashboard:
This screen allows practice managers to access and
analyze financial
information, from the status of a single payment to total
revenues by insurance company, referring physician or other
sources.
A modular
system:
MedePresence offers a number of options for the O&P
practice, including an introductory package that includes
scheduling, registration and Quick Bill financials.
“We can always add the exam templates when the practitioner
is ready for them,” explains McNeill. “It streamlines the
process without forcing practitioners to learn a whole new
system.”
Practitioners can also buy software separately from such
additional services as billing and financial management,
insurance authorizations and verification and explanation of
benefits, although McNeill believes that practices will
realize the greatest benefit from a more inclusive package.
He says, “By providing billing services and doing insurance
authorizations for our customers, we can remove a heavy
administrative burden from them, help them reduce their
costs and allow practitioners to focus more on their
patients.”
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