AdvancedMD Implementation and Optimization - A Few Lessons

Due to no reason other than chance, Arrowwood Healthcare Consulting has become one of the leading consultancies in the nation for all things AdvancedMD. We've helped surgeons, psychologists, physician groups, and psychiatrists in all aspects of AdvancedMD implementation, optimization and consulting. 

Naturally, no EHR is perfect and each system has its pros and cons. We've also implemented many other EHRs such as Athena and eCW so we have some basis for comparison. Overall, AMD checks all the basic functions of a contemporary EHR - flexible schedules, patient engagement tools, telehealth, comprehensive clinical notes, HIE interfaces, pretty strong analytics, and a complete billing solution. Typically AMD offers these functions at a pretty attractive price, though naturally, each contract may differ. 

As is the case with many EHRs, the implementation process can be involved and time-consuming. While the vendor may claim they have out-of-the-box solutions, which they do, some of these solutions will require much adjustment. This mostly pertains to the setting up of clinical notes, patient flowsheets, patient forms and questionnaires, the setting up of reports, and end-user training. 

So lesson number I - spend time before the implementation to define what you need and try to be as detailed as possible. 

Lesson II - Test everything. Do not go live before conducting a comprehensive dress rehearsal involving all modules, including mundane and rudimentary modules such as prescription and lab orders. 

Lesson III -  Avoid some of the bells and whistles unless you really need them. For instance, designing patient summaries and note narratives can be highly time-consuming. So do not feel like you have to include every note field in your patient summaries. Limit the summary to the essentials. If you need to send a comprehensive note to an insurance company, use the PDF printout feature, even if it's not very pretty. The same applies to sub-notes. The more you design, the more you'll have to maintain. 

Lesson IV - Do not fear AdvancedInsight. It is a great reporting tool with wonderful data visualization features. It may take a few minutes initially to learn how to use it, but it's worth the investment!

We will be adding more lessons over time. One way to avoid the pitfalls of a complex implementation is to use the guidance of a third-party consulting like Arrowwood. 

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