Using an EHR to Expand Your Urgent Care Practice

In a world where you have to document in a specific way, one should take advantage of the data accumulated in the EHR to accentuate your practice.

1. Auto fax all appropriate documentation to the primary care provider or appropriate specialist the patient has been referred to: a) PCP will consider you an adjunct to their practice rather than competition; b) encourage the PCP to send patients to the UC rather than the ED, if they are confident of your capacity and capabilities; c) create a specialist list that wants and appreciates your business; d) patients will appreciate the cohesiveness of care without having to repeat more tests and spending excess time explaining what might have happened.
2. Select an EHR that gives condensed summary of events rather than 10-15 pages that nobody will read.
3. Use your practice management reports to keep track of where your patients are coming from: walk-in, after hour referral, overflow referral, Google search.
4. At the end of every quarter send every referral provider a report of how much business you are sending and/or returning to them.  Most surgical specialists do not realize the direct impact you may have on their bottom line.  This can dramatically help when favors are needed that do not necessarily have to be solved in the ED.
5. Your practice management system's ability to keep up with real-time authorization, coverage, co-pays, and payments dramatically speed up the front-desk leading to more satisfied customers.  If one can eliminate 15-20 minutes of the office visit, which is a great bonus and encourages repeat business.

Conclusion- make sure to purchase a software suite (Practice management and documentation) that improves your bottom line!