EHR System Offers Charting At The Touch Of A Screen

An emerging electronic health records (EHR) system allows busy podiatrists to document patient encounters and their treatment schedule in one portable package.

The MediTouch^® EHR comes preloaded with findings specific to the foot and ankle so one can start charting on the first use, according to the manufacturer HealthFusion. The company says the system also has a durable medical equipment (DME) auto-split feature so one does not need to create duplicate claims to bill for service and DME.

In addition, HealthFusion notes the MediTouch permits fast and easy upload of photos with the MediDraw. The company says one can snap a picture of clinical exam findings with a smartphone or iPad, send it directly to the patient chart and then draw directly on the photo using a fingertip or mouse.

HealthFusion notes the system is compatible with tablet computers so one can chart completely while in the exam room and maintain patient interaction.

Richard Lizerbram, DPM, notes the staff can input the patient complaint into the EHR, letting him organize the treatment on his iPad. For example, if the complaint is plantar fasciitis, he can have staff take X-rays while he is treating another patient. Then he can read the X-rays on his iPad before going in with that patient.

“In other words, it gives more ability to triage,” he says.

Another example, according to Dr. Lizerbram, is that all chart information is available at a touch so there is no asking for copies of labs, X-rays or reports. His staff can do more of the basic charting for him, including inputting orders and e-prescribing at his direction. When he opens a patient encounter, MediTouch displays any alerts his staff wants him to be aware of.

With the MediTouch, Dr. Lizerbram notes he can customize most of the EHR sections for the way he practices. He says the system alerts him to missing Meaningful Use or Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) data. The device updates itself for free, the cost is lower than or commensurate with other EHR systems and includes free services that cost extra with other systems, according to Dr. Lizerbram, a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, who is in private practice at Silverman-Lizerbram Podiatry Centers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

MediTouch works wherever one has a Wi-Fi connection and Dr. Lizerbram says he can use it to check his schedule and prescribe from his iPhone.

There were some early disadvantages that Dr. Lizerbram says HealthFusion quickly corrected. The company added a field to enter the last visit by a MD/DO in the encounter so it would automatically appear on the claim, which he says saves time. He notes the company considers all suggestions for improvements and implements them as needed.

HealthFusion notes MediTouch is the only EHR system that has the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) Seal of Acceptance and the company is an APMA Corporate Partner.