Family Practice Partners

When Family Practice Partners, a four-physician office in Tennessee, decided to implement an electronic medical record (EMR) system in 2000, the practice joined the Practice Partner Research Network (PPRNet). This network, overseen by the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), has developed its own proprietary EMR system.

Family Practice Partners’ staff was receptive to the new system, and the transition to using an EMR was generally smooth. However, said Dr. Susan Andrews, one of the practice’s physicians, “any time you [implement an EMR], you have a lot to do.” Glitches popped up initially, but since 2000, many of those early problems have been addressed. Practices that buy an EMR now should benefit from cleaner, more proven applications, according to Andrews.

Initially, the biggest benefit of going electronic was transcription efficiency. “Transcription is expensive,” said Andrews. “With [the EMR], we save about three times as much as it would cost to send our tapes to a transcription service.” Having an EMR system in place also allowed the practice to bring their billing in-house.

The practice anticipated the EMR’s usefulness, but the increase in productivity that resulted from using the system surpassed the staff’s expectations. All of the PPRNet practices submit reports and are ranked on the basis of approximately 50 quality indicators related to efficiency and quality of care. “At first, we were rated at 55 percent,” said Andrews. “We thought, ‘We can do better than that.’”

By reevaluating and ramping up their use of the EMR, Family Practice Partners was able to improve to a ranking in the top 10 percent of PPRNet practices within one year. In fact, the practice has received PPRNet’s Best Practice Award for the last four years.

Andrews continues to be impressed with the advanced features of PPRNet’s EMR system, such as the ability to provide online house calls around the world, access to a broad range of patient education resources, patient self-monitoring capabilities and a Spanish-English translation feature.

What is Andrews’ advice to physicians who might be hesitant to switch to an EMR? “Number one – do it!” Andrews said. “If used properly, it can end up improving your bottom line and the quality of your practice.”