Primary Care of the Treasure Coast

In 2004, Primary Care of the Treasure Coast (PCTC), a 10-physician practice, hired Michael Luton as its new CEO. According to Luton, his experience implementing electronic medical record (EMR) systems was one of the primary reasons he was hired. He set up an aggressive EMR training schedule, and PCTC went live with eClinicalWorks EMR in August 2005.

Dr. Dennis Saver helped Luton spearhead the system's implementation. Having seen demonstrations of EMRs at tradeshows, Saver had been interested in getting a system in place for about 10 years but hadn't found the right system or sufficient resources. "I thought, electronic records are the future," said Saver. For Saver, resources that could help the health care team manage their patients' chronic diseases were among the most important features of an EMR system.

"With the [EMR], a query could show me all [of my patients] who have diabetes who are taking a certain medication," Saver said. "That's basically impossible with paper charts. [To me,] that's the most exciting part."

For practices considering buying an EMR system, Saver recommends using resources available from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) to help map out an implementation plan. According to Saver, knowing the wrong way to decide on a system is as important as learning the right way to make the decision. "Don't just go with the cheapest [system or] the slickest salesman, or blindly [follow] a consultant," Saver said.

Also, expect the process to be time-consuming. "It's a long-haul proposition," said Saver. Selecting an EMR system for PCTC took about 18 months. Before deciding on eClinicalWorks, Saver visited several practices that were using his top two choices to see the systems in action.

Even though an EMR offered the possibility of significantly improving patient care, some of the physicians and staff of PCTC had to be convinced. "Change is hard," Saver said. To get buy-in before implementing an EMR system, he recommended getting physicians and staff involved in the selection process when possible.

For example, initially a few PCTC physicians were nervous about transitioning to electronic records because they lacked the necessary computer skills. To help these reluctant physicians feel more comfortable with the transition to an EMR and to give them an opportunity to express their concerns, Saver and Luton made sure the physicians reviewed the EMRs that were being considered for the practice. Ultimately, said Luton, "[The physicians] who were most reluctant at first, ended up liking [the new EMR] the best."