Medical-Surgical Dermatology Case Study

"You think Infor-Med CEO, Richard Low, MD is fixated with Praxis…? Praxis is my life and my obsession!"

EMR Decision

Why use an EMR?

I decided on an EMR because it meant no more paper charting for my practice. Now, I can always find the patient information I am looking for with ease. I look at the records, and see what I want to see. I have also become very organized -using Praxis EMR has made it all possible.

Decision for Praxis (current v3.5 user):

When I switched over from paper-based records, I searched for many dermatologic specific EMRs. The needs of Dermatology and EMRs are very specific; one needs the ability to draw, annotate, and scan diagrams easily into the system, as well as describe and interpret them. In fact, my old paper records are a collection of pictures and annotations. Among all of the various EMRs I researched, Praxis EMR gave me the best capability to scan in my diagrams and annotate them extensively. Thanks to Praxis EMR we don’t do paper anymore at my practice.

The Advantages of PRAXIS and Medical-Surgical Dermatology

More efficient transmission of tasks

Praxis Agents are amazing! All of my orders to nurses and staff are sent electronically and a record is kept in the chart. When I see a patient and want the patient to return for a procedure, I tell the nurse what to set up or do, so that when they open the chart the next time the patient comes, they see exactly what to do! This makes my practice extremely efficient.

"...the beauty is that the next time I see a similar patient, Praxis remembers everything, it does it all for me. No template system does this."

Easy follow-up notes

With the Praxis follow-up notes, I never forget patient procedures for subsequent visits. I can set a reminder to order a biopsy for the next patient visit, and Praxis reminds me as soon as I re-open the patient record. And, the beauty is that the next time I see a similar patient, Praxis remembers everything, and does it all for me. No template system does this. Ultimately, when a patient comes in, I know exactly what I am doing and the documentation is very easy. I am looking forward to upgrading to Version 4.0 so that I can post directly from my patient note to the billing software and eliminate paper superbills.

More resourceful workflow

Because I do not have to go into the system myself, Praxis has allowed me to redistribute the work load of my practice in a more efficient manner. I spend significantly less time searching through and for certain patient records. While this means that I now have an assistant scanning information into the system almost fulltime, this workflow redistribution also means that tasks that I traditionally had to complete myself, can be done by others. For example, I have my staff send my notes out to referring physicians so I do not have to type out or dictate a letter. I also can have them document and bill out the light and laser treatments. I supervise everything, but I can delegate the repetitive paperwork.

"I love the people at Infor*Med. They are always working to make Praxis better…I am in frequent contact with my trainer."

Flawlessly streamlined Prescriptions and Labs

All of my prescriptions are printed at the time I see the patient. I have a clear record of what I wrote for and how many refills were given. No calls from pharmacies that they could not read my writing. Praxis has a medication record so I can see what prescriptions were given over time, when they were stopped and why. No more searching through stacks of papers to know what I have done.

It is also great to get my Quest labs directly into my charts. I can send an agent for the nurses to call the patient with the results. I have a record of the lab and my action –all produced clearly and efficiently.

Customer Appreciation

I love the people at Infor*Med! They are always working to make Praxis better based upon feedback from their physicians. The online support is great. The technical staff gets back to me quicker than with phone calls and problems that come up are resolved quickly. I am in frequent contact with my trainer who helps me with questions that I and my staff have.

"I am very curious to see how the Knowledge Exchanger will respond to Dermatology… I am sure it will do far better than any canned Dermatological guideline."

I found that building an electronic knowledge base takes a lot of work, especially for Dermatology because so much of what I do is based on diagrammatic information. This means that I cannot hire just anyone to input information into the system – they have to be familiar with computers and learn how to use Praxis. I am very curious to see how the Knowledge Exchanger will respond to Dermatology… I am sure it will do far better than any canned Dermatological guideline!

Final Thoughts

Overall, for Dermatology, there is very little competition for Praxis EMR. Because of the Concept Processing technology, I am a better doctor, I am more thorough, and I practice better medicine. I have three nurses and a personal assistant; we all use Praxis and are fully integrated. You think Infor-Med CEO, Richard Low, MD. is fixated with Praxis…? Praxis is my life and my obsession!

"For Dermatology, there is very little competition for Praxis EMR. Because of the Concept Processing technology, I am a better doctor, I am more thorough, and I practice better medicine."