Neurological Services of Orlando is poised to roll out a Web-based neurology-specific electronic health record system developed by Waiting Room Solutions (WRS) based in Goshen, N.Y.
Neurological Services of Orlando was established eleven years ago. The practice is made up of one nurse practitioner and four physicians, each of which have a different specialty within the neurology field.
Specialties include multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, sleep disorders and memory testing. The practice sees both office and hospital patients five days per week.
Neurological Services of Orlando has a unique clinical setup. A wide variety of services are provided to patients, from basic appointments to testing. The practice describes itself as a manually intensive practice based on paper, but through the implementation of the WRS electronic health record and practice management system, the practice plans to develop more efficient, electronic methods of operation.
The 2011 Waiting Room Solutions Web Based EHR and Practice Management System V4.0 has earned its designation as a fully CCHIT Certified 2011 Ambulatory EHR with an additional certification for Child Health and a four-star rating for usability.
The system received these certifications after undergoing testing to inspect the integrated functionality, interoperability, security and usability of the EHR. Additionally, the Waiting Room Solutions EHR and PM prepares practices to meet the "meaningful use" criteria as outlined by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Meeting these requirements will allow practices to be eligible to receive government incentives under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA).
The Waiting Room Solutions Neurology EHR and PM has been specially designed to offer solutions for the charting and management needs of a neurology practice, say WRS executives. The WRS system provides a wide range of features such as lab interfaces with Quest, Labcorp and others, PQRI Medicare incentives, e-prescribing, and an order tracking system.
Neurology-specific features include EMG interface, CT and MRI interface, medical device integration, and standardized neurology procedure notes. The software contains neurology CPT codes and ICD-9 crosswalks, neurology templates and comprehensive clinical content for quick charting. There are neurology templates for epilepsy, headache, stroke, Botox injections, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, vertigo and seizures.
WRS executives say that through the implementation of the Waiting Room Solutions Neurology EHR and PM, the practice will be able to reduce its dependence on manual labor. To lessen the responsibilities of the front office, the software includes an automated appointment reminder system.
The system delivers an automated phone call and e-mail to patients both when they schedule appointments and 24 hours prior to the appointment, reducing no-shows. The technology will also help reduce manual labor by reducing the amount of paper documents handled by the practice.
"Neurological Services of Orlando is a multi-physician practice which handles a high volume of patients and offers a large variety of services," said Jeff Hirsch, COO of Waiting Room Solutions. "Through the implementation of our EHR and PM software, we hope that the practice will be able to reduce the labor necessary to maintain such a busy and diverse practice."
