Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/956253
22 Executive Briefing Sponsored by: T echnology is one of the biggest complexities and costs for physician practices. The cost of running efficient, effective and compliant medical practices has become challenging for solo practitioners, small groups and even large groups across the country, driving consolidation among specialists, including gastroenterologists. Gastroenterologists need sophisticated technology to meet regulatory requirements and support business growth in today's healthcare environment. As GI practices look to improve daily practice efficiencies while also planning for long-term success, technology platforms play a key role in helping an organization to flourish financially and operationally. "You have to have good technology and a product that responds well, innovates and continues to improve," says Arnold Levy, MD, an advisor for Modernizing Medicine. "Then your staff will have a much better work experience which will result in improved job performance because you've provided them with the tools to do their jobs more effectively." A strong technology partner makes it easier for gastroenterologists to confidently set on a path to success for the future. gMed, a Modernizing Medicine company, is GI specific and can therefore equip GI practices with the right technology to position their organizations for better patient care, enhanced profitability and future growth. This article describes how gMed's technology helps GI groups support business growth, enhance practice management, improve employee experience and add value to the overall patient experience. How technology supports growth Dr. Levy knows firsthand the unique challenges GI practices face when integrating with new groups through merger or acquisition while also maintaining daily operations. Dr. Levy co-founded Washington, D.C.-based Capital Digestive Care and spent the last decade growing the group into a 60-physician, 300 employee organization. The group was a merger of 7 practices and presently has 18 office sites and 8 ASCs – with plans to continue growing in the future. Patient record integration, interoperability between locations, workflow efficiencies and data gathering for quality reporting pose difficult challenges for GI practices as they become larger and larger organizations. When Dr. Levy and his partners began to grow Capital Digestive Care, the group implemented gMed's gGastro, a customizable EHR solution with integrated practice management software, to keep track of patient records and, ultimately, improve patient care. Practice physicians also use gMed's Endoscopy Report Writer, a documentation software that streamlines the integration of clinical notes and images directly into the EHR thereby meeting Meaningful Use stage 2 requirements. "The entire suite of gMed products allows GI groups to do things better clinically and businesswise, resulting in a better experience across the board for patients, employees and providers," says Dr. Levy. "gMed has the best GI product on the market and the company is not sitting still; further product enhancements and improvements are on the way." Practices can implement either a server-based or cloud- based version of gGastro, with intuitive functions designed to reduce the number of clicks to navigate from one screen to the next. "The number of clicks is important when considering how physicians and staff members move from point A to point B," says Dr. Levy. "You want to minimize the number of clicks it takes to get through the EHR and move through the office visit note as fast as possible." He has seen the gMed suite grow over time to support long-term growth as well as optimize daily tasks and revenue cycle management. The suite's Nursing Notes are also fully integrated in the gGastro platform to promote efficient data exchange between offices and visits — an imperative for multifacility organizations. The tools comply with hospital and community information exchanges, allowing clinicians to provide a high level of care from a variety of settings. After the patient visit, providers can use gCharge, embedded in gMed's practice management software, to enter charges at the point of care through mobile devices. The charges are immediately submitted to billing to reduce errors and shorten the billing cycle. Efficient data gathering, benchmarking and quality reporting Besides supporting GI practices' daily and long-term business needs, gMed's technology platform helps How the Right Technology Platform Can Support GI Practice Growth and Patient Experience