e-MDs Solution Series

I operate a solo practice general surgery office with one surgeon and two employees in a small town in north central Mississippi. I have been using e-MDs Solution Series since 2001 when I completed my active duty service obligation in the US Army. Software has come a long way in that time frame. My server is local in my office, not off-site. I provide my own IT support as there is no reliable support of sufficient calibre in town to do so. I occasionally use outside internet based support when I need OS/Active Directory/DNS/etc... type support.

Upon leaving the US Army, I realized that electronic records were up and coming as the best means for documentation. I had no prior EMR experience, other than the CHCS system that was then in use in the DOD.

I have been diligent in keeping my system up to date with the latest version of e-MDs. I use iPad nMotion application for documentation of notes for patients seen out of office. as well as reviewing records/documents from prior visits. I use iPhone Rounds application to document billable procedures that I perform outside of my office. Both apps can be used to scribe electronically when needed. The iPhone app comes in handy after hours to document phone conversations with patients immediatly after the call has ended. In the office, I use a Windows 7 Pro tablet to document my notes with the main Solution Series applications.

Implementation initially was in 2001. I attended a two day training in Austin, TX where I learned both the charting and billing side of the software (Remember I was just in the US Army and had no billing experience, minimal coding experience). I hired a woman who had some billing experience from prior Family Medicine practice she had worked in. I taught her the Billing software mechanics. She taught me the coding/billing insurance processes. We were up and running in days and never looked back. I closed that initial practice and upon moving to my current location. I was able to set up the computer system, restore the database, and initially train two persons to use the software in the performance of their duties. I have had a few billing clerks over the last 10 years, and I and the outgoing clerk were able to train the incoming individual without difficulty. I actually can perform all the billing functions as needed when my clerk is absent (invoice generation, claim batch submission, posting of payments from insurance and patients, transfer of balances, statement creation, etc...)

The charting software is currently very customizable to anyone's practice. As a general surgeon, my charting needs are somewhat different from a primary care practice needs. The ability to create/edit templates to document the different sections of the note, makes note creation very easy. By having complete templates, I auto-prompt myself or remind myself to ask questions that I might have forgotten to ask otherwise.

Customer support has always been a strongpoint of the e-MDs company. I 'auto-triage' my support. Things that I need an answer to yesterday, are answered yesterday. Things that can wait, are submitted via the support forum and are answered in an appropriate amount of time. I also look for the answers to my questions prior to submitting the question.

Benefits are hard to quantify in terms of dollars and cents. I was able to successfully attest to meaningful use both in 2011 and 2012 by using the system. I don't spend rent money floor space for a chart room. I don't pay my staff to go find and retrieve physical medical records to bring to me for review/comment/entry, and then refile them. Paper work is not lost once entered into the chart.

This is my 2nd EMR/PM. Expect to invest time and $.

The previous reviewers are not wrong about this software, it does require many clicks to do anything, but it will function differently in different hands. I like having the option of modifying every piece of data in my note, through structured drop down menus. Others prefer to push every patient into a 1 click boilerplate MS word style template. Structured data will be required for HITECH. But eMDs does allow you to make 1 click templates with the structured data. Even then you can change any piece by clicking it right in the note.
PM component is very efficient compared to my prior (Acrendo's) software

I don't see how you could have better charting, If you dictated a note in the detail of this EMR note you would spend 2x as much time. But that won't happen out of the box. The first year will require many nights or weekends of template modifications to speed up your workflow.

I've used several Practice Management systems in the last 10 years and E-mds is the one I recommend to inquiring practices because of it's comprehensiveness and ease of use.

The system was a mediocre system. It does what's needed; however, administrative reports seem to be the best aspect of the EMR and do supersede other systems I've worked with.

The benefits are multiple, allows to program patients, equipment and personnel which can be a complex task, which makes a big difference in patient satisfaction. Likewise, you can have full control of EHR directly from the office or hosted in the cloud eMDs, the series of solutions works as a doctor thinks, and among other things, the Solution Series section is also known to be the leading system in capturing accurate clinical and billing data that supports the ability to make detailed quality reports and generate accurate claims.