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Why Automation is the Key to Financial Success in Your Practice
Healthcare professionals are all too familiar with the challenges that Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) have brought to physician morale over the past decade. With insurance regulations, value-based care initiatives, MIPS, MACRA, and other complex compliance requirements, many physicians feel overwhelmed by the growing demands of documentation, patient communication, and information sharing. These pressures are further compounded by the rising costs of staffing to manage these tasks. The equation remains simple: Time = Money. The more time spent on each task, the more expensive it becomes. And with increasing tasks, it may feel like running a medical practice is no longer sustainable.
One of the leading frustrations is the lack of understanding about your EMR’s full capabilities. Many physicians may hear, “My EHR can do this—can yours?” but don’t know if their system can offer the same benefits. This knowledge gap is often caused by insufficient training during the initial software implementation. It’s common to hear, “We were never told about that feature,” or “We opted out of training because it was too expensive.” From my experience working on hundreds of EHR implementations, most practices only utilize about 10% of their software’s capabilities right after training.
It’s crucial to acknowledge that complete mastery of your EHR is not achieved in one go. Especially if you’re relying on self-training or a basic implementation package, your practice likely missed key functionalities that could improve efficiency and reduce costs. As EHR vendors release multiple major updates each year, it’s vital to stay up-to-date and continuously improve your workflows. Many practices get so caught up in day-to-day operations that they forget to carve out time for ongoing education or system optimization.
Here’s how to bridge the knowledge gap and unlock the full potential of your EHR
▪ Conduct an annual review with your EHR vendor. This is an excellent opportunity to revisit the features and functionalities available in your system and stay informed of any new upgrades.
▪ Invest in continuing EHR education. Just like clinical education, it’s essential to keep up with your software’s evolution. Commit to yearly EHR training to stay sharp and ahead of the curve.
▪ Explore the system yourself. Set aside time to explore and “click around.” By casually discovering features, you may find tools that are already available but underutilized.
Now that you’ve become an expert user of your EHR, the next step is to leverage automation for operational efficiency. Automation isn’t just about reducing administrative burden—it can lead to significant improvements in care delivery and a boost in practice morale. When your EHR is truly working for you, it frees up your time, reduces errors, and makes your day-to-day operations more manageable.
In today’s healthcare landscape, efficiency is essential for financial success. 2023 MGMA data highlights the importance of technology in improving profitability. Practices that invested in automation had a much lower operational cost percentage and far higher revenue compared to those that didn’t. The most efficient practices operated with an average of 54.5% in operational costs and generated $1.19 million in gross revenue, compared to those with 60% operational costs and just $715,000 in revenue. The gap in revenue was over $475,000—proving that focusing on automation and streamlining operations is the key to staying competitive and profitable.
Key Takeaway: Investing in technology and automation is a game-changer for resolving frustrations and improving your practice’s financial health. While it’s not an instant fix, the rewards of embracing these tools will transform your practice into one of the top earners in your community while providing exceptional patient care.
Here are just a few automation features your EHR should offer to help increase efficiency and reduce costs:
Electronic Prior Authorization for Prescriptions:
Barcode Scanning for Immunizations:
Patient Portal History Questionnaires:
Robust Patient Check-in & Registration Kiosk:
Automated ERA & EFT Posting:
Automated ERA Denial Management:
Clinical Decision Support Alerts:
Automated Insurance Eligibility Checks:
Automated Claim Scrubbing:
Automated Patient Statement Delivery:
Lab Results Notification:
Integrated Credit Card Processing:
Prescription, Immunization, and Medical History Imports:
Patient Education Auto-Linking:
Voice Command Charting:
Artificial Intelligence Charting:
Shared Access with Other Facilities:
OCR Driver’s License & Insurance Card Scanning:
▪ Electronic Prior Authorization for Prescriptions: Get prior authorizations in under a minute.
▪ Barcode Scanning for Immunizations: Scan vaccine vials and automatically update immunization records with complete details.
▪ Patient Portal History Questionnaires: Allow patients to complete medical, family, and social histories before their visit through the portal.
▪ Robust Patient Check-in & Registration Kiosk: Allows New patients to complete the Check-In process with minimal staff intervention. Sign practice policies, enter demographics, select insurance, make payments, complete medical history, and more.
▪ Automated ERA & EFT Posting: Automatically post Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) and payments go directly to your bank account—no more paper checks.
▪ Automated ERA Denial Management: Categorize and queue line-item denials for review, reducing the time spent on clean payments.
▪ Clinical Decision Support Alerts: Automatically notify physicians and patients about overdue healthcare measures (e.g., well care visits, screenings, labs).
▪ Automated Insurance Eligibility Checks: Run eligibility checks nightly to ensure all scheduled patients are covered.
▪ Automated Claim Scrubbing: Predefine scrubbing rules to ensure claims don’t go out with coding errors.
▪ Automated Patient Statement Delivery: Batch, mail, and send patient statements electronically through the portal, with email & text reminders for payment.
▪ Lab Results Notification: Automatically notify patients when lab results are available through the portal.
▪ Integrated Credit Card Processing: Automate credit card processing after insurance payments with “card on file” to eliminate patient statements.
▪ Prescription, Immunization, and Medical History Imports: Import pharmacy prescription, immunization data, and medical history directly into patient records with the push of one button.
▪ Patient Education Auto-Linking: Automatically link educational materials to diagnoses and send them to patients via the patient portal.
▪ Voice Command Charting: Use voice commands to chart, document exams, and create plans during patient visits.
▪ Artificial Intelligence Charting: Leverage AI to fully document the visit plan and intelligently suggest, treatments, drugs and diagnostic tests that are appropriate for the patient.
▪ Shared Access with Other Facilities: Facilitate seamless data exchange with hospitals and other physician offices.
▪ OCR Driver’s License & Insurance Card Scanning: Scan insurance cards and Driver’s License to automatically populate demographics, member details and insurance carrier info.
By adopting these automation features, you can reduce inefficiencies, cut down on manual administrative tasks, and focus on providing high-quality care. In today’s fast-paced healthcare market, there’s no room for inefficiency. Automation isn’t just a tool for practice management; it’s a critical investment in your future success.
Ready to get started? Make 2025 the year you optimize your practice and set yourself on the path to greater financial success and improved patient care. Let’s make it happen!
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