The Situation
Starting a new practice in a new community has its challenges for any physician, but for Dr. Asim Salim, a pediatrician in Brantford, Ontario, one thing was certain – to manage his new practice, he needed an EMR system right from the start.
Dr. Salim established his Brant County doctor's office in early 2007 after practicing in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia for many years. He deals with the usual childhood-related illnesses, but has a special interest in pediatric gastrology, constipation and intestinal conditions. Every year, the doctor currently sees close to 4,000 patients, with an age range from newborn to 18 years.
The Challenge
Dr. Salim’s first task in setting up his Ontario practice was to look for an EMR and practice management system that would work for him and his administrative staff. He had a clear understanding of the benefits because he had used a few EMR systems during his career.
"I am not new to EMR," says Dr. Salim. "My goal was to find a solution that would fit my specific needs, was affordable and easy to use. I knew that I could not operate without one. To run a successful office, I had to be organized and efficient, and streamline not only the clinical but also the business aspects of my practice."
Because of his specialty, Dr. Salim often sees patients referred by family doctors and other pediatricians as far away as the Kitchener-Waterloo and Burlington-Hamilton regions. So, he was challenged to find a system that would provide seamless electronic communications among other practitioners and administrators.
The Solution
Before moving to Brantford, one of the systems Dr. Salim used during a locum in Toronto was ABELMed’s EHR-EMR/PM software.
"I really liked the system," says Dr. Salim. "I consider myself a fairly computer literate practitioner, and when I looked at some other systems, cosmetically, they all looked alike with similar functionality. ABELMed stood out for its workflow design, customization ability and deep practice management capabilities."
As a result, when it came time to select a solution for his own practice, Dr. Salim says ABELMed was natural fit. Not only did he like it and know how to use it, but he learned that the company has a record of providing physicians with state-of-the-art solutions and excellent customer support at a competitive price.
Another deciding factor was the way ABELMed licenses the software, adds Dr. Salim.
"ABELMed is very different from most of its competitors because it licenses the software per computer rather than per user. That was a significant advantage for me because I work with a lot of rotating medical students. This way I don’t have to worry about violating any agreements. I only have to purchase one or two extra licenses, which cuts down on the ongoing management and costs of running the system."
For Dr. Salim, ABELMed’s EHR-EMR/PM system also enhances patient care by increasing efficiency. He and his administrative staff have all become highly skilled at using the fully integrated features in ABELMed. For example, Dr. Salim can enter and send his consultation reports back to the referring doctor in other regions the same day that he sees the patient.
Billing efficiency is another benefit. The system handles billing through OHIP and insurance providers. Dr. Salim says that he likes that the software includes the standard Ministry billing codes and can also create custom billing code sets, which greatly reduces human error.
The Relationship
Dr. Salim and his staff have embraced ABELMed’s solution.
"Working with ABELMed’s support analysts to deploy and install the system ‘right off the shelf’ was very straightforward with no issues," he says. "But I know that if I do need support down the road, I can count on them to respond quickly. They understand that downtime is inefficient when running a medical practice."
The Result
Overall, Dr. Salim enjoys benefits from using ABELMed’s EMR both at work and at home. At work, its management tools help him to provide better patient outcomes and better parent education. At home, he gets a better quality of life.
"I can connect with the system securely from home and finish up a lot of charting online," he explains. "This gives me greater mobility, ease of use and the opportunity to be with my own family rather than staying late at the office to finish up all my charting."
In summary, since he started using ABELMed EHR-EMR/PM, Dr. Salim finds that he can use his time more efficiently, spending more time with patients and less time on administration overall. He also envisions continued innovation with the software and looks forward to the growth of the ABELMed’s EHR-EMR/PM system to manage his expanding practice.
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