Peter Matsuura, MD Reduces Payment Times and Improves Work-Life Balance by Switching to ModMed Orthopedics

Learn how one orthopedic practice switched its technology systems and improved work-life balance while improving operations.

BACKGROUND

Peter A. Matsuura, MD, with over 30 years of medical experience, opened his orthopedic practice in Hilo, Hawaii in 1996. He provides a full range of orthopedic care, from diagnosis and personalized treatment plans to surgery, recovery and rehabilitation.

Dr. Matsuura and his staff grew increasingly frustrated with their previous EHR system. It became very clunky and made it difficult to keep up with government mandates that were constantly changing. Dr. Matsuura consistently worked through lunch and spent hours after work catching up on paperwork.

He wasn’t focused on finding a new EHR during his time at an orthopedic conference, but he stopped by the ModMed booth. When he saw the capabilities that EMA^®, ModMed’s EHR system, offered, he quickly realized it was the right system at the right time. Dr. Matsuura shares how implementing ModMed^® Orthopedics has improved efficiencies and saved time.

SAVING 1-2 HOURS DAILY

EMA is a very powerful tool. I love using it on an iPad because it’s so quick, and I can tap my way through an exam with my finger. I’ve also implemented Nuance, the dictation software, which has made me more efficient.

We see between 30 to 50 patients daily and I used to stay after hours completing charts. With EMA, I can leave the office at the same time as my last patient, and my notes are done, saving me at least one to two hours per day. EMA is faster than our previous EHR and automatically suggests the billing codes based on my documentation, helping me miss fewer things than before.

Since switching to ModMed, I’m happier because I can spend more time getting to know the patients and less time on documentation. We can also tell the patients like it because we have excellent patient satisfaction scores.

RECEIVING PAYMENTS IN REDUCED TIME

After our positive experience with EMA, we adopted ModMed’s Practice Management platform to have one integrated solution, which was the best decision. We’ve been able to reduce operating staff, and we’ve experienced a faster revenue cycle. 

Previously, we told our biller they had 36 to 48 hours to process a claim. Now, claims are sent on the same day. With our old system, we generally received payments in about two weeks. With ModMed’s PM, we generally receive payments in about seven days, which is half the time. 

EXPANDING BEYOND THE EHR

In addition to improved billing, our staff can multitask in incredible ways because they work in an all-in-one system. During COVID, some students didn’t return to the mainland for college, so we hired them as part-time receptionists to cover the registration process. When they finally did go back to school, we didn’t need to hire additional staff. Instead, we utilized ModMed^® Kiosk for patient check-in, which helped streamline the entire process. 

My wife is the practice manager and she utilizes the Analytics platform to run reports that help us better understand how we’re performing as a business and focus on the areas we need to improve. It gives us a lot of confidence to have that reportable structured data at our fingertips to help us become more successful. It’s like we don’t even realize we’re creating or innovating, but with the help of ModMed, we are finding solutions and better ways of doing things to improve our practice operations.

To learn more about the products Dr. Peter Matsuura discussed, please request a demo at modmed.com/orthopedics or call 561.235.7503.

The statements and conclusions contained herein reflect the opinions of Dr. Peter Matsuura and not those of ModMed. ModMed makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy of any such information. Results may vary depending on medical practice size, product usage and other variables.