Tucson Plastic Surgery: Saving an Hour a Day and Cutting Checkout Time in Half

Learn benefits that one new plastic surgery practice gained by implementing the ModMed^® Plastic Surgery suite

BACKGROUND

At Tucson Plastic Surgery, the surgeons have advanced training and experience in restorative surgery for patients who are recovering from breast cancer or have genetic abnormalities. When Dr. Raman Mahabir and his wife started their own private practice, they wanted all-in-one plastic surgery software that would speed up documentation, increase mobility and handle billing seamlessly. 

Dr. Mahabir reviewed numerous EHR systems and discovered that ModMed^® Plastic Surgery offered everything he needed for his new private practice. He discusses what the experience has been like since implementing EMA^®, the award-winning^* plastic surgery EHR system, plus Practice Management (PM), ModMed Pay, Inventory Management and Patient Engagement tools from ModMed.

SAY GOODBYE TO CHARTING AFTER HOURS

Between my wife / practice partner and I, we had tried almost every EHR that was available for private practice. Once we saw EMA and the suite of products ModMed offered, we realized that we wouldn’t need any other patches. We could utilize the all-in-one solution versus having to implement disjointed systems from various vendors. ModMed had everything we needed to run our office, door to door, which is an amazing way to start a new practice.

With previous EHRs, I spent a lot of time after clinic and on weekends catching up on charts. Now, I spend time with my patients and by the end of the day, my charts are done. EMA easily saves me an hour a day compared to previous systems. While it might not be the least expensive software, my time is incredibly valuable, so it is absolutely worth it.

EMA was designed for plastic surgeons, and it learns my preferences, making documentation easy. It comes preloaded with chief complaints, diagnosis codes and treatment plans, but it’s also easily modifiable to your practice, your style and your techniques. The Protocols help save a tremendous amount of time and streamline things in a way that no other EHR was able to do for us. With one click of the appropriate Protocol, EMA generates the labs, consents, the clearance and the booking sheet for the OR.

The biggest differentiator is the ability to function on an iPad. When you sit in front of a computer and type on a keyboard, you’re distracted from the patient. EMA enables me to be much more mobile, and the app itself is incredibly responsive and powerful. For consults, you can take the patient’s photo, or utilize the 3D body illustration built in, and draw pictures on each to help explain the procedures. Then, you can save those drawings into the patient’s chart. That’s incredibly effective both for the patient but also for documenting the medical record.

EXCELLENT TRAINING AND ONGOING SUPPORT

Implementing ModMed was surprisingly easy. They have an amazing online university where our team participated in training sessions prior to go-live. By the time we were ready to go live, our staff were actually excited to use the software, which helped make for a smooth transition. We had a ModMed trainer come to our office when we went live, which was incredibly helpful.

The training experience provided us with a strong foundation, so we could spend our time with our trainer optimizing those workflows, creating Protocols, etc. After the first week, we were back to a normal pace. 

We also appreciate the ongoing support we continue to receive and that they’re so responsive to feedback. ModMed is big enough that they can accommodate large practices, but they’re small enough that they’re still attentive to small practices. I got to meet the Associate Vice President of Support Services and our discussion made me realize that they read every single one of the tickets we submit, and they care about them. They really want to make the products better with each update.

When we see something that we need changed, like the FDA change to the way we have to report breast implants and risks, for example, ModMed was able to create a fix that was rolled out and built right into EMA. Those types of updates are crucial in making our day-to-day life better. 

A GREAT PATIENT EXPERIENCE

Our team loves the PM system and ModMed Pay. The ability to integrate and capture revenue cycle data along with the reporting and Analytics is incredibly valuable. We’ve literally cut the time in half that it takes to check out a patient. That’s more time that my staff can spend face to face with the patient and making sure they had a great experience. 

ModMed facilitates communication with patients and gives us the ability to set the level of communication we want via Patient Reminders and the Patient Portal, for example. Patients frequently comment on how great their experience was, and that never comes down to one thing. It’s not just the physician, or the MA, or the coffee in the lobby. It’s the whole experience, including the technology. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about, a great patient experience.  

THINK BIG. HAVE FUN. DO GOOD.

What I observed by attending ModMed’s user conference, MOMENTUM, is that the people who work at ModMed seem happy. I feel that’s incredibly important because they love their job, they love what they do, they love their clients and want us to succeed. That goes a long way. 

The statements and conclusions contained herein reflect the opinions of Dr. Raman Mahabir 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. Dr. Mahabir serves on the ModMed Plastic Surgery Customer Advisory Board.

*2023 Black Book
©2023 Modernizing Medicine, Inc.

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