With four locations, more than 400 employees (including 39 physicians, 42 PT/PTA/ATCs and 40 residents), and more than 9,000 clinic visits each month, Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics recognized that it might be time to move to an EMR system.  Recognizing the goal and then reaching it, however, was not a simple path.  Despite the government and media hype about EMRs, Campbell Clinic leadership was keenly aware of the reality that about half of all EMR installations fail.

The bottom line was to identify and implement a viable technology solution that digitizes patient records without disrupting the way our providers practice medicine.

As our search team began to preview EMRs through vendor presentations followed by site visits, it was immediately apparent that many of the products would seriously slow down the pace of our clinic.  The processes with many of the other software products seemed time-consuming and required extensive data capture that detracted from direct patient care.

We could not afford to be wooed by the bells and whistles of the feature-rich EMRs in the market today, delay implementation or risk failure as physicians learned to adapt to these systems.  We carefully assessed the practice’s immediate needs and sought a solution that would satisfy those needs, interface with existing software and upgrades and grow with the practice.  SRS Chart Manager™, an enterprise digital chart management and business workflow solution, proved to be the perfect fit.

Once the requisite hardware and software were installed, implementation was undoubtedly the next challenge. Keeping pace with the demanding schedule, our office team scanned charts for each physician for a 4-week period prior to the go-live date. Emergency or unscheduled appointments were handled on an as-needed basis. Yes, there was a bit of anxiety from our staff as we faced change and new technology, but as the implementation progressed, everyone was pleased at how smoothly the process unfolded.

Ease-of-use and training were serious considerations when we were making our software purchase decision.  We required a technology solution that could be readily accepted by a wide array of users who had varying degrees of computer skills and knowledge.  The software had to improve our efficiency throughout the enterprise, not impede it.  There is no downtime at Campbell Clinic. We could not close our doors for a protracted period of time while the majority of employees learned to use a new system. With SRS Chart Manager, training was minimal—less than half an hour for physicians and slightly longer for office staff.

The selection of an enterprise digital chart management and business workflow solution was a deliberate technology decision to avoid the pitfalls of other electronic medical record (EMR) products often experienced by colleagues:  slowing down physicians, causing frustration and compelling physicians to be data-entry clerks by forfeiting overall productivity.

Since implementation, three new physicians have been added to the practice roster and each easily adapted to SRS Chart Manager™.  Even staff members who balked at the notion of a new technology purchase have joined the ranks of committed supporters.  Staff turnover has been negligible in departments that strongly rely upon the software, with many claiming that they will never work without it.

While there are many intangible savings with our SRS purchase— increased office efficiency, improved response time for patients with clinical questions, greater access of patient information for physicians and staff, etc.—the operating cost savings for the first year of implementation and the projected operating cost savings over a five-year period speak volumes about our decision to go with SRS Chart Manager.