Primary care practice finds a complete EHR solution

Several years ago, the Avenel Iselin Medical Group (AIMG), which had served as a primary care group in New Jersey since 1956, decided to expand its medical services. AIMG incorporated several specialty physicians into its practice, along with diagnostic services, to offer patients comprehensive medical care under one roof.

AIMG's Marc Mayer, DO and managing partner, knew that the practice would need to leverage electronic medical records and electronic prescribing in order to maintain a high level of medical service as the practice grew. He headed up a search committee within the practice and they ultimately selected the CGM APRIMA EHR and Practice Management solution. The practice went live with CGM APRIMA in 2007.

In the years since, CGM APRIMA has helped AIMG improve the quality of care they deliver to their patients:

• Health Maintenance tracking provides timely follow-up
• Electronic Orders and Results help ensure nothing is missed
• eRx and Drug Interaction help avoid negative interactions

After implementing CGM APRIMA as the EHR for this primary care practice, Dr. Mayer found it to be "intuitive, flexible, and responsive."

Faster charting and note documentation

Dr. Mayer's older patients typically have recurring visits every three to four months.

Using CGM APRIMA's time-saving follow-up slider feature, the doctor can document recurring visits more quickly. This enables him to spend more quality time with patients. He can also check for health maintenance issues and test results and order prescription refills—all before his patients make it back to the front desk to check out.

Dr. Mayer uses CGM APRIMA EHR and Practice Management to quickly categorize each patient by care group. This is a huge benefit for a multi-specialty, primary care practice medical group like AIMG.

"With CGM APRIMA, our providers are able to document encounters using their individual, preferred methods such as voice recognition, point-and-click, typing, inking, etc," said Dr. Mayer.

Easy-to-use EHR solution

Providers at AIMG frequently use tablets to access and update patient health records. The practice has 20 tablets for use both inside and outside the office to capture and retrieve patient data. One of the most valuable aspects of the CGM APRIMA EHR solution for AIMG is the fact that it is so easy to use on their preferred devices.

As a result, CGM APRIMA has helped increase the quality of life for Dr. Mayer and other providers at AIMG by:

• Improving workflow and efficiency
• Providing physicians with the flexibility to leave the clinic, while staying connected and productive

"With CGM APRIMA on my iPad, I'm able to get into our in-house server securely, even from the rainforests of Brazil!" Dr. Mayer said.

Additionally, he appreciates that CGM APRIMA EHR and Practice Management is designed to follow the physician's preferred workflow instead of making people change the way they practice:

• Adaptive Learning discovers and adapts to the user's preferences—no special programming required
• Intelligent Navigation seems to read the user’s mind; the system presents clinically relevant findings based on presenting symptoms, diagnosis code, and the user's preferred treatments

Better collections

With CGM APRIMA as its EHR, AIMG can better document the proper level of each visit. By using more accurate coding, this primary care practice has achieved better collections. Additionally, the practice experiences smooth audits, and they're comfortable thanks to the level of accuracy CGM APRIMA delivers.

Dedicated EHR service and support

CompuGroup Medical worked closely with AIMG to help them meet NCQA eligibility standards, so the practice could achieve Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Level 3 status. This has been a tremendous financial boost for the practice.

AIMG has found a trusted partner in CompuGroup Medical, one committed to evolving with the needs of a growing primary care practice and keeping up with regulatory demands.

"CGM continues to support our practice and is in touch with what we need," Dr. Mayer said. "I'm pleased that CGM has designated specific people to support the reporting aspect of the PCMH program. The reports are vital in assuring that we get paid properly."

Dependable technology partner for a growing primary care practice

Today, a total of 11 providers and one clinical support professional at AIMG use CGM APRIMA on a daily basis. Dr. Mayer credits CGM APRIMA for helping AIMG as the practice expanded. He advises other practices considering EHR solutions to scrutinize the integrity of the company providing the solution.

"The question to ask is: Will they help make you successful? That's what I gained from CGM APRIMA," Dr. Mayer said. "The results are worth it."

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