DALLAS – Physicians in small- to medium-sized practices are hesitant to embrace information technology, often because they think new solutions are too expensive and/or complicated to install. Houston-based Spring Medical Systems is out to change that perception.
Building on its SpringCharts, a CCHIT-certified electronic health record solution designed specifically for smaller physician practices, Spring Medical unveiled SpringReports at the Towards the Electronic Patient Record (TEPR) conference last May in Dallas. The HL7-compliant interface and data management tool delivers imaging reports and other text documents securely and directly to medical practices.
“Interoperability is one of the key unmet needs” of the small- to medium-sized practice, said Spring Medical CEO Jack Smyth, citing a study that indicated only about 8 percent of the nation’s practices have achieved full EHR adoption. “The biggest obstacle we face is getting doctors to make the move. Many are afraid to move into electronic healthcare.”
According to Smyth and Mark Benvegnu, Spring Medical’s vice president and chief strategy officer, SpringCharts costs somewhere between $3,500 and $7,000 per physician to implement, depending upon the size of the practice and the level of integration. Smyth said customers have reported saving thousands of dollars with the solution, as well as seeing 10 percent more patients and coding on an average of one level higher.
Smyth said some studies have suggested that it costs $32,000 to bring a physician’s office into the IT era. That number, he and Benvegnu said, is skewed by larger practices who buy all the latest gadgets – whether they need them or not.
“There are lots of integrations that we can do ... but most (offices) don’t really need that,” said Benvegnu. “Price is the excuse for not making the move.”
For those hesitant to jump into the healthcare IT pool, Benvegnu said Spring Medical has a stripped-down version of Spring Charts. SpringCharts Essentials offers a non-CCHIT-certified “starter kit” that comprises about 60 percent of the SpringCharts product – enough to allow a physician or small practice to ease into the EHR field.
“It gets them started (and) allows them to see what they can do,” Smyth said.
In developing SpringReports, Smyth said Spring Medical consulted with local physicians, including River Oaks Imaging and Diagnostic of Houston and The Medical Center of East Houston.
“SpringCharts ... integrates seamlessly with my practice management software,” said A.R. Garcia, MD, of The Medical Center, in a press release. “It was an easy decision to integrate the functionality of SpringReports into my SpringCharts.”
Smyth said Spring Medical is looking at other integrations now, including heart monitoring devices and e-prescribing solutions.