Chapter 9
Assigning New Roles and Responsibilities
In This Chapter
A front office without paper
Who should document what?
Keeping the “e” in e-prescribing
Managing changes in people, processes, and technology
Using the EHR to improve quality of care
By now, you know about all the great things an EHR can do for your practice and your patients. The availability of electronic patient information can make a lot of your practice’s work easier. Entering and capturing the information will likely make some of your practice’s work harder, at least in the beginning. The key to making this EHR transition bearable is understanding how roles and responsibilities change. New roles are created, certain jobs are modified, and (thankfully) some old archaic functions are no longer needed.
In this chapter, we help you understand the functions needed to effectively implement and use an EHR in your practice. With a little preparation (okay, sometimes it will be a lot of preparation), your physicians and staff will be happier in their new jobs!
Restructuring the Front Office
The front office is the central hub and nexus of your practice. Your staff is critical to efficient patient flow, ensuring good customer service, and financial success. The general functions of the front office, such as scheduling patients, reception, patient check-in, collecting insurance, processing payments, answering the phone, and preparing patient information for the physician or nurse, do not go away in the electronic world, ...
