David Siskind, M.D., Medical Director, Birchwood Health Center, Huntington Station, New York

Time is a valuable commodity to physicians. All are looking for ways to spend less time on paperwork and more time on patient care and personal matters. Dr. David Siskind’s search for time-saving techniques led him to pMD, an automated physician charge capture solution that shaved days of administrative time from his schedule.

pMD: A Time-Saving, Physician Charge Capture Solution

As medical director of Birchwood Health Center, a 195-bed comprehensive nursing facility located in Huntington Station, New York, Dr. David Siskind visits patients during rounds at the nursing home and, when necessary, the local hospital. Recording an average of 200-300 patient visits per month, Dr. Siskind found it time-consuming and difficult to keep up with all the required paperwork for billing.

He knew there had to be an easier, more efficient method for recording patient interactions and capturing charges. His medical billing company, Contemporary Solutions, suggested Dr. Siskind try pMD, an automated charge capture solution proven to help physicians save time, recover income and improve compliance.

The Challenge:

Finding an efficient way to capture patient charges had long been a challenge for Dr. Siskind. His search had already led him to abandon a 100% paper-based method in favor of a cumbersome, hybrid technology solution called Pilot Forms, which allowed him to enter basic patient information into his PDA using graffiti or the keypad. Upon synchronization, the patient information would download into a Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet.

This system required Dr. Siskind to spend three days each month carefully reviewing the spreadsheet for typos, adding information from patient face sheets and entering all ICD and charge codes by hand. After completing the spreadsheet and sending it to the billing company for processing, Dr. Siskind still had to invest even more time responding to follow-up questions, which continuously interrupted his daily schedule and cost him valuable time.

Frustrated with his charge capture solution, Dr. Siskind sought an alternative. He explains, “My old solution was wrought with inefficiencies – it required too much data entry time, was not user friendly and left too much room for human error. I needed a new, cost-effective, charge capture solution that would transform my monthly billing into a quick, simple, seamless process.”

Familiar with alternative solutions, Contemporary Solutions recommended Dr. Siskind turn to pMD, a wireless application that automates charge capture and enables physicians and billing companies to work together in an efficient and seamless fashion.

The Physician Charge Capture Solution:

Developed with extensive physician input, pMDprovides Dr. Siskind with an easy-to-use solution that meets the specific needs of mobile physicians. The following features made pMD an ideal solution for Dr. Siskind:

Designed for handheld devices – pMD originally built its solution for the PDA because it enabled physicians who are rarely in their offices to record information from anywhere, at any time using a device that fits in their pocket. Dr. Siskind adds, “I was relieved to learn that pMDwould operate on the mobile device I already owned. This prevented me from having to purchase or learn how to use a new PDA device.”

Automates patient charge capture and billing – pMDcreates an efficient workflow that streamlines the entire patient charge capture process from the point of care through billing submission. Complete patient charges are entered once, and only once, at the point of care using a mobile device. Following a one-step, online approval process, patient charges are submitted to payors for reimbursement. pMD’s clear, concise format significantly reduces the need for follow-up between the billing company and physician. It’s that simple.

Prompts you for information – pMD is designed to make data entry as quick, accurate and complete as possible. Patient demographic information and ICD and charge billing codes are pre-loaded. “There’s no need for handwriting. It takes seconds to create a patient charge. I just point, click and go,” Dr. Siskind says.

Stores customized code lists and patient census - pMD creates, stores and updates a customized list of ICD and charge codes that you use most often. pMD also creates an active census so physicians can view “at-a-glance” which patients need to be seen at a given location. Both features prevent physicians from sifting through extraneous information.

Protects patient information through secure encryption methods - In compliance with HIPAA regulations, pMD encrypts all patient information stored on physician devices and sent over the Internet. Authorized users must provide a secure user name and password in order to gain access to sensitive patient information stored on pMD.

The Results:

As a sole practitioner with little administrative office support, Dr. Siskind was relieved to find pMD. He says:

“pMD changed my charge capture and patient billing from what was previously a cumbersome, time-consuming process, into one that is streamlined, efficient and accurate.”

Dr. Siskind realized immediate benefits from using pMD including:

Reduces time spent on billing from days to hours - pMD’s automated physician charge capture solution enables Dr. Siskind to reclaim days of time previously lost to paperwork and refocus it on patient care and personal time.

Speeds data entry – With pMD, Dr. Siskind finds a completely different experience at the patient’s bedside. Instead of handwriting patient notes, he follows the pMD prompts and, using his mobile device, clicks patient names as well as ICD and charge codes. What previously took minutes, now takes seconds with pMD.

Improves cash flow – pMD is designed so that physicians can send patient charges to billing on a daily basis. Dr. Siskind has experienced improved cash flow since using pMD.

Improves compliance - pMD improves physician compliance by virtually eliminating errors in procedure and diagnosis coding. Pre-loaded information stored in pMD as well as system prompts help Dr. Siskind create more accurate and comprehensive patient charges.

Dr. Siskind’s billing company also observed the positive impact of pMD. Mitch Trenczer, president of Contemporary Solutions, explains, “Since Dr. Siskind started using pMD, he’s gone from having to respond to dozens of charge inquiries every month to just 2-3 inquiries in an entire year. Fewer inquiries mean less disruption to Dr. Siskind’s schedule.”

“pMD is an ideal solution for a nursing home medical director or a larger practice,” concludes Dr. Siskind. “The time-saving features of pMD certainly make it a worthwhile investment for any physician.”

For additional information about pMD, the physician charge capture solution, contact the pMD team.