ProtoMED Goes To College!

Feature: ProtoMED Goes To College! Ruth Burke, Medical Mangement Consultant

Announcing ProtoCHART - Available NOW! Me & My Tablet - A Sales Perspective

ProtoMED Users Conference Scheduled For March ProtoMED Version 4.4 Preview

ProtoMED Goes To College!

I am drawn to the old TV commercial about investments: "when E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen" when attempting to describe the respect that Ruth Burke engenders among physicians who have used her services. With over twenty-one years of medical management experience (eleven of those years spent on practice management consulting, combined with nine years of teaching college medical management courses), it literally pays to listen when Ruth Burke speaks - particularly if you own a practice.

Ruth Burke has interacted with a great many medical management software products, including: DOMS, Medic, PBCS, CBSI, Versys, IDX, Mastermind, Medical Manager, and ProtoMED. Of all these PMS products, Ruth Burke only recommends one - the only PMS product that she can depend on to deliver the quality claims management and service that her good name and well-earned reputation demands: ProtoMED.

Ruth goes further than just exclusively recommending ProtoMED to physicians - she uses ProtoMED in the medical management classes that she is responsible for as an Adjunct Faculty member for both the Harford Community College and The Community College of Baltimore County (Essex, Dundalk, Catonsville, Owings Mills and Hunt Valley campuses). Ruth has published a workbook entitled: "Understanding Health Insurance - A Guide to Professional Billing". The workbook (used nationally) was designed by Ruth to accompany the course textbook. Every new semester, Ruth and her associate instructors, begin five new classes of medical management novices - all using ProtoMED. ProtoMED's intuitive design is so easy to use that students can focus on the medical management concepts of the coursework without being overwhelmed by learning a new software product.

Proto: You've chosen ProtoMED as the primary teaching tool for your Practice Management courses - why?

Burke: I could see that the design made it easy for my students to learn. I was BLOWN AWAY when I saw the demonstration - I could not believe all the technology features that ProtoMED had. Your system did all the things that I had previously said "boy I wish I could do this" with regards to other systems.

Students pick up on ProtoMED INSTANTLY - it has an incredibly small learning curve compared to any other PMS products. In the first three nights my students usually have patients, charges, and payments down solid - impossible with other systems.

Proto: How did you discover ProtoMED?

Burke: ProtoMED was demonstrating at an MGMA meeting over three years ago.
I needed a software company that I could recommend to my doctors. I was not at all satisfied with the local company that most of my clients were using.

I also admire the ProtoMED staff - I enjoy the passion that everyone has for the ProtoMED product. It was evident that ProtoMED had a commitment to service unmatched anywhere.

I've since recommended ProtoMED to clients with incredibly favorable results - everyone is always pleased with my recommendations - for example, every time I see the manager from this one particular office that I recommended, the first words she tells me when I come in the door are: "I LOVE PROTOMED!"

Proto: Could you list some of your favorite ProtoMED features?

Burke: Ruth needed no time to "think" about a response to this question - she rattled off a list of features, but more importantly, gave examples of why these features are so important to her:

Easy Learning Curve

First on the list is probably an abused term regarding software, but its such a big item with ProtoMED - your software is incredibly USER-FRIENDLY. No other PMS can compare to ProtoMED's easy learning curve and intuitive lookup and charge processing features.

Easy Setup

You can configure things yourself - "no rocket science degree required". As a consultant I've been restricted from accomplishing tasks due to "software issues" on other PMS products - example: I was consulting in a Medical Manager office and I needed to have the encounter form adjusted to allow for printing of co-pay. We called for support and I was told that this request could be done - but that it would cost thousands for "custom configuration". With ProtoMED, we just go into the encounter form design screen and add the field!

Efficient EOB Posting

ProtoMED's unique payment posting routines make it almost impossible to mess up payment posting - you'll always know when you've made a mistake because the remaining balance on the EOB will not be zeroed out!

Superior Support

Any system is useless without someone there to help you use it - with ProtoMED, someone is always there! As a consultant, support is a big issue. Most of these companies require you to leave a message and they get back to you the next day - you can't do that when you are a consultant - you're not there the next day! ProtoMED always answers my questions - immediately - with such a friendly and helpful support team. Plus, I can monitor my client's support calls and electronic claims volume over the Internet - from my home.

Incredible Claims Management

Its not uncommon to see a year's worth of un-worked claims in offices that I'm called to assist - I've actually seen two years worth of un-worked claims at one practice! The reason for a lot of this is due to the time constraints imposed on an over-worked staff and how labor-intensive the process of working claims is. ProtoMED overcomes this problem with your new Claims Manager - It's a big help in working claims and monitoring staff progress with regards to working claims.

Co-payment and "front desk" processing

Front desk issues are the bane of many practices - over-the-counter payments improperly processed, co-pays remain uncollected, etc. ProtoMED enables co-pay collection with a simple "click" from the schedule. Afterwards, once the charge is entered, the co-pay is automatically applied - so easy - so efficient.

I once wanted to improve the front desk by attempting to collect the full patient balance. I was told by the practice's PMS vendor that they could only print the total balance - not just the patient balance. ProtoMED provides a complete aged breakdown of both insurance and patient balances with the push of a button - directly from the scheduler.

Proto: How did you get into medical management consulting?

Burke: At the time, I was managing a pediatrician practice. My doctor would "lend me out" to fellow physicians to get them up and running. My choices of practice management systems and successful track record got the attention of a large consulting firm that "made me an offer that I couldn't resist". The firm began abandoning the "small doctors" in favor of larger hospital accounts - I was told "there was no market for consulting services for the small doctors." In my opinion, the smaller practices need me the most! I've been working with individual doctors since I was fifteen - I have a kindred spirit with them - a passion to help them make the money that they deserve to make. The decision to go out on my own and stay with "the small doctors" was an easy decision to make - and I've never looked back.

Proto: Could you tell us something about the stay-at-home mom's billing group that you started?

Burke: When I was with the consulting group, I'd see all these women who would have to leave their children to come into an office to perform work that they could easily accomplish from home. I got this idea of establishing this pool of highly qualified billers that could stay with their children and work from home. It was from this idea that I formed the Independent Medical Billers Alliance (IMBA) over eight years ago. Everyone is their own independent billing agency, but they must attend monthly IMBA meetings. Meetings are held in everyone's homes - women can bring their children.

We identify women billers who "want to come home". We make sure they are trained to meet our high standards - training is free of charge. We then find a new client for the new recruit and set her up - no fees - no strings attached - it's the IMBA mission - we consider it our ministry to bring women home to work.

Protologics is grateful to Ruth Burke for her endorsement, her energy, and the time that she gave us for this interview. - lrw

Ruth can be reached via Email: burke@verizon.net, or by phone at: 410-679-3020.

Join Us! ProtoMED User's Conference

The Maryland MGMA is hosting a Technology Fair this March and has invited ProtoMED to use the Tech Fair as an opportunity to host our own user's conference. We hope that you can find time to attend this important ProtoMED users conference. Out-of-state clients can stay at the BWI Holiday Inn and get an MGMA discounted room rate. Protologics will reimburse the registration fee for the first fifty ProtoMED users group attendees. Furthermore, Protologics shall give away ten MD MGMA memberships!

Tech-Knowledgy 2003
Friday, March 28
7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
BWI Holiday Inn

$25 per person registration fee required - first fifty ProtoMED clients to sign-in for the user's group meeting will be reimbursed for their registration fee!

Registration includes: full-event access to the exhibition hall, continental breakfast, box lunch. Join us for:

ProtoMED Users Conference - separate breakout session for ProtoMED clients

Explore the newest technological advances to streamline practice functionality, including networking and connectivity, application software platforms, EMRs, PDAs, reminder-call systems and coding software

Seek out vendors for answers to your critical issues and concerns, such as privacy and HIPAA compliance

Attend special speaker sessions

Get a preview of ProtoMED version 4.4 and ProtoCHART

ProtoPOINTS - 2002 Grand Prize Award

ProtoPOINTS - 2003 Announcement (attendees get 1000 bonus points)

First fifty ProtoMED clients on the ProtoMED user group registry will be reimbursed for their registration fee

See more information at: www.mgmamd.org , or contact our Help Desk!

Protologics and MediNotes Announce ProtoCHART Electronic Medical Record

Protologics Corporation, a Maryland PMS company with installations in ten states, and MediNotes Corporation, an Iowa EMR vendor with installations nationwide, announce an agreement to produce ProtoCHART - an Electronic Medical Record with seamless integration into the ProtoMED practice management system. The OEM agreement takes the MediNotes Charting Plus EMR product and re-works it for integration into the ProtoMED practice management product.

Medinotes was selected for its vast knowledge base, ease of use, Windows platform, relational database, WYSIWYG templates, and E&M coding wizard. Medically reviewed specialty templates are available for: Primary Care, OB-GYN, Ophthalmology, Optometry, Neurology, Dermatology, Orthopedics, and Cardiology. The EMR software also employs a graphical engine that enables pointing to the body part to be documented. Layers of pointing take the user deeper and deeper into body, down to distinct organs and skeletal structures.

The ProtoCHART EMR product allows for seamless integration of patient demographics from ProtoMED and billing information captured from the clinical record. While billing information is provided during the patient encounter by the EMR, charges can be reviewed by the billing team before being posted to a patient's account. ProtoCHART employs the best of both worlds - real-time, compliant coding from the EMR and batch review by the practice billing team - all with minimal data entry.

ProtoCHART is now available for purchase. The EMR product is compatible with ProtoMED Practice Manager, version 4.4. Demonstrations are available now - call Protologics at 800-648-4836 to request a demonstration, or Email sales@protologics.com.

Me & My Tablet - A New Way Of Doing Business!

The other day I was demonstrating ProtoCHART on our wireless pen tablet and I decided to introduce myself to some other practices in the building. Before walking into the waiting room, I tapped the screen on my tablet and wrote the name of the doctor in my own handwriting into the tablet. Instantly the handwriting disappeared and typed text appeared in my contact field in the system.

I walked into the waiting room holding the tablet which is about as big as a piece of paper (except it is about an inch thick). Before I even got a chance to introduce myself, one of the staff blurted out "What is that? Is that a computer? Can I play games on that?"

I informed them that in fact it was a computer ( 30 gigabyte hard drive and a 1gigahertz processor ) and that it does everything any other computer does, except more. It comes with built in handwriting and voice recognition software, and a wireless networking card so it will fit right in to any LAN with a wirleless hub. "Better yet it can be loaded with ProtoCHART and ProtoMED and provide seamless integration of clinical records and practice management." - had to get "the pitch in", after-all, I was there to sell!

Needless to say I have had a great deal of success finding people who are interested in seeing demonstrations. I've even written a few contracts on the spot. Personally, I am most impressed with how well received the ProtoCHART software has been. From single a doctor to 600+ doctor practice, the response is consistent "ProtoCHART is the best Electronic Medical Records Solution I have seen so far". Operating on a completely wireless pen tablet, ProtoCHART offers a real time point-of-care note taking and chart access. Doctors can even take the tablet home with them to complete charts and re-synch with the main system the next day!

Doctors love the fact that the software comes pre-loaded with specialty based note templates, and that they have the flexibility to change the existing templates or make new ones quickly and easily. It offers the perfect medium between a turnkey and custom solution.

It is so flexible and simple, that I have created note templates for my sales calls and simply tap the screen to collect all pertinent practice information from my conversations with prospects.

I love demonstrating this product - give us a call at 800-648-4836, or contact us via Email: sales@protologics.com . We will be happy to show you that the answer to your clinical records nightmare is no longer the stuff dreams are made of! Its here, its now - its ProtoCHART!

Harry Abramson,
N.E. Regional Sales Manager

ProtoMEDVersion 4.4 Preview

Over the last year, ProtoMED has been working to take even more strides as a leader in practice management software. We are eagerly anticipating a March/April release of ProtoMED 4.4. Here is a brief list of new and improved features:

NEW! ProtoCHART Electronic Medical Records, complete with seamless interface into ProtoMED for both patient demographics and billing.

NEW! Electronic Remittance Advice which automatically posts your insurance payments for you (limited availability).

NEW! E-Statements send your patient statements through the ProtoCLAIMS clearinghouse and directly to the post office! All printing, stuffing, and mailing is done for you with one "click"!

Updated CPT Codes and Diagnosis Codes for 2003.

Phone numbers now print in block 33.

New and improved reports including: Patient List By Diagnosis Codes, Visits By CPT Code, Summary A/R and Detail A/R.

NEW! Clinical notes archival screen available from the ProtoMED patient demographics screen.

Improved Universal Referral Form that no longer requires an authorization number.

Improved Claims Manager features.

Updated Help Manual.

We will continue to keep you posted the 4.4 ship date. To keep up-to-date on the status of our release, be sure to check out our website, www.protomed.com and future editions of our ProtoViews online newsletter.

Don't forget to attend the Maryland MGMA Tech Fair, March 28th , at the Baltimore Washington International Airport Holiday Inn - ProtoMED is hosting its Users Conference. Come see 4.4 features and the new ProtoCHART EMR product. A user's design meeting will also take place - here's your opportunity to get the "special feature that you would like to see" into the design process. Hope to see you there!

Tim Griffith,
Implementation Coordinator