How an Integrated Tech Platform Empowers Independent Cardiology Practices

Technology drives every aspect of cardiology practice management–but many practices struggle with hidden costs, bottlenecks and gaps in their tech stack. In part 1 of this series, we explored how fragmented technology can impact your independent cardiology practice. Here, we’ll cover the seven key components of an integrated tech solution and how it addresses common challenges. These components include:

A Single, Customizable Platform 

Having one integrated system means that you get a wide range of solutions implemented simultaneously, so you don’t need to layer multiple vendors. Instead, you can centralize functions from revenue cycle, to staffing and human resources, to clinical operations.

An ideal solution will have a core EMR that’s integrated with practice management, patient engagement, marketing, revenue cycle, PACS and beyond. This integration removes the burden of redundant data entry and inefficient workflows, reducing errors and freeing up provider time, so they can focus on providing care. In the process, you also dramatically simplify vendor onboarding and management. 

The platform should also be customizable to changing business, administrative or policy needs. It should also enable your practice to grow by quickly adding workflows and templates to accommodate new services like remote patient monitoring, transition of care and inpatient rounding. 

Optimized Patient Engagement & Experience 

Engaging patients within your platform should be simple and straightforward, particularly because telehealth has become an essential channel to care. Giving your patients convenient, seamless access to your practice to manage their health is critical in delivering clinical outcomes. 

"Engaging patients within your platform should be simple and straightforward, particularly because telehealth has become an essential channel to care."

‍

To achieve this goal, the core technology should offer a digital front door for patients to seamlessly interact with the practice with a single tool. Giving patients direct access to a platform means an improved patient experience and decreased drain on staff time. 

Integrated Revenue Cycle Technology

The revenue cycle often comes as an afterthought, but it’s the lifeline of an independent cardiology practice. The ability to bill for services rendered, keep AR down and maintain positive cash flow is critical for the practice to run. Practice managers can drive efficiency and growth by using technology to manage the entire revenue cycle electronically, as opposed to using phone calls and paper forms. 

A Patient-Friendly Digital Front Door

Establishing an online presence is mandatory for every practice as that is the first thing every patient looks for. A poor web presence will automatically diminish growth. A well-designed, search-optimized website, easily accessible patient reviews, updated social channels, and presence on multiple healthcare marketplaces will help ensure patient panel growth.

Actionable Data Insights

Automated data dashboards are critical in monitoring key performance indicators–and identifying and addressing pain points early on. An effective dashboard allows your practice to continuously fine-tune operational, administrative and clinical procedures, so you can enhance the patient and provider experience and improve your practice’s financial metrics. 

Interoperability Across All Care Solutions

In order to provide coordinated care for patients and enable better clinical outcomes, the technology deployed at the practice should be interoperable, so it can seamlessly exchange critical patient data across the continuum of care. From remote patient monitoring, to telemedicine… every solution should be able to communicate data back and forth. Providers should be able to know what happened with a patient during a hospital visit or other specialist appointment to ensure the correct clinical actions. 

"In order to provide coordinated care for patients and enable better clinical outcomes, the technology deployed at the practice should be interoperable, so it can seamlessly exchange critical patient data across the continuum of care."

Value-Based Care Tools

Cardiology as a specialty is transitioning towards value-based care. While practices are focusing on fee-for-service revenue, the tools that enable them to manage high-risk populations and achieve clinical outcomes will become a necessity in the near future. 

With that in mind, practices need data warehousing and data analysis tools to identify risks and costs, ultimately enabling practices to enter into profitable value-based care contracts. Practices also need to deploy population health management, care coordination and patient engagement technologies, which together will drive clinical outcomes. 

Now Is the Time to Act

Because of the forces at work in cardiology, such as value-based care, patient consumerization and technology innovation, now is an opportune time to act and begin considering new approaches to technology. The days of stitching together a technology platform are quickly coming to an end, and to remain competitive, cardiology groups will have to scale up in order to compete with large national health systems or provider organizations. While challenging to do it alone, to get started, we invite you to explore CardioOne as an easy entry point to the tech and service infrastructure you need to improve patient outcomes, reduce unnecessary costs, elevate the patient and provider experience and avoid acquisition. 

JP Jayaraman is Chief Product Officer for CardioOne. He has nearly two decades of product management expertise across electronic health records, interoperability, home health services, utilization management and revenue cycle management. JP is driven by a passion to support independent providers, reduce the cost of healthcare and improve the patient experience. 

‍